Hey, coffee friends in the Hive!
Are you having a good week? I hope you are 😊
When at a café, do you have a preference for the shape of the tables?
I've been thinking a bout #tcsp 68 and after much thought, I'm choosing round tables.
My last visit to La Panetteria on Mother's Day (last month this year)
Despite this orange which seems to me too bright to look at directly, the roundness of this table surely called me to choose it. A round table seems more inviting to me; I guess it has something to do with the flow of the line of its edge--it has flow 😉--. Round shapes are friendlier than their rigid square sisters--who can't rap 🤣
OLD HABITS
I've never bought a round table for myself; they're all square at home, except for one that was already there when we moved in. I never thought I really minded the absence of corners, and maybe that has always influenced my choice. I like to divide spaces and sort things, and that's best done in square spaces. Round tables don't offer me this possibility, but I think they're more elegant because their lines flow into the space; they're also more comfortable because there's more legroom. So whenever I'm in a coffee shop, I choose round tables instead of square ones.
Last time I went out for coffee in my town,
I went actually for arepas and coffee. My husband and I went to El fogón de la arepa, an old and popular arepera, an establishment where people go to eat arepas usually for breakfast or lunch.
All tables are square, both in the arepera area and in the lunch area.
The last time I had visited this place, I used to eat here every weekend at about 2 o'clock in the morning, when we got hungry at work. We had a pub down the street; by that time, in the late 90's, the concept was all the rage in the city, this city of mine, where there was a very lively nightlife--not anymore, though.
Back then, we came for arepas and coffee... at 2 a.m.; that's right. It's been more than 20 years since I had been here to eat, although I did come here for some coffee a couple of times in December 2001, as my mother's funeral was taking place across the street. I think that set the mood; now that I think about it, maybe that had something to do with the fact that I never felt like coming back here.
However, I got a nice feeling this time, and I'm certainly coming back; they make the only latte with cow’s milk that I tolerate and really enjoy--two decades later and they make the same coffee; that's an achievement in this country!--It's one of the best in town. As for their arepas, they can't be beat: they use fresh corn for the dough and their fillings are pure homemade flavor.
Here, El Fogón de la arepa seen from the street:
I entered the place through the rectangular door...
...and walked down the rectangular hallway to the inside of the restaurant...
...a juxtaposition of square areas, with square tables.
Seeing the curved lines of the backs of the chairs was a nice contrast and a relief to the eye.
The feeling of being surrounded by so many square things is not pleasant really, unless there is contrast.
For example, look at the space at La Trinacria in Lechería, Anzoátegui state, where I was five weeks ago. The contrast of the round shapes of the tables goes very well with the straight lines of the counters and the place in general.
They also have round tables at La Bodeguilla, another place I like to visit in the neighboring state; I like to come here for coffee and breakfast--though I seldom do it. Notice the nice contrast between the roundness of the table and the hexagonal backs and wickerwork of the chairs.
All in all, I prefer round tables. They give a feeling of fluidity, make the environment more elegant, invite you to sit down, have more legroom, and everyone is equidistant from the center, which is very useful for those who use the sugar bowl 😆 Besides, you can almost always fit a couple more chairs at a round table, ideal for those who go with the more the merrier #lifestyle.
When at a café, I think I'll always choose round tables.
How about you?
All text and images are my own. I have taken the pictures with my Redmi 9T cell phone. And if any GIFs here, I've used GIPHY for all them.
Thank you so much for your visit :)
