I need to always be prepared by carrying a reusable mug in my briefcase. An unexpected invitation to go for a cup of coffee meant I entered a whole new world of the ubiquitous coffee shop. Where have I been the past fifteen years that I didn’t even know how to order a cup of coffee?
The barista approached. “What can I get you?”
I had been looking at the menu board and experienced a moment of confusion. “All I really want is a plain cup of coffee.
“Light or dark?” The man took pity on the poor ignorant granola head who hadn’t yet caught up with modern culture.
“Dark!”
“Should I leave room for milk or cream?”
Oh no. I really am odd. “No thanks, just hot, dark and strong.” I was talking about the coffee, really not men. OK, so I like my men the same way. I felt guilty holding the disposable cup, like my environmental friends would set the recycle patrol on me. At least the cup was made of recycled pre-consumer paper.
In theory, I knew about coffee shop culture, philosophers and intelligentsia in Europe throughout the twentieth century met in coffee shops and shared thoughts. The modern coffee shop seems to be taken over by writers using laptops sitting at tables alone. I had hoped for sharing ideas etch and my coffee companion proved to be interesting.
He brought up themes to discuss and the conversation ranged from discussion of careers to business, books and then the dangerous territory of politics. In terms of compatibility I’m not sure if a dark straight-up coffee drinker has much in common with an iced mocha latté with extra whipped cream.
The nice thing about opposites is combining strengths. The one topic we didn’t discuss was the environment. The coffee shop embraced recycling and provided an aura of being good for the environment and supports fair trade practices. Next time I’ll make the experience even better by taking my own cup.
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