Inside Out?

A lot of time in life we spend juggling between the 'there's so much to do in life' and 'there is only so much you can do in this life time'!

I find myself lost many times just trying to keep up with the shortened version of  the short-listed things that I want to be able to do this life time. Often, I look at myself from the outside, hoping to find the answers standing right there.

But it is difficult to decide which dreams to follow and which ones to let go. And never having mastered the virtue of letting go makes it even more difficult. I have been told to listen to my heart and act with my brains. And like all good advice, these are mere words until that one moment, when the words, their meaning and I become the same.

Maybe the secret lies in getting up close and personal.

"And with these words I can see, 

Clear through the clouds that covered me. 

Just give it time, then speak my name 

Now we can hear ourselves again..." Pink Floyd

Sell Coffee, not your soul

A short trip

A a lot has been happening in the last few weeks. But the one thing that has definitely not been happening is writing. I have been pushing most of my thoughts to the background and hoping that the time will come when I simply have to put a pen to paper and get it all out of me.

I spent the first three months of this year craving wide blue open skies, and then finally my wish was granted. Against all odds, we managed a short trip to the US and Mexico. Met up with friends, tried loads of new and tasty food, soaked in some Caribbean sun and sea, attempted conversing in massively broken and limited Spanish language, had a glimpse of a civilization I had no idea about, 'cooked' ourselves completely in the 35 Deg hot sun while paying our respect to one of the seven wonders of the world and of course tried out a few new cafes.

I have moved quite a bit as a child. But every new place that I have moved to, there have been people, who I instantly connected with and eventually we became friends. These people are partly responsible for transforming a new unknown world to something close to a home for me. And as such a lot of our journeys one way or the other revolve around catching up with these friends who we love and miss. And this trip was no different in that aspect. We spent a few days in Austin, doing the old style catching up, lazing around and just being ourselves. 

One afternoon we found ourselves chilling in Mozart, a cafe by the lake, well known among the students who greatly contribute in giving this place a feel of a college canteen.

Considering the warm weather, I ended up taking an Iced Mochaccino, which I do recommend if you ever visit Austin!

Speaking of coffee, one of the most remarkable and dramatic coffee that I tried during this trip was on our very last night in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. This was the Cafe Maya (of the Mayan civilization) at the Yaxche resturant. I had read some rave reviews about this coffee, and I just had to taste it. Cafe Maya turned out to be far more than just a coffee!

It started with our waiter turning into a magician and appearing with a table full of instruments and ingredients to create this experience for us. The ritual he then performed in front of us, with alcohol, sugar, fire and blue flames left us speechless. We could not help clapping like children at the end of the show.

It's not easy to capture such moment's in one frame. Especially when you don't want to take your eyes off what is going on. 

The end product was quite unique as well, but as I said, this was not about the coffee, but really about the experience. The drama, the excitement and the thrill was what made it special. 

In fact, if you think about it, it's a bit like our lives. Sometimes I feel like we all have the same destination, but the path to getting there is what makes all the difference. It is up to us what we make of our journey. Some of us can take the a simple experience of sipping a hot drink and transform it into a magical experience for a few minutes.

Sell Coffee, not your soul

Escapism

There is a huge backlog of things that I need to do in my personal life. A friend of mine has lost her loved one, and although she has been in my thoughts and I have cried feeling her loss,I haven't told her how I feel. Somehow it is difficult for me to express my thoughts and feelings in person and especially more so, when people are geographically far apart. I also haven't replied/spoken to a few other friends for quite some time though I have been meaning to, yet each time I sit down to write, I am at a loss of words.

I hope this is a temporary thought block and I wanted to at least make a start at amendments by updating this space. Arguably there is not much to update on the coffee front. But then sometimes I don't want to write about a cafe, I want to share a real coffee with a friend. 

The last one I shared was in London (Le pain quotidien) with a few friends. And for a little while, I almost forgot how miserable it was outside. (One of those weekends where it rains non stop for the entire period!)

