Ambience

When we’re talking about ambience, we’re really talking about the essence of the activity. So, in my opinion the essence of going out for coffee is primarily to consume the coffee itself and secondary to come together socially with other people! As this activity falls under the category of food, it can be related to the essence of food also. The essence of food is really that its there to be eaten, we need it for survival, so we eat it and then replenish it again! Like food, going out for coffee can replenish us. It fills us up in a physical sense and also in an emotional sense. As we talked about in an earlier post, food, like coffee, can also be used to bring people together, to satisfy needs and create a sense of community. Ambience also refers to the atmosphere related to the activity. Throughout the past six weeks I have had coffee in many, many different cafes, each with their own unique atmosphere and environment. I think that it is the music, the interiors, the smells and the overall friendliness of the staff that make up the pleasing atmospheres associated with cafes. There’s just something about most café’s that make you feel good when you venture into them to enjoy a good coffee with friends! Lastly, I could argue that going out for coffee is essential for survival and I’m sure many people would happily agree with me. But I guess that it really is a matter of personal opinion, so I will leave you to make up your own mind about that one!

One of the readings that really stood out to me last year was Rosemary Caulton’s ‘The Taking of Tea’. I guess that this reading probably relates more to the affordances of my activity but I have only just been able to get a hold of it this week so I felt that it was appropriate to add in here after just having talked about the ‘essence’ of coffee! In this reading Caulton talks about the importance and meaning behind sharing a cup of tea. She illustrates how drinking tea together is so commonplace and prominent amongst our society and all about the satisfaction and comfort that it can bring. Just like tea, I believe that coffee brings about all the things that Caulton highlights in this reading. When it comes down to it, sharing a cup of coffee is just the same as sharing a cup of tea, only a different taste to the drink! To finish off I will leave you with a quote from the reading as I think that Caulton (2003) summed it up perfectly when she said:

 “…this cup, this loving, ordinary, commonplace, familiar cup affords both security and solace. Whether we like it, or drink it, or not, tea has become an archetypal image of humankind’s need-and ability-to provide itself in an instant, with warmth, order, meaning and comfort” (p.45).

Reference:

Caulton, R. F. (Ed). (2003). The best of occupation 1993-2003. Dunedin: Rogan McIndoe Print Ltd.