Coffee and pastry station at Checkers Supermarket. A man gave me a nod and a smile, ordered his coffee then asked about a bag labeled "ITALIAN." Since the two women behind the counter had no information on it, I joked, "It's all the same. They just put "ITALIAN" or whatever on it."

Not 100% sure I was joking, he just grinned, then asked if they had Chinese coffee. It's his turn to kid around.

Again, the two women were stumped, so I pointed to the sign, "No Chinese coffee, but they had Vietnamese coffee. I'm, uh, Vietnamese."

Staring at the sign behind them, neither woman had any idea what Vietnamese coffee was, it being discontinued long ago, apparently, so I explained, "Vietnamese coffee is just coffee with condensed milk."

"Without water?!"

"No, no, with water, but instead of sugar, you use condensed milk. You should try it at home."

Although everything was out of sync and exceedingly trivial, our interaction was still meaningful because we were being friendly to each other, what lockdowns, social distancing and mask wearing thwart. We need to see each other's lips and teeth, like, all the time, even if they're crooked, broken or half missing. Just show me your gums!

As I walked away, one of the women said with extra emphasis, "Thank you, Sir!"

Stepping outside, I sat on a concrete bench in the sunshine, drank my $1.20 grande cappucino and watched all these calm, elegant and dignified people walk by.