Customer was economics grad student, whom attendant pestered on inflation expectations… “Transitory or instransitory?” “Transitory, a year or two.” Thought inflation mainly dependent on the Fed. “But the Fed was having trouble meeting its inflation targets before Covid.” –“That’s true…. but, of course I could be wrong.” Did he think disruptions caused by climate change could be a source of inflation? Really thought Fed was primary factor. With climate change… it couldn’t be just a bad year. Would have to be a real disruption in the pattern. (Attendant had noticed about his ideas over the years that they were often “kind of interesting” and “outside of the box” –like that environmental damage was responsible for our present bout of inflation– but also kind of wrong or at least non-actionable in the way they were conceived. Nevertheless, couldn’t one say that Covid was the result of environmental damage and a demonstration of the kind of inflationary pressures environmental damage could create?… Technology increased productivity, thus was a deflationary force, but technology was also responsible for exterior costs, like Climate Change, which would one day need to be readjusted for.)
Auditory Memory. Customer ordered small iced caramel latte and plain bagel with cream cheese; customer’s friend ordered everything bagel with cream cheese and lox and small cappuccino; customer’s other friend ordered small cappuccino and everything bagel with plain cream cheese. Attendant faced moment of uncertainty as the toasted open faces of the plain bagel and first of the everythings were open before him –which spread went on which bagel?– but suddenly had an auditory memory of the customer having said “plain bagel with cream cheese” –the exact sound of his voice “played back”– and this unlocked his memory of the rest.
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