Clueless about the best way to meet people and get to know a new city? There's a simple way to figure out where the best spot to go later in the evening is, or better yet, to understand how things work. Just head to a local cafe, and get the best insight on how the country you're in operates. Learn if people are leisurely or rushed just by watching them drink some coffee.
You see, the caf? lifestyle is more than just a reflection on how the locals like their coffee (one sugar, two sugars, milk, no sugar). It lets you know how people value their time, how a day actually moves, and whether or not you're going to find yourself waiting a long time for your friends to show up. In places like Western Europe, it's literally possible to sit as long as you like, sipping on a cappuccino, watching the action of the city go by. In Italy, if you meet a friend for coffee and don't stay for a couple of hours, they're going to think something is terribly wrong. After all, where could you possibly have to rush off to?
One spot in the United States where the caf? lifestyle is slightly more thriving that isn't New York or San Francisco is Portland, where the rain and dreary weather make it pretty much essential to cuddle up with a warm, caffeinated beverage. A lot of places in the world have coffee as a major part of keeping warm, including in The United Kingdom, where a cup of tea might be preferred, but coffee, especially Italian espresso, is finding its stronghold.
Of course, hop across the pond to The United States, and you're going to find that things are a little different. People actually go to drive-through windows at Starbucks because they don't have the extra couple of minutes to get out of the car on the way to work, and even places like McDonald's have taken to serving Newman's Organic coffee because somehow Americans have learned that they like the taste of better coffee, but they don't really understand that the taste is only half of the experience. So while you can get a decent cup of coffee even at a rest stop in New Jersey now, it doesn't mean it comes with remotely the same ambiance as a country where the caf? lifestyle actually matters.
It's pretty obvious how things work in The States when you realize that all your coffee comes with is a napkin or a dairy creamer. In other places, where you're encouraged to sit and stay awhile, there's practically a small spread presented with even the most regular cup of joe. In Buenos Aires, cookies, crackers, and some soda water come along, too. In Italy, at least a cookie is expected. In Holland, at least a couple of cookies come, too. And in Paris, if you're going to a cafe to enjoy a coffee, you might actually save money by ordering it with some pastry or croissant item.
And that's the thing about the caf? lifestyle: if you're from a more rushed country, there's something so amazingly freeing about having the time to just hang out and relax and observe somewhere else. Because if you're used to coffee in a cardboard cup that doesn't taste particularly great, it's pretty amazing not just to taste genuinely coffee, but to actually change the pace of your life, even if it's just for a vacation.
Perhaps some of that culture will rub off the places that it doesn't exist already. Starbucks, after all, has made it acceptable to want something with espresso, and maybe the slow food movement in The States will carry over to beverages in public. A number of bloggers and internet fiends are making it slightly more acceptable to sit in a public place and still be a responsible adult, so long as there's a computer in front of you and you look busy.
So the next time you're on the road, be it in your own country or around the world, if you want to get to know a little more about the city or country you're visiting, head to any old cafe. The best way to get acquainted, after all, is by steeping yourself in the caf? lifestyle. Who knows what traditions you might pick up and take home with you.
Damian Papworth loves coffee. As such he launched the One Cup Coffee Makers website. On this sitee you can read up about your 1 cup coffee maker
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