I don’t know if it is obvious enough but I love cafes. It doesn’t matter what’s on their menu or how good it is because every cafe experience I’ve had was a fun one. There’s always something new to experience each time and fun conversations to be had. But there is one cafe that I don’t think I will ever return to again. It’s not exactly what you’re thinking, that I hated that place or had a bad experience. In fact, it’s the opposite. I had a really fun and reflective time there!

Two years ago, my sister and I went on a long four-hour drive to a small city we’ve never been to, for her job interview. Since our trip was solely for the purpose of the interview, we only planned to stay for a night. My sister dropped me off at this random cafe before driving to her interview venue. We chose this cafe because it was one of the only ones that opened early in the morning till late afternoon, which lined up perfectly with her interview time. This random cafe I sat in for the entire day turned out to be one of the most special memories I have because it felt like I was in some sort of magical tavern in another world.

When I first entered, I found a comfortable seat and proceeded to make my purchase. To be honest, I don’t even remember what I bought. It might have been a breakfast sandwich and either a lemonade or coffee drink. I also brought various activities to do throughout the day. I brought my iPad for digital illustrations, journal, Sudoku book, a book to read and watched some Korean drama episodes too. Nothing exciting happened really. I just sat and indulged in each activity, one after another. I called my family back home and expressed my little adventure of spending some me-time at this cosy cafe spot while my sister was gone.

I could tell it was a cosy place run by kind people because they treated me so warmly. The person behind the counter, I believe it was the owner or manager, started a conversation by asking how I was. Throughout the day, she came over to where I was sitting and had different conversations with me. At some point mid-morning, she came over to ask me how the breakfast sandwich was, if I was enjoying it and if I needed anything else. She began asking me about my dietary restrictions, since I was visibly Muslim (I wear the hijab), and wanted to learn more about how she could accommodate to me in the moment and any future Muslim customers. I appreciate when non-Muslims ask me questions about my lifestyle as a Muslim because it gives me the chance to share information that they probably didn’t expect. She asked about what makes halal meat halal, any other ingredient restrictions, where she could source halal meat from and how she could separate her kitchen to allow accommodations such as preparing non-halal food on a separate section. After our relatively long conversation, both of us continued about our day.

She approached me once more in the afternoon to ask me where I came from since most of her customers were regulars who lived in that small town. She also asked about what activities I was doing, what I did for work and where I lived. I explained that I was visiting for my sister’s job interview and that she probably wouldn’t see me again since I live pretty far away. I used to be the biggest hater of small talk, but it has grown on me. It might seem superficial at first, but it really is just two people trying to connect with each other with lighthearted topics. It’s fascinating when I’m having small talk with someone and I see their eyes light up at an answer that they can connect and expand on. She pointed at my sudoku book highlighting that she loved it too and told me about the books and board games they had in store for customers to read and play with.

I spent a total of 7-8 hours there and my sister finally came to pick me up. As we were leaving, we said our goodbyes. She wished us well and hoped that maybe one day we would visit again. It might’ve been a simple café hangout on a random weekday but it felt whimsical. I never thought I would spend an entire day at that specific café in a town 4 hours away but there I was. It also made me think about how life is filled with little surprising events that are simple and peaceful. I still think about that café sometimes because I don’t think I would ever go back unless I visited that city again. It doesn’t make me sad that I may not have the chance to go back. Instead, it makes me feel thankful for having experienced such a lovely day.

Experiences like that have definitely shaped my vision of what kind of cafe I would open in the future, if I ever did. A place that is warm and inviting, curious about different customers, their needs and experiences. A place where someone would feel comfortable enough to spend a whole day at. And if that cafe vision doesn’t get realized into a physical spot, I hope that the same qualities can be extracted from my home cafe and social media presence. A little corner of the internet where you can relax and ponder about life.