Rawdogging a coffee, will try it.
The unbearable joy of sitting alone in a café
11–20 of 456 posts
Re: The unbearable joy of sitting alone in a café
#12This is a highly romanticized view imo. I sit alone in cafes all the time, for many reasons. I don’t feel particularly joyful about it nor weird. I just do it to take a break and have something to drink, or wait for someone or something. Often I don’t look at my phone at all. That doesn’t feel weird either, or rebellious, or whatever the author experiences. I don’t understand the post at all. I’d have gone to Japan.…
Agreed, Japan is 1000x better than any staycation especially for some privileged enough to get time off and as well compensated as the author.
I know lots of broke-ass people who manage to travel and have a cup of coffee while there. It's choices, not privilege. Author of the piece sure is insufferable, though.
Re: The unbearable joy of sitting alone in a café
#13This reminds me of the “techbro discovers very common x thing” meme. Going to a coffee shop (that is 75% solo remote workers) without your phone and pretending it’s some divine experience feels conceited. Do things you like, sometimes don’t check your phone. Very well written title though.
The ‘thesis statement’ at the top (It’s contradictory to sit alone in a café. It’s against the reason cafés exist.) is entirely incorrect - and it’s odd that the author thought like that. But I don’t think they deserve to be denigrated.
The post is eloquently written, and if it inspires people to take a little time for themselves the world will be a little of a better place because of it. And posting it makes the author a little vulnerable; I’d much rather people write posts like this than self-censor because they’d be exposed to ridicule.
Re: The unbearable joy of sitting alone in a café
#14I did not know going to a cafe alone was a strange thing to do. In fact it is a place I would consider it is completely common to go alone - whereas a restaurant is less common.
Re: The unbearable joy of sitting alone in a café
#15When Coffee People was just one shop in Portland, went there every day before work. (B4 internet or phones.) Loved the shop, but they played pretty aggressive rock. Not adverse to it, but first thing in the morning... Anyway was a regular. They played music via a CD player. I noticed they often silently mouthed the lyrics to the background music. Talked them into including a CD I gave them: Cecilia Bartoli "Heroines" (Rosinni). Over time it made it into the regular rotation. I noticed after a while the staff would also silently mouth the "words" being sung. Good times. Long ago.
Re: The unbearable joy of sitting alone in a café
#16> It’s contradictory to sit alone in a café. It’s against the reason cafés exist.
> They are designed as meeting spaces. There is no table with a single chair.
I'm so confused by this, because every cafe I've ever been to is full of people there alone. It seems to almost be the default, honestly.
Re: The unbearable joy of sitting alone in a café
#17This reminds me of the “techbro discovers very common x thing” meme. Going to a coffee shop (that is 75% solo remote workers) without your phone and pretending it’s some divine experience feels conceited. Do things you like, sometimes don’t check your phone. Very well written title though.
In case you didn’t know, the title is just a straightforward edit of Kundera’s famous novel title.
Re: The unbearable joy of sitting alone in a café
#18I assume there must be a finite amount of anxiety from sole cafe trips.
I'm probably an above averagely anxious person, but after a few trips without disaster, it becomes a non issue.
Re: The unbearable joy of sitting alone in a café
#19This is a highly romanticized view imo. I sit alone in cafes all the time, for many reasons. I don’t feel particularly joyful about it nor weird. I just do it to take a break and have something to drink, or wait for someone or something. Often I don’t look at my phone at all. That doesn’t feel weird either, or rebellious, or whatever the author experiences. I don’t understand the post at all. I’d have gone to Japan.…
It shouldn't feel weird not to look at your phone, but approximately 98.5% of the population will do so (unless perhaps they're the older generation).
When you're so addicted to checking at your phone (like me and many others), it does feel weird to sit and not look at it.
I say this to help you understand, nothing more.
Re: The unbearable joy of sitting alone in a café
#20This author has never been alone with their thoughts before....
Clearly. What's there to be awkward about? You should be enjoying the coffee you came there for