Coffee Houses
Human beings are sociable animals and need somewhere warm and dry to congregate and coffee houses are the perfect place to meet up with friends before going out on the town or to take a break from work or shopping. However independently run establishments seem to be a dying breed. Most of these places are international chains now, such as Starbucks. Some people like a chain because they know exactly what to expect but it makes every main street look the same.
Tea is the drink that is mainly associated with the British, but coffee houses were very fashionable in 18th century London. Coffee was considered the modern, exotic beverage and the intellectual elite of the capital would gather to discuss the affairs of the day over their imported brew.
Later, in the 1950s, they would become the starting point for rock and roll performers like Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard. The expresso machines would steam and hiss and the jukebox would vibrate to Elvis and Eddie Cochran.
In the 1960s of New York and San Francisco, bearded folk singers and beat poets frequented the coffee houses, all aspiring to be the next Bob Dylan or Allen Gingsberg. Even today, poetry recitals and coffee bars seem to go together. The pavement cafes of Paris have a long literary tradition, home to many a tormented and poverty stricken writer.
The open top bus tour guides of Edinburgh in Scotland point out a café with a Harry Potter connection. It was here, in her brother-in-law’s café, that J.K. Rowling began to pen her tale of wizards.
Coffee is not the simple drink, it once was. The choice of drinks available can be bewildering. Coffee houses sell espresso, latte, cappuccino and a wonderful mixture of coffee and chocolate known as mocha. Customers can shake chocolate or cinnamon on the top.
There is also a wide choice of muffins; chocolate chip, blueberry, lemon or cherry. They also sell sandwiches with ever more elaborate fillings. It’s difficult sometimes, to get a straightforward cheese and tomato roll but invariably easy to order a ham with rocket and melted stilton and sun dried tomatoes with a blue cheese dressing in a granary baguette.
It’s become more relaxing to browse in a bookstore, with many of them opening up little coffee houses within the stores. Many of those are Starbucks, of course, but it’s still a nice place to lounge. Some stores allow customers to look through the books while drinking their coffee. They tend to have comfortable leather armchairs and it’s tempting to fall asleep. Just don’t nod off into your coffee.
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