Ceramics on the TableFor a long time, I have been testing a rule. It is perhaps too far to call it a rule; it is more of a guide, or even a hypothesis. Simply stated: learn to relax while eating at restaurants. A couple of things have followed on from this, as I have attempted to live up to it. I find myself avoiding eating in places that do not allow customers to relax (mass fast food outlets, I find), but also places that expect one to relax (posher places, with airs of gentled excellence). I gravitate to eateries that just don't give a damn what I do. Service has become much more of a touch point, as I have continued to rediscover that a truly good server can elevate any food. I will also point to the food: it is best to find food worth relaxing over. Leisure can become a complicated thing.
The new rule, then, is this:
Never get coffee to go.
I am curious to see how this will affect things. So far, the prospect of coffee has become more calming, and the ritual of sitting has the charming qualities of contemplation that are sorely missed in the stumble and rush back to the desk. As with water in glass, coffee is better in a proper cup than a paper one. Interesting is the reinvestigation of the private islands one can make for oneself surrounded by a pedestrian crush.
We shall see how it goes.
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