I’m not sure what it is about sitting down, casually chatting to somebody, a cuppa in hand, watching other busy people’s lives pass you by. It’s facinating.
Perhaps it’s my genetic programming, perhaps it’s my fondness of watching others, the voyeur in me studying the habbits of the my fellow creatures. It’s theraputic, like bonding without connecting, blending in without mixing, feeling like part of something bigger than just me whilst being all about me.
There aren’t any coffee shops as such in Shiyan. Oh, sure, you can find places that has flashy neon-signs, beaming into the night things like Coffee & KTV, or Jazz Coffee (whateverthehell that is), or places that just plainly say… coffee. But often, these establishments have a door, but no windows. Who wants to sit and drink coffee in a dusky, little room with no view of the world outside?
Not me.
And that is not even commenting on the coffee. The Restaurant I so often wrote about before, offers expensive, imported (allegedly) coffees for 25 quai a pop (and a pop is a very small cup). In my peak, when I visited there frequently, they would just give me a cup of good old 3-in-1 Nescafe, which was heavenly compared with the donkey piss they try to pass as imported coffee.
But thank goodness for KFC. Yes, KFC. But aren’t they famous for Chicken? Sure. Shiyan has two, both with ceiling-to-floor windows, great views of busy sidewalks and even busier streets and… wait for it … BOTTOMLESS coffee.
The coffee is also Nescafe; the green label. Not sure what’s special about the green label, but it’s strong and a very decent cup of coffee. Add to it the little thingy of what I think (hope) is cream and a sachet of sugar, and you’ve got yourself a good 15 minutes of comfort.
But it isn’t really about the coffee.
I could do what I do even with a cup of donkey piss. As long as the donkey piss is hot and at least smells like coffee. It’s more about the act. The act of pondering life’s little mysteries. Discussing something of universal unimportance with a friend, a potential love interest, or somebody you’ve never met before sitting at the table behind you doing the same thing you are.
It’s about people. Those who sit close to you, those who pass by the window, those who drive their fancy cars to their fancy houses. It’s about pondering where you are, where you could have been, where you should have been and why you’re not.
It’s a stress reliever; a time-out; me-time. Slowing down the pace, stepping back, seeing the big picture. And realising that I am just a little dot in the 400 gazzillion dots-per-inch Big Picture after all.
Recently my cravings have been strong for ‘going for a coffee’. King gave up on me after getting the shakes following one of our 4-hour, 6-cups-of-coffee chat sessions. So I’ve been going it alone. Fine by me.
Tonight I met up with Linda. Ahhhh, Linda. Beautiful Linda. She used to teach here at my school, but she did the sane thing and as of this term she is no longer working here. She’s not sure about her future, but I’m sure the coffee we shared tonight has given her insight; a glimps of direction; a hint of purpose.
Coffee will do that to you. Too much coffee will also make you philosophical and cause you to ramble on uncontrolably. Like being pissed actually, except instead of wanting to sleep, coffee makes you want to not sleep.
Coffee will do that to you too. Beware the bean.