Strong flat white for Batman: should I use a ‘coffee name’?

Is it better to use a fake identity for convenience when ordering coffee? Photograph: Alyx Gorman/The Guardian

“What’s your name?”

When people misspell it as “kangaroo”, the answer isn’t so straightforward.

That’s why Kantaro Okada goes by “Ken” or “K” when grabbing takeaway. The operator of various Melbourne cafes (279, Le Bajo Milkbar) isn’t alone in disguising his identity. “Everyone has a coffee name at our office,” he says. “Because they have Japanese names.”