Today I am in Spokane, Washington for my lovely friend Teal's graduation. Teal is doing all the requisite breakfasts, bbq's etc and being a charming (but in demand) hostess. So, with some free time I decided to grab a cafe au lait at a fair trade coffee shop called Natural Start. The place is in a little house with a red roof. The door is a light oak color with an oval glass window and inside it looks as if a big, extended family is sprawled out in their living room. There is an older couple sitting in content silence with mismatched mugs of coffee. There is a woman, the aunt, cozy on a leather couch with a scone in front of her, engrossed in a book. A man is sitting at a chess table is looking at a magazine, gazing out the big front window. A teen girl is sitting on a high stool in front of the window, she's the daughter of the chess table man. The scene is relaxed, warm and welcoming. I'm jerked out of my little fairytale as I remember that this house is actually a coffee shop and no one is related.
But that feeling...that anti-starbucks, authentic, organic feeling is overwhelming here. I took a seat on the leather couch next to the "aunt." She immediately asked if I had enough room (although she was crouched in the far opposite corner I'm sure she'd take to the floor if I asked for more room). The barista brings over my coffee and vegan muffin. I pretend to study my history notes as I listen to the conversation around me, to the delightful surge of B.B.'s King's voice. The "aunt" leans over and says, "I usually don't ever talk on my phone in public, I think it's impolite. But would it bother you if I called my father? I need to check on him." I was completely rattled. Never before has anyone asked if it would bother me if they chatted quickly on their cell phone. Of course, I reassured her, it would be fine if she called her father. Etiquette. I was a firm believer it had disappeared, especially regarding cell phone use. Thank you "Aunt."
