Even though boiled milk smells bad...

Today is the first true 'brisk' fall day as I experience my first New England Fall. As my favorite season, fall deserves a little recognition. It is for this reason that I have parked myself in a coffee house, sipping on some Darjeeling tea with milk, just peering out the window. OK fine, I came here to do homework, but honestly- I think I am cherishing this time much more just soaking in the atmosphere.

There is something to be said for coffee houses in the fall and winter. Yes, they are pleasant in the summer but when its cold outside, they seem to be the most comforting place around. Though I think that this current coffee house in the little village of Camden, ME over-steams their milk, thus creating a kind of wrong scent in the air, I really don't think I could enjoy this any more than I am. Secretly, even the scent is comforting because I am able to be silently self-righteous in regards to my superior steaming methods. Wow, who AM i? Pour milk, cap the milk with about half an inch of froth and then pump. Do not heat milk more than two times or else the milk curdles. ....next subject.

So what pulls us over and and over again into the doors of our favorite local coffee house? When researching for my Senior Integration Paper last year, I found this great little article about coffee house culture.

Take a gander:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20051120/ai_n15849335/?tag=content;col1


To restate what you may or may not choose to read, the article claims that people are drawn to coffee houses because they yearn for community and a sense of home. They go to the same coffee house, order the same thing and sit in the same place. This soon becomes 'their' coffee house, 'their' drink and 'their' table in the corner allowing them to observe both those in the coffee house and those walking by on the street.

When I look back on the many hours I have spent in coffee houses, I am reminded of:
1. working at Frederick Coffee Co. in Maryland. (MOSTLY good memories...)
2. going to Chattz in Chattanooga with Mary Elizabeth and ordering everything bagels with brie and a soy chai latte. I remember us sitting by the window while we sorted through her disney valentines while we decided which character would suit the many friends on her list that she found worthy of valentines.
3. I remember going to Rembrandts in Chattanooga with Carolann and our 6th grade girls small group one sunday morning. We all ordered hot chocolate and shared our lives together.
4. I remember the countless visits to Cafe Nola in Maryland with Emmy Baltic or Natalie Beall. Emmy and I used to go there to study when we were both taking classes at FCC. As for Natalie, I remember enjoying the bar and ordering my first legal cucumber mohito in celebration of my 21st birthday. We also seem to visit Nola every single time I am in Frederick and that alone, is valuable to me as a staple activity in our relationship.
5. I remember our family summer visits to Maine and spending a lot of time at Second Read (now called Rock City Coffee and Books) in Rockland. I would go with my Dad as he would need to do his mid-vacation email check and graze the used books. I would explore the books and order my favorite treat, the oatmeal raisin cookie. I am regularly reminded of my Dad when I think on the topic of coffee houses. He raised me and my siblings to 'always suport the underdog' and I continue that mentality in mainly two areas of my life: gas stations and coffee houses. Always support local. Yes, its vogue NOW... but only because of my Dad. The Ellis family has a way of setting trends.
6. And now, as I live in Maine, I value my loyalty to Zoot Coffee. I visited it the first weekend that I moved to Maine and every time I visit, I think of all the growing pains I have experienced, and for the most part, overcome, since I moved here about five and a half months ago.

Well, I think thats all for now.