The Color of Habit

There are many colorful characters who choose to spend portions of their time within the walls of a coffee shop. These individuals will find themselves in familiar caffeine territory on a weekly, daily, or perhaps hourly basis depending on the nature of their addiction. Those that choose to be frequenters of a coffee shop have discovered a caffeinated zest for life; a way to make it through the days with a mundane sense of purpose that is just enough to thrill their hearts into contentedness. In any case, finding a place to sort through time in the company of others, and with a caffeinated beverage is a comfort that is unlike any other. Seattle provides many places like this for the wearied souls to come and let go of the grey and shake off some of the rain.

The Essential Bakery is one such place and is located just two blocks up from Gas Works Park, with a pleasant view of downtown Seattle. There are several office buildings to the south, houses and apartments to the north and east, and the city dump to the west. These neighboring buildings and their goings on provide for a colorful mix of customers, even on the greyest of days.

Arvind is the name of one of the regulars, and I find him to be oddly intriguing. He is soft spoken and very much a creature of habit. He comes in around 1pm, Monday through Friday, and orders a cup of soup with old-school Pizza Bianca. The soup changes, as we don’t offer the same soups everyday, and that is about the only thing that he will gamble on. Arvind is a thirty-something microbiologist from India that studies the proteins inside of cells. He wears a navy blue sweater over a button-up collar shirt, and has clean, decently groomed facial hair. He is the type of gentleman who thrives on life’s tiny pleasures, like guaranteed soups of the day and microscopic discoveries in the laboratory.

Slavek is another individual that frequents the café. He comes in everyday for lunch, and then again at the end of the day to pick up left over bread for charity. He is the bread man. Slavek is Polish and has a very distinct European manner; he is passionately open to life. Some of the things that he says are often misinterpreted by the staff, but having spent some time in Eastern Europe, I am aware that he is just your average Joe when considering the culture abroad.

Slavek drinks Earl Grey, precisely three pots worth each day, and has a pear salad with added turkey. He has ambitions to write a screenplay, and from what I have heard, his idea sounds completely sellable; a man that has a freak accident on a racetrack, afterwards has chameleon-like abilities and is able to act as/become the people around him. Slavek thinks that it will work because it combines action and matters of the heart. I think it might work because it is completely original. He loves to share his ideas, and I love to hear them.

Over the six months that I have had the privilege of working in the bakery I have come to adore these individuals, and many others. I know what they like to eat, and when. I know their habits and ambitions, and have had the pleasure of witnessing their interactions with each other. Slavek and Arvind can often be seen eating together by the window on the south side of the café.

These gentlemen have become just as much a part of my routine as I have become of theirs. The habits formed by caffeine and frequent visits to familiar places bring color to what can otherwise feel like a monochromatic existence. These two have entered the world of The Essential Bakery and made it a part of their lives; it may not be as important as feeding the hungry or uncovering scientific mysteries, but it is a part of life nonetheless. Routines, no matter how big or small, can help to map out the seasons in such a way that we navigate through the days with a sense of belonging and a taste of friendship.

This is what a coffee shop in a rainy city has to offer, relief. Relief from crazy schedules, from tireless rain, from heavy skies. The lights and smells in combination with the right cup of coffee and a familiar face, have the power to significantly enhance your life.