Good morning chai.

It’s really disappointing that there is nowhere on my morning walk to the bus with good chai. TNT serves Oregon chai. Gross. Vivace doesn’t serve chai. Thanks. Starbucks’ is okay. But not good enough. Then there’s that place in the Broadway Market who gives a discount to Metro riders. I haven’t tried them yet. I bet they serve Oregon. Or better yet, Morning Glory. Double gross. I could pop into India Express and see if they’ll give me a cup of chai to go. Indian restaurants have AMAZING chai. It tastes like Froot Loops. But is an Indian restaurant going to be open around 9 or 10 in the morning, when I’m trying to catch the bus to work? And if they are, are they going to sell me just a cup of chai? I’ll have to do some research on this.

I have other options, of course. I could take another route to the bus, or take another bus. I could walk over to 15th & John and take the 43. But let’s think about that. Café Ladro serves Oregon, or Morning Glory. I can’t remember, but it doesn’t matter. Victrola, despite its pretentiousness serves, you guessed it, gross Oregon chai. Then there’s Starbucks again. No thanks. I could try that little bakery by Sonic Boom or Hillside Quickies, that vegan restaurant. If these establishments even serve chai, odds are they both serve gross chai. Maybe the vegans are snotty enough to not serve Oregon or Morning Glory. Let’s hope so. There is that one place called INSOMNIAX. My friend and I peered in the window one night on a walk, and the jug of chai concentrate we saw on the counter looked like it had potential. But I refuse to go there. It’s false advertisement. They close at like 7pm. Where are all the INSOMNIAX going to go when they’re trying to drink their coffee (or chai) at midnight? Liars. 

Or I could always make chai at home. I have some REALLY good powdered spicy chai mix from Trader Joe’s. But I don’t like to carry around plastic mugs. I always lose them. Losing things is not good for my mental health. It makes me feel worthless. 

The best option is to get off the bus a stop early, on the Ave, and go to Sureshot. Yes, they serve Oregon chai. And Morning Glory chai. But they also serve the best chai in this entire damn city. It’s called Big Train chai. But there is a problem. Sureshot has a $5 minimum on debit cards. I am not trying to spend $5 every time I want a cup of chai. I could take cash out, but this creates a few problems. One, it’s an extra stop in the morning, and the nearest Bank of America ATM is several blocks out of my way. That’s a good 15 minutes of sleep and a lot of exertion in the morning just for a cup of good chai. I could take out cash once a week to support my love of good chai, that way I’m prepared ahead of time. But chai in the morning isn’t as good when you know you’re getting it; when you plan it. Chai is best when on a whim, as a last minute surprise. And also, I don’t want to commit to 5 chais per week. I really shouldn’t be spending the money. I’m trying to be frugal. Besides, I don’t want to get my chai right before I have to start working. I want to sit on the bus for 20 minutes, and listen to music, or read a book, or zone out, and drink my fucking chai. I am trying to create a comfortable morning routine here. 

I guess I’ll learn to be happy with a cup of water and a cigarette in the morning.