I keep paying for the idea of coffee.
A bit of meta-blogging, at first, if I may. I'm not sure why, but I'm not very good at updating this website. I read
other people's great sites and then I think: "Oh, I wish I had a cool site like that," and sometimes I even absentmindedly check my own site to see if it has been updated... maybe by helpful elves. I get to this page and I think: "Still no new content on this crappy blog. Wait. That's my page. Hrm."
Anyway, hrm. I would like this site to look cooler and have categories for the posts and maybe comments and more pictures, but I would also like a team of helpful elves to do those things for me. In conclusion, if you market blogging software called "Helpful Elves" and it could type my entries for me, let me know.
Back to the coffee.
Twice this weekend, I paid for the idea of coffee. Normally, I pay for actual coffee, which I then consume. I think that's the way that it usually goes. Saturday, however, I was at the always-exciting
Earwax for breakfast in Wicker Park. The place is friendly and funky and brightly colored (oooh, colors!) and I ordered eggs and toast and coffee. The waitress brought my coffee, and then came back around ten minutes later to see if I needed "a warm-up," but I realized I'd had maybe one sip of the coffee so far. I sheepishly declined, and realized I didn't actually want the coffee that much. I did want to order it and have the warm mug and sit in a cafe and drink coffee, but I guess I wanted the idea of coffee more than the coffee itself.
The next morning at Tom and Laura's I went across the street to bring back breakfast from
Gourmand (which is also super-awesome -- Chicago has many sexy breakfast places!) and I ordered coffee again. I got the coffee and sat at a table for a while, reading a paper while they made the to-go breakfast order. I sat for 10 or 15 minutes and realized I hadn't had any of the coffee yet. Huh? Did I just order the idea of coffee,
again? I need to watch out. I wonder what other things I am buying that I am only buying the idea of... "Hi, I'd like to buy the idea of those shoes, please." "Let's go out - I'm really feeling like the idea of dancing." "Yes - I'm looking to purchase the value system of that beer, and if I could get some of the general feeling of those pretzels, too, that would be great."
Breakfasts in Chicago:
Gourmand - south loop - counter service, homey, healthy food and coffee. comfy couches.
Orange on Harrison - south loop - schmancy, drizzled with sauces kind of breakfast. yummy.
Orange - Lakeview - ditto. my favorite.
Stella's - Lakeview - diner-y but with a california feel (AKA: they have vegetables)
The Bagel - Lakeview - jewish diner/deli
Intelligentsia - Lakeview - scones, muffins, freshly roasted sexy coffees
Clarke's - Lakeview - diner+ ... 24 hours!
Ann Sather - Lakeview, Wicker Park, all over - midscale diner
Earwax - WickerPark - funky, tofu scramble kind of place, or eggs and turkey sausage
Filter - the Wicker Park Gourmand, sandwiches, coffee, etc.
and those are just the ones that I know...
