I have never seen the point to coffeehouses. I doubt I ever will.
Reading this small bit made me laugh as I recalled the few times I ever stepped foot into one of these places. Going in the door, I felt as though I was aware of most of the stereotypes that some label for frequent cafe visitors. I told even told myself, beforehand, always struggling to be an on-going skeptic to popular views, that I would try to not specifically look for the stereotypes while I was in there because it would solidify and degrade my opinion of coffeehouses forever. Unfortunately, the stereotypes won.
As soon as I entered, I looked around and saw two businessmen pounding down whatever they ordered, one guy becoming frustrated with his laptop, and one man reading the Wallstreet Journal. Let us not forget the creepy people-watchers who do nothing except slowly sip on their coffee and stare at everyone who walks in and out of the store. Now, I wasn't in there because I wanted coffee. I was in there because a friend wanted to stop in and buy some before we headed out. This made the situation slightly more awkward as I became the center of attention for the guy with nothing better to do.
Sarcasm and fun aside, I can't say I ever really saw the point. Was this location some sort of means to show off? Did this setting increase your chances of random encounters with someone you don't know? I'd rather go to a park or public event than idle around inside a forcibly-modern location.
Then again, perhaps my disdain for coffeehouses stems from my lack of interest in coffee itself. Never drank it on a regular basis or even on those rare occasions when you have to work extra hard for a greater amount of time. I'm definately not a morning person, yet, I don't find myself yearning for that extra kick many others need to just get themselves through the day.
So...actually talking about the reading, one thing I wanted to point out was the author's view on coffeehouses as a step UP from places like bars, moving away from cigarettes and alcohol. I hope I'm not the only one who sees this as hypocritical as caffeine, commonly abused, can also have negative effects on your body. Granted, not everyone is addicted to lattes like it's crack. It just seems like a milder approach to those "bad" things. Since our last addiction has been labeled as not good for us, let's find something new to overconsume and love. Oh well.
January 22, 2007
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