Visiting cafes often reveals 2 sides of life. Those who look to engage and in some cases, watch the interaction that happens in these establishments. My experience in the places I visit in my home town but also on my travels the passionate people I meet and talk to creates a wonderful frisson. I admit I’m a coffee ‘snob’, so these cafes will use smaller and mid size roaster for their caffeinated refreshments. As a result, often the fellow customers are equally passionate about the coffee, and food that they eat. It will often act as a catalyst for conversation. When I drink coffee at home and out on my travels, at want it to stimulate my senses in taste, sounds and the visual context too.
It has meant that on my travels to places like Brighton, Oxford and Bath – to name a few, the experiences have been very memorable. Even a year or 2 later. The decor and ambiance reinforce these interactions and just add to the whole immersive feeling. I’ve added a few pictures to inspire you when you next visit these cities and towns. The interest and fun in searching for and exploring these cities can be segmented with places to cement the city’s personality.
If you can combine these with great conversation on a wealth of wide ranging topics, why not? Allowing ourselves to interact with people who want to share their stories, knowledge and ideas makes it a very easy way to share such interest with like minded individuals.
My last picture is published with regret at the closure of this distinctive establishment. I do hope the proprietors can find another suitable venue to rekindle their wares and hospitality to the people of Reading in the near future.
The Cookie Crumbles 