With apologies to T.S. Eliot, I have measured my life with coffee cups.
Several years ago, while clerking at the charming consignment store Bloom, I needed caffeine. I dashed next door to Side Street Kitchen, thinking I’d buy a to-go cup of Joe for a quick pick-me-up.
“We’ll bring it to you,” I was told.
I imagined a paper cup with a plastic lid, and trust me, I’m not fussy when it comes to my java infusions. I’ve been known to drink some pretty stale coffee out of some pretty sketchy styrofoam.
What arrived was a tray with a French press, a vintage cup, a pitcher of cream, a bowl of sugar cubes (roughly hewn), a timer, a silver spoon, and a lift in my spirits. The tray resembled a Renaissance-era work of art. I waited for the hourglass timer to finish, then gently depressed the plunger for a perfect cup of coffee.
This was magical. When you’re a clerk (and I’ve been a clerk on and off for 40 years), you’re often rushing, juggling, dealing with multiple customers and multiple needs (not all of them sensible or polite).
The tray reminded me to take a breath. When I asked restaurateur Sheryl Cahill about her goals for the French press coffee service, she said, “I was thinking along the lines of creating a special break in the day, a ‘coffee ritual,’ a way to slow it down and allow guests to enjoy the process and the experience as well as the delicious aromas and flavors of an organic cuppa, well-brewed.”
How about the lovely cup my coffee came in? Ms. Cahill said, “One day, I ran across a substantial lot of vintage coffee mugs at a Petaluma thrift shop. That was an ‘aha’ moment. The cups became a way to link the new style of service at Side Street Kitchen to the long history of diners that came before us.”
Stop by Side Street Kitchen for a reminder to take your time, not to rush, that the cup of Joe is worth a moment or two of lingering. I’ll meet you there!