Whole Earth, Summe
r, 2002 by Buzz Poole
I go to coffee shops to watch people, not for the coffee. I can make coffee at home. People rustle their papers, peck away at their laptops, and chit-chat, choreographed by the cafe soundtrack: the obligatory jazz, the grinding of the grinders, the frothing of the milk or appropriate nondairy substitute, the tinkling of glasses, cups, spoons, and saucers.
Twice for this article, all my footwork complete, questions asked, I set out to actually write it in a cafe. It seemed apropos. Twice I failed. At one cafe my attention was consumed by a large painting hanging across from me. The heads and shoulders of Bill Clinton and Vladimir Putin had been painted onto the canvas. They bent towards one another, conspiratorially, diplomatically, Bill's big white head in the foreground, his lips ever so slightly agape as if caught in a whisper conveying matters of grave political importance. Or was he just asking for the sugar?
Twice for this article, all my footwork complete, questions asked, I set out to actually write it in a cafe. It seemed apropos. Twice I failed. At one cafe my attention was consumed by a large painting hanging across from me. The heads and shoulders of Bill Clinton and Vladimir Putin had been painted onto the canvas. They bent towards one another, conspiratorially, diplomatically, Bill's big white head in the foreground, his lips ever so slightly agape as if caught in a whisper conveying matters of grave political importance. Or was he just asking for the sugar?
I can't think of another place where a buck entitles you to stay for as long as you like. If you go to a bar often enough, you'll be dubbed a drunk. Spend enough time lurking about a laundromat or even a library, and people may just find you plain old creepy. Go to a coffeehouse--and be like many others.
One coffee shop regular in San Francisco's Mission District told me that he was going to let the lease run out on his studio space because it was cheaper and more productive for him to come to the cafe "I don't know who got the design down. The funky tables, all these mismatched mugs. The music [Mingus], the old protest posters. It all feeds into this great environment. Everybody always seems busy doing something." Politics and levels of productivity aside, it is this setting that has seduced cafe goers from the get-go.
As space and privacy become more and more of a premium, coffeehouses proliferate. As people have clamored for a space apart from their kids, roommates, coworkers, and families, cafes have filled these needs. Ubiquitous to be sure, cafes in America have transcended the beverages, serving as sanctuaries and escapes for people hampered by the confinements of home and office.
One coffee shop regular in San Francisco's Mission District told me that he was going to let the lease run out on his studio space because it was cheaper and more productive for him to come to the cafe "I don't know who got the design down. The funky tables, all these mismatched mugs. The music [Mingus], the old protest posters. It all feeds into this great environment. Everybody always seems busy doing something." Politics and levels of productivity aside, it is this setting that has seduced cafe goers from the get-go.
As space and privacy become more and more of a premium, coffeehouses proliferate. As people have clamored for a space apart from their kids, roommates, coworkers, and families, cafes have filled these needs. Ubiquitous to be sure, cafes in America have transcended the beverages, serving as sanctuaries and escapes for people hampered by the confinements of home and office.
Romanticized and commercialized, modern cafe culture has undergone a conversion. The sheer volume of consumers has simultaneously homogenized it, as well as reigniting enthusiasm for it. Cafes, once home to marginalized members of society, now stand proudly in the mainstream, encouraging customers to stay for as long as they like and to continue to return, again and again.
Unfortunately, the modern American cafe chain is an iconoclast, robbing cafe culture of what was once its greatest attribute--its ability to create an arena for diversity.
The king of the cafe chains is Starbucks. With enough fake exposed wood to hint at tradition; lots of glass; stools, sofas, tables, and chairs; and some notion of funkiness; you have any one of the more than 4,200 Starbucks flecked all over North America (with another 1,100 in twenty-five other countries). Some people adore it. Starbucks has created a singular cafe experience, the same in New York as in Des Moines. What was once a pastime for idle vagabonds has become a pursuit as American as baseball and apple pie.
Espresso: Made by heating water to just below boiling, then forcing it through a crucible of densely packed, finely ground coffee.
Caffe Latte: A shot of espresso topped with a generous amount of steamed milk, with foam.
Caffe Mocha: A shot of espresso mixed with cocoa powder and sugar, and topped with steamed milk.
Caffe Misto: A mix of 1/2 drip-brewed coffee and 1/2 steamed milk. Also known as cafe Au Lait or cafe Con Leche.
Ristretto: "Short pull" espresso made with less than the usual hot water for a highly intense shot that highlights espresso's caramelly sweetness.
Cappuccino: Traditionally made with milk foam and espresso, but little or no steamed milk.
Buzz Poole is a Bay Area freelance writer posing as a graduate student at San Francisco State University. He can be reached at liquidsecret @yahoo.com.
Unfortunately, the modern American cafe chain is an iconoclast, robbing cafe culture of what was once its greatest attribute--its ability to create an arena for diversity.
The king of the cafe chains is Starbucks. With enough fake exposed wood to hint at tradition; lots of glass; stools, sofas, tables, and chairs; and some notion of funkiness; you have any one of the more than 4,200 Starbucks flecked all over North America (with another 1,100 in twenty-five other countries). Some people adore it. Starbucks has created a singular cafe experience, the same in New York as in Des Moines. What was once a pastime for idle vagabonds has become a pursuit as American as baseball and apple pie.
Espresso: Made by heating water to just below boiling, then forcing it through a crucible of densely packed, finely ground coffee.
Caffe Latte: A shot of espresso topped with a generous amount of steamed milk, with foam.
Caffe Mocha: A shot of espresso mixed with cocoa powder and sugar, and topped with steamed milk.
Caffe Misto: A mix of 1/2 drip-brewed coffee and 1/2 steamed milk. Also known as cafe Au Lait or cafe Con Leche.
Ristretto: "Short pull" espresso made with less than the usual hot water for a highly intense shot that highlights espresso's caramelly sweetness.
Cappuccino: Traditionally made with milk foam and espresso, but little or no steamed milk.
Buzz Poole is a Bay Area freelance writer posing as a graduate student at San Francisco State University. He can be reached at liquidsecret @yahoo.com.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Point Foundation COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group
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