The Lovable, Clumsy Bookstore Cafe
I have always liked cafes.
I like tea, and I like books.
So, when I study, I find myself looking for a good place to go.
That was how I found a small cafe inside a bookstore.
I have always liked the bookstore itself; it has a large selection of books and a well-stocked stationery section.
There are almost no cafe customers. There are no staff members in the area either. It is the kind of place where you call them using a buzzer at the entrance.
It is quiet.
It smells like books, too.
This might be a winner.
That is what I thought.
And so, I ordered tea.
However, the tea was surprisingly not good.
Rather than not good, it tasted like hot water.
And not just any hot water.
It tasted like water that had been warmed up after losing its vitality.
I thought quietly to myself.
"What is this?"
But before serving it, the staff member was working hard, clattering away with the kettle to boil the water.
They were trying their best.
Since I was there, I also ordered a cake.
The menu clearly stated,
"150 yen off when ordered with a drink!"
However, the staff member took out a calculator, and after calculating hard, they gave me a total that in no way reflected a 150 yen discount.
But they were trying so hard that I just thought,
"Oh well."
And then, the cheesecake arrived.
Actually, I had been holding out a little hope.
Even if the tea wasn't good, maybe the cake would be.
However, that expectation was brilliantly betrayed.
I took one bite and thought,
"Ah, it's frozen."
I don't mean to criticize frozen cake.
It's just that this cake wasn't trying to hide the fact that it was frozen.
In fact, it was quite proud of it.
Yes, it was surprisingly not good.
And I thought,
"Could it be that the reason it took 30 minutes earlier was because it was defrosting?"
For a moment, I seriously wondered if they had gone to buy it nearby.
That is how long I waited.
Next to the cheesecake were a large amount of frozen blueberries.
I am not very fond of blueberries myself.
I took one bite and thought,
"What is this? (Second time today)"
It was the kind of experience where you hold your breath while swallowing the blueberries.
Partway through, the staff member came over and turned on the air conditioning in the cafe space.
I guess there aren't many customers. They fumbled around turning on the switch.
(Yeah, I did think I heard some fumbling going on.)
"I've turned on the AC, so please let me know if it gets too cold," they said with a smile.
(Ah, oh, the temperature was just right before. Oh well.)
Actually, the temperature before the AC was turned on was just right for me.
But since they had worked so hard to turn it on, I didn't say anything.
As a result, I decided to endure it with leg warmers and a blanket.
Looking back on it now,
The tea lost.
The cake lost.
The blueberries were a crushing defeat.
The discount vanished.
The air conditioning also lost a little.
And yet.
Strangely, I find myself wanting to go back.
The staff member was pleasant. They were trying their best.
The space was quiet.
I liked the atmosphere of the bookstore, too.
When I left, the staff member wasn't there, so I wrote "Thank you for the meal" on a small note and left it next to my plate.
And now, I am thinking about my next challenge.
Oatmeal cookies.
They sell bagged oatmeal cookies, and you are allowed to eat them in the cafe space.
Please, be my savior.
I'm counting on you.
If even you fall, the food and drink department of this shop will be completely destroyed.
Next time,
"The Savior OC Man (Oatmeal Cookie Man) Appears"
or,
will it be
"OC Man, Defeated 3 Seconds After His Debut"?
#BookstoreCafe
#CafeHopping
#DailyEssay
#TeaLover
#LovableClumsiness