that first cuppa
“Hey”, the barista raises a pretty vintage coffee cup from behind the counter so that I could see it, “it’s a pretty vintage cup right?”
He proceeds to make and serve me a lovely cup of coffee in it. At the first sip, I could taste a floral note! In the past, whenever I read on a menu or packaging that there are floral notes in the description of a particular bean, I have never actually tasted it. But this time it was unmistakable. That surprise when realise that’s what it was, it was a kind of joy!
I told him that. He looked pleased. And that’s how we got to chatting.
Barista AY’s wife is actually from FuRong in Seremban. They visit every Chinese New Year but have not been back since air tickets from Taipei to Malaysia doubled in price. AY says he loves the tropics, although like me, he is not a fan of kopi. He puffs his cheeks and says “you know I am already so chubby, when I go Malaysia, I become even fatter!”
“Taiwanese coffee beans from Alishan are too expensive…I mean,” he points at the price for a brew from Alishan beans on the chalkboard above him, “I don’t really believe anyone should pay so much for a good cup.”
He tells me about how he got into the coffee business, working years for a Taiwanese coffee importer. He describes his boss’s visits to the plantations, escorted by men holding machine guns. The country he wants most to visit is Nicaragua. I asked why doesn’t he get the Taiwanese trade office or embassy to help - he laughs - because laughing is sometimes the best response - “recently Nicaragua just ended its diplomatic ties with Taiwan ah!”
Unfortunately the boss’s business ended when his boss died. He then started a cafe first in the ShiDa/university district but soon after, Covid struck. “I told my partners then, the only thing we can do is to take a break and rest!” As for this current cafe, it’s only been a year and a bit.
I don’t know how we got to be talking about his mother - well many random conversations in life often lead back to our mothers! Anyway, he joked that his mother had refused to drink his coffee. “She asked me why my coffee tastes sour, bitter, like tea…. Her idea of coffee was the 3-in-1 sachet hah. Mom, you know that your son is a professional barista right?” I laughed and said my mom once said the same to me when I made her a pourover. However, when his mom retired, she took to hand brewing her morning cup!
Last night in Singapore, I was seated with a talented chef from Brazil at dinner. We had a long and enjoyable conversation about art, creativity and cooking. Some of that conversation also bears similarities with that of AY’s mother.
Intentionality.
The chef shared that he had read a study that said being psyched up and intentional about learning something new actually helps condition the learner’s mind to better receive the knowledge. We chatted about how doing something creative, as with drawing or cooking, works all your senses at once - and in the case of cooking for yourself, you even get to taste, ingest and digest!
When we do even our most mundane daily chores or tasks with intention, our being is more ready to receive and engage with the experience.
Like that floral note of the coffee. Besides the barista’s skills, the coffee drinker’s senses must also be fully present.
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| random wall left standing after building was demolished |
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| Guling St Avant Garde Theater. I think it was the 2008 trip to Taipei I took with J that was the first time I came to this space. We watched something here and I’ve not been back since. |
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| Performance by 2 SG artists at Guling that went from the second floor to the side alley |
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| An alley |
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