As a Northwesterner raised by a Midwesterner and Southerner,
coffee was a foreign substance in my household.
In its place was pop – a drink often rationed by my siblings and I. Coffee
didn’t enter my life in a meaningful way until I returned to Seattle in
2007 for college at the University of Washington.
After years of drinking pop out of a fridge or vending
machine, the notion of brewing coffee or going to get it from a shop
seemed downright foreign, if not absurd. Venturing to shops with friends proved to be an
interesting challenge. I’d often get to the menu board and be overwhelmed by
the choices. It was a stark change from my standard options at home – Coke
or Pop. Dazed and often very confused, I’d frequently leave shops with a mocha,
my default/security blanket.
It wasn’t until I graduated from college when I truly
started to appreciate coffee. Oddly however it wasn’t the taste which drew me
in. No, instead it was the culture around the shops and its powerful distinction
as an independent space for interaction, business, and relaxing. I hadn’t experienced anything like it before and was hooked by the notion.
Much of my experience with coffee came as a direct connection
to the close of the Great Recession in 2009 – as documented by economists. During this time I found myself constantly hitting the
pavement, making cold calls to potential employers, and emailing leads I’d
discover through contacts. Responses were mixed. Many people were
unresponsive, a few were downright rude, but remarkably I found a majority
were actually very warm, friendly, and open to a conversation.
The receptive majority which I began to befriend always had
a particular place they’d like to meet - coffee shops. Timid at first, I found
myself bouncing from coffee shop to coffee shop meeting a
variety of different professionals. During the meetings they’d provide in-depth
insight into their lives, careers, and passions. The warmness I felt from those
experiences still lingers with me today and is a major factor why I find myself
frequenting coffee shops today.
Now at a new stage in my life as a budding freelance communications consultant/unemployed
young professional I often find myself calling coffee shops home. It serves as
a place to connect and work. In just a few years, this once foreign drink has
become part of my natural routine. Happy to say I drink it mostly black with
just a bit of sugar these days.
[Photo courtesy of Flickr user Nicola since 1972]
