Coffee Shops

The first time I went inside one was when I stumbled into the now-defunct Panadero coffee shop along Roxas Boulevard. A late bloomer, I was working already back then. I just thought one afternoon, “I could probably afford a cup of coffee”, checked my wallet, and went inside. I spent the next few hours slowly sipping ridiculously expensive chocolate mocha, watching NBA live on my laptop, and glancing at the college girls across the table. It was the best social climbing experience I had.

For most people, the coffee shop treat was a common experience. But, for me, it’s akin to a celebration. It was an affirmation that, though I may not have enough, I can already indulge myself if I wanted to.

After the first, many coffee shops followed but these visits were now out of necessity, not luxury.

Most of the time, I ended up at a coffee shop when I wanted peace and quiet or when I was taking an important scheduled phone call. The coffee shops I went to were similar to libraries except that I had the tacit approval of everyone to answer my phone. When I wanted to meditate or just reflect, coffee shops proved to be better than churches or chapels. There were food and drinks; the shops were air-conditioned.

As for the drinks, I actually don’t care what I order. I usually go for the chocolate drinks since drinking straight coffee did wonders to my recurring insomnia. What I’m after is simply the ambiance of the place and the wonderful coffee bean aromas wafting around.

When I was in law school, coffee shops became my favorite place. It was an expensive hobby but it was the price for studying cases and laws with no interruption. My main problem back then were distractions and studying at a coffee shop – and knowing that I’m paying quite a lot for that privilege – made me more focused in my studies.

The coffee shop experience in Davao is relatively new. But I like to see it evolve into something more. I like to see the city’s coffee shops become not just hubs for socialites and social climbers (like me) but as bustling venues full of intellectual thinkers, philosophers, and shakers.

I guess that vision is inspired by the coffee shops of European countries, where the best minds usually gathered not in universities but in the many restaurants and coffee shops dotting the cities.

That’s something I’d like to see here.