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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v03n04)
Coffee Corner - More than just coffee - by Molly Dagon
posted: Feb. 24, 2006

Coffee Corner header

More than just coffee
I received an e-mail from my former roommate (and former Tea Master) Mary, who is studying yoga in its birthplace, India. She was excited to tell me about the Indian version of Starbucks: Café Coffee Day, whose slogan is "A lot can happen over coffee." How true that is. Friends catch up with one another over coffee, associates get together for business meetings, and even first dates take place. In fact the place I first met Mary was in a coffee shop! Imagine that. Every day I watch these "meetings" occur and am grateful that I am somehow a part of the process. What is even more beneficial is when I'm told how wonderful the drink I made was. Now, I know that sounds a little boastful and I know that I'm not the best barista (although close) but, what I don't realize is how you feel when you get coffee.
How simple chit-chat and interaction can positively affect a person's day is one of the reasons I continue to serve coffee. During Christmas a regular customer gave me a gift certificate to Target. I was baffled (and very thankful) about how I deserved this gift, but the note inside the card said it all. My customer described how coming into the shop and getting the latte I made was her break in the day, her mental relaxation. And I got to be a part of that. I was completely unaware of how I contributed to her day, and it made me feel wonderful. It made me think that maybe there is more to the lattes and mochas I serve. Another customer told me that he felt like Norm from Cheers because he knew us all and we knew him. I laughed and told him that I honestly think of myself as a morning bartender (and trust me I am). There's a sense of community, as cliché as it sounds, in going to a place where everyone knows your name. So when you get your next cup, look around the café and take in the experience, take it all in: the smell, the sounds, the baristas, the little tables full of people meeting - and think what it all means to you. Because honestly, a lot can happen over coffee.



molly@broadripplegazette.com
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