Cafe culture

cities, culinary cultures, views on work, where we live — By Bob Riel on January 15, 2007 at 8:10 am

I was intrigued by a recent article I came across that described the cafe culture of New York City. Not the culture that surrounds the crowded Starbucks on every corner, but the life of the European-style cafes where creative professionals gather and network most mornings over coffee or breakfast.

Such are the benefits of belonging to a Manhattan social tribe (or several tribes) whose members regularly languish for an hour or two on weekday mornings at European-style cafes. Drawn from the self-employed ranks of late-rising professions like fashion, art, publicity and Web publishing, these affluent breakfast clubbers avoid Starbucks …

Unlike the “power breakfast,” that well-documented institution that plays out among corporate executives at the Regency and Four Seasons hotels, members of the late-morning breakfast tribe, who gather from 9 to 11, don’t have to put in an early appearance at an office. But don’t be fooled by the casual vibe and the late hour. These breakfast clubbers are not slackers. …

Eventually the caffeine takes effect, and the late-morning breakfast clubbers must move on to start the day. They head to the home office, or the film set, or the design studio. “Once 11:30 hits, the energy shifts in the city,” Ms. Erickson said.

The article made me reflect on the cafe life in other cities around the world. In fact, on cafe culture in general. There is an interesting article on wikipedia about the history of the coffeehouse. If you want to read further, you can also linger over a few other stories that I found, about the cafe culture in such cities as Paris, Vienna, Rome, Buenos Aires and Hanoi.

Just make sure to pour yourself a fresh cup of java or, better yet, read the articles over a wireless connection at your favorite neighborhood cafe.