The rest of my free time (which has been rather rare) I have spent escaping from reality. And because I always come up with different ways to escape from reality, this time I chose to bake cakes. Now those few who know me, will know that working in the kitchen is not exactly my strong point. Yet sometimes doing something absolutely out of character helps me relax and even take my mind off the otherwise sinking feeling.

First on my list was the 'Date and Walnut cake'.

And then, the Three milk cake (or as the Mexican would say - Pastel de tres leches).

Both were amateur attempts at creating something which certain special people have made for me in the past. Both go very well indeed with some nice hot coffee on the side.

Finally, I guess there is only a limit to which one can try to escape from reality. Past has a way of catching up with the present. Sooner or later we have to deal with our own sense of loss and failure. 

I have realised that moving on is not a switch, but a very slow process of distracting ourselves with temporary immediate achievements to be able to live with the permanent sense of loss.

Sell Coffee, not your soul

Hope floats!

Past few weeks I have been crazy busy and almost - almost forgot about everything fun and creative in life. But then yesterday a hint of a diffused sun made me move myself out of the couch and out into the open. Let me tell you that the outside was nowhere near what it looked like from the inside. No sooner that I hit the road, the dark grey depressing clouds were back and this time with a sprinkling of what cannot be called as snow or rain or even sleet - something in between all of that!

Nevertheless we marched on (driven more by hunger than by any passion of finding a good cafe really). Our first choice the amazing home-made dumpling place - Zhongua - being completely full, we simply proceeded to Cafe CB2.

Now this cafe has been on my list of places to visit for some time, yet never really found the occasion for it. Yesterday, by pure chance we found ourselves at its doorsteps. My initial plan was to visit this place one evening because I know they often have gigs and live music happening in its basement. However because we visited around lunch time, we really got to see it more as a bistro than a cafe. In fact to me the place was a bit confused. It even had a bar like place serving alcoholic drinks.

You will have to take this piece of writing with a pinch of salt. I apologise in advance for being slightly on the cranky side of life these last few days and that may have interfered with my mood and observations of the place. But I was not the happiest person when the waitress seated us close to the entrance (where it was cold enough for me to have to keep my coat on the whole time). The worst part though was that she promised to give us a table inside as soon as one became available and completely forgot about it later. And even though I asked her once again before ordering food, she just said 'yes yes of course'  to our face and the next minute forgot all about it. To top it, all this time I could see empty tables inside.

I don't think I would be awfully pleased with this service on a good mood day either.

That off my chest, I can now concentrate on the positive about the place - which was finding the 'coke float' on the menu. This very simple vanilla ice-cream drenched in a soft drink like Coke/Pepsi was something I loved having as a kid and was quite delighted to see it here. Nostalgia made me go for it instead of a coffee even though the weather really called for one.

Overall it was not the best day out, however I am willing to go there once again some other evening and find out if the place indeed has a split personality. I have hopes that this place may still come alive for me.

And if there is one thing which floats rather well apart from ice-cream that is hope :-)



(Also among other things, I found out that the Cambridge Eat festival is going to take place in March. I am looking forward to the street food festival in particular. From their website I got to know of many different independent Cambridge food places. Do take a look here if you are interested.)

Sell Coffee, not your soul

New look

Just last night, I thought that this space needs to look and feel much warmer. I set off thinking most of my pictures are too brown, I need some colour. However after playing about in blogger settings for a bit, I just ended up making it even more brown than it was :) 

But somehow this is much more me than it was before. Although I am not quite done with it. I will possibly tinker more with it some time soon.

Until then, hope you like it.

Sell Coffee, not your soul

What's the story (morning glory)?

Every cup of coffee should have a story to tell, I think. The ones I have every morning, possibly have the same one line story but it is an important one - It is a cup which forms the boundary between the fuzzy-ness of last night's dream and the hard cold reality of the following day. It's the warmth from that one cup which offers comfort and courage to face the rest of the day.

The cafe I visited this weekend -  Cafe Jocolatte, had the perfect environment for exactly that - stories. And they proved it by their tag line

 'Drink coffee, eat chocolate and talk'

Simple and profound and exactly my thoughts!

