Sunday, July 27, 2008 Peace and coffee (Or why you shouldn't pander to your whims) By Stella A. Estremera Goin' Places
I WAS hyper. We only had time for one quick dive on my day off last Thursday, and yet I met a hawksbill turtle down there. I was high, and was still excited by around 9 p.m. while waiting for Deng and her colleagues from ABS-CBN in this new coffee shop along McArthur Highway in Matina (in a new building in front of McDonald's near Ateneo).
And when I'm hyper, I crave for coffee. (I'm not the "not until my second cup" type of coffee drinker. In fact, I do not drink coffee everyday and can go without coffee for a week. But when I'm happy or stressed or both, I like the taste of coffee). Let's leave it at that and discuss the structure of the coffee shop first.
You'll be impressed by this coffee shop, especially when you're driving along the highway. The backlighted sign on the top-level of the new four (or is it three?)-storey building's glass walling on its stairwell gives you the impression that it's huge. It's not. That's just the sign up there. The coffeeshop is in a small space beneath the stairs. Anyway, if you're still not catching on, the coffeeshop I'm referring to is the one named "Coffee for Peace."
When I texted Deng to check the exact location (because in the two times I passed by the area last week, all I remember is that it's somewhere in between NCCC Mall and Matina Town Square), I told her to look for that new building with the sign that says "Coffee for Peace." You can't miss the sign. It's beautiful, chic.
She replied, "Hindi ba napuntahan mo na yun?"
"Hindi pa. Peace Cafe yun noon sa Juna Subdivision na hindi ko pa rin napupuntahan kasi maaga magsara," I replied.
"Oh sige, puro na tayo peace," she said. Hmmm...
So there I was at 9 p.m. waiting for Deng, Ikit, Razelle, and Trisha finish up their dinner at MTS with their HR guy from Manila, Danny.
"It's Danny's birthday, kaya meron tayong cake mamaya," Deng said.
Inside the cafe were three ladies, just a little over my age maybe, who had just asked for their bill and were getting up to leave. On the couch was one young lady reading a book by Dan Brown (I think it's the Angels and Demons, I'm not sure). I looked around, it was quite tight, with the available tables all good for two people lined up against the wall. And so I asked for some assistance.
"Can you please arrange a place for six people?" I told the guy behind the counter.
He did, by shooing off the young lady. Ooops! Actually, she wasn't shooed of. She was politely asked to move to a small table. And she did transfer without complaint and went back to her reading a book. Apparently she just wanted her peace, never mind if it meant giving up the couch.
I sat down on the couch and read my book as well, and waited, until the gang arrived, ordered our tea and coffee and one order of tuna melt for me (they only have a few sandwiches and some pasta and coffee and tea, no more... definitely no beer) and broke out in a loud rendition of "Happy birthday!" before giggling and laughing and doing just about everything silly (think Superman and Super Friends). The quiet was lost, and a few minutes later, the young lady disappeared too (I guess we not only took her away from her couch but denied her peace as well. Uh-oh).
Now back to my coffee story... When I'm feeling particularly high, I like my coffee very strong, but I don't like espresso coffee -- it's too concentrated. What I usually order is a regular brewed (cafe Americano or whatever its equivalent) with a shot of espresso. I had that last Thursday night. Although from the murmurs behind the counter, I sensed that it was the first time somebody ordered such from them. Anyway... (back to the coffee shop).
Coffee for Peace is a nice place to hang out in, it's a place for quiet conversation (except when you chance on such group as I had that night -- it was too small for our decibel level) -- and if you run out of conversation, look around and start up more: read the menu, the books on the shelf, the Benguet coffee beans being sold by the foil packs and ask the waiter why it's not T'boli instead, the chunky sign, the cute ceiling centerpiece with that lizard, everything is worth talking about.
And so that added to what we talked about... including the fact that Coffee for Peace was Peace Cafe before. It has moved, the waiter said, and has been renamed. And because it's Peace Cafe (that darn coffeeshop that closes at 8 p.m. in front of the Philippine Women's College in Juna), then it serves civet coffee!
I realized that too late, when I was already sipping my cafe Americano with a shot of espresso...
By the way, their tuna melt is an open sandwich, just a slice of bread topped with tuna and melted cheese, a dollop of cream with a sprig of mint; the bread cut into four making it look like Hitler's German cross. But it's nice.
After the reglamentary candle-blowing and cake-eating, it was homeward bound. We all had lots of work, no time for leisure.
I was feeling good because the strong coffee was just perfect for me, and it didn't even make my heart palpitate as some strong coffee do. And so I went home happy... until... I tossed and turned until 6 a.m. the following day. So much for peace and coffee...