It was a much overdue visit, but it finally happened. The cafe has one of the most welcoming interiors, and many more surprises waiting to be explored once you are inside. It is not more than 15 minutes walking distance from my place and so I have no idea why I waited so long to walk right in!

The place is possibly closest to what I had in mind for a physical representation of SYB. It looks cosy from outside, but is actually quite spacious once you go in. There is a garden with outdoor seating as well (for warmer days - Yes English summers are a 'real' phenomenon!! They do happen once in a while :-) and more space upstairs. The walls are decorated with bright art work (which are for sale - you can take a look at their website) and most importantly I loved my flat white which went perfectly with the Toblerone-almond tart.

If you are able to zoom into the picture above, you can also read about the advertised 'Marcussens tea'. With 25 herbs going into it, I think it has it's own special story to tell!

Also for the non chocolate eating, non coffee/tea drinking people (surely there must be a few such outliers!) there is also some wine on the menu if you fancy.

As for me, I shall now proceed towards the refrigerator, and relish some left overs of the Austrian 'Sachertorte' also bought from the same place ;-)

Parting thoughts - while coffee, chocolates and cakes may not solve our problems directly, at right moments and in right amounts, they are a bit like good friends. They make us feel warm and comforted, and sometimes gives us the much needed kick to wake up and solve our own problems!

Sell Coffee, not your soul

Let's start at the very beginning

As we all know, beginning is a very good place to start. And so without further ado, if I am to start talking about Cambridge, CB1 is possibly the first place to talk about. For those of you who haven't visited the city of Cambridge (UK, not US), you probably have an idea of this place in your head. Well Mill Road is one street in this city, which is quite different from the usual pre-formed idea. At least it was different to mine. It is not sophisticated, posh with scholars walking around in their robes. You don't see a glimpse of the famous river Cam from here, nor do you see the punts. No towering impressive university building is in sight either. The by lanes have these houses stuck to each other known as terraced houses and the main street is very multi cultured, with shops, restaurants and cafes belonging to many different regions of the world (including English, Algerian, Turkish, Indian, Korean, Chinese, Bangladeshi to name a few). The street is full of character, and seems exactly like a place where the 'geeky-freaky-and-crazy' (all in a good way of course) crowd of Cambridge would hang out.

One such hangout place on this street is cafe CB1. It is not sleek and polished. But it is a quirky little place, which from the outside may look a bit old and basic, but as you walk in, you can tell its a place for the 'regulars' to meet up and chill. Also the numerous really old computers and loads and loads of books in the background almost sets the mood for the people who walk in. During my visit, I heard someone discussing his (or someone he knows) plans for going to moon (I know it is not good to eavesdrop, but hey, who can avoid listening to bits and pieces of an interesting plan :). Another person was looking through an old notebook, and I think I saw some feedback control systems and digital circuits drawn there. (I could be wrong of course, I could be seeing what I want to see and hearing what I want to hear :) But that really is part of the magic of a place I think. A place which tickles your imagination and makes you think.

The coffee was good, though not possibly the best I have ever had. The ginger cake I had, was also not my favourite, but then again, this is not a place to just eat and drink, but a place to feel and dream and be a part of the real Cambridge I would say. A place to start your explorations of this city, and possibly breaking out from the set idea in your head. Yes you will see the river, the punts, the impressive university buildings eventually but that is not all that is there to this place.

Sell Coffee, not your soul

What's in the name?

How often do you have to calibrate and re-calibrate yourself? You say something with great resolute and find yourself going back on your word the very next moment. And all this while you thought you were being honest to yourself the first moment as well as the second.

A book I had read in the past told me contradictions don't exist. Yet at every stage of life I seem to bump into one. I guess every additional moment gives us a different perspective and additional information about ourselves as well as our surroundings, and that calls for some calibration. But I do struggle with exact opposite ideas trying to co-exist.

Anyway, the point I am trying to get to in a very round about way is that, in the past I had said I will try to avoid big corporate coffee chains like Starbucks, Barista, Costa and the likes. Yet these days I find myself addicted to a cup of cappuccino in the morning. It is almost a ritual for me. I get to work, start my computer, change into work shoes, take my cup and head down to the cafe downstairs to get my super frothy cup of cappuccino with chocolate sprinklings (I don't for a minute stop to care that this is coming from a big brand) and then start working.

In fact the Tesco's right behind my house has sold their cafe over to Costa Coffee. I remember in the beginning I was not happy with this, and must have resolved not to go there again. Yet the other day I was sitting there, enjoying a cup of flat white in the morning, sinking into their sofa and I don't recall any trace of guilt or negative thoughts in my head at all.

Speaking of big names, recently I went to Patisserie Valerie in Cambridge to satisfy a sudden and rare cake and coffee craving and was not very happy with the taste of the coffee or the cake. I have visited this place a year back, and that experience was slightly better. But I hadn't tried their coffee before. Also it is not the kind of place I would like to sit and enjoy a cup. I guess the warmth was lacking.

This really proves one thing, that no matter what you do, if you start a cafe, it better sell really good coffee. This is the best and simple formula. Everything else, the comfy sofa, the good service, the nice atmosphere, the underlying principle behind opening a cafe, everything, is secondary. And that is what I need to keep in mind when I have my own.

Also this does not make me stop trying to go to more independent coffee shops. In fact there are a few really quirky and nice coffee places within Cambridge, and I want to feature them here in this blog very soon. But until then, take care, have a happening new year and note to myself, have an open and learning mind, always.

Sell Coffee, not your soul

Keeping the 'bean' alive!

So it is that time of the year, when I get some time to come back fresh and rejuvenated to this blog and share a few tales. Most of you who were there with me last year around this time, are probably wondering about what happened to the cafe dreams. Well the honest fact is, the dream is still there, but I realised I was not ready for the reality of it. Not ready to settle down. Not ready to take the big step. Not ready to leave engineering.The thing is I cannot run away from my life to begin something like this. I need to be at peace with myself first.

In the past I have always treated running away as a valid solution to living life. But just the other day, while speaking to a friend, I realised that there comes a time when you forget what it is that you are running away from, and what you are running away to. And not knowing the answer to these questions really is the problem. I guess running away in itself is not that bad, provided you have faced the 'whats', 'wheres' and 'whys' of it all.

Anyway, moving on to more coffee updates (which is what this space was originally designed for, and not for my life rants!) , I guess the best coffee I have had in the past year was in Salzburg, Austria. It will always be a special moment in this cafe, right in the middle of the city, with my family, sipping coffee and soaking in the ambience. My parents were visiting Europe for the first time, and I was lucky enough to join them in this leg of their journey. 

Looking back, it was surely one of the moments when I felt very nearly at peace and so happy. (Not something that me or any member of my family will ever openly admit - because as a rule we don't voice our feelings.)

Besides, for a long time now, I have been in search of this mysterious 'cafe crema - or so I think is its name' which I had in Sicily, and have not been able to properly locate since then. I have a feeling the name 'cafe crema' is possibly wrong, and I have not remembered it correctly. But while taking the flight back from Salzburg airport, I had this ice coffee, which was not the same, but came quite close to the original one I had in Sicily. And this again made me very happy.

The moral of the story definitely is to not give up hope. Hope of finding the perfect Sicilian crema, or finding yourself, or for that matter hope on me. 

One day I will serve you more than just a story. And we will then sit together and talk about our dreams, the ones that came true.

Sell Coffee, not your soul

Moving on

So I am back to UK after my fantastic break and study period. I have learnt a lot to do with the cafe business in this period and have documented it. The study will surely be the basis of any future endeavour I engage myself in even if it has nothing to do with cafes!

Back here, normal life, or what is close to normal in my life is catching up with me. In things happening I will be moving to yet another city soon. Not completely moving out of Cambridge though. So will be time division multiplexing between the two places for a while. So hopefully from cafes and coffee point of view, I should be able to go to newer places and live to tell tales of them as usual :)


Sell Coffee, not your soul