Thank you, Asia "Coffee Shop Culture" (56 days to go)

 I wasn't a coffee drinker when I arrived in Seoul.  And I am surprised I left the same way.  Why?

In Seoul, there are multiple coffee shops on the same block.  In Korean culture adults and students work hard and long hours.  In order to stay awake and energized, they also drink a lot of coffee.  It is not unusual to find three coffee shops right next to each other - all full with customers.  In 2019 there were more than 76,000 coffee shops in South Korea - more per capita than Seattle.  And so we found ourselves caught up in the coffee culture from time to time, too.  In my case, I would order tea.  

Our favorite coffee shop in Bundang.  We would go here for breakfast.

Upon moving to Hong Kong we noticed far fewer franchise options.  Here there is mostly Starbucks and Pacific Coffee to choose from, although you can find smaller, privately owned places too.  Having been a British Colony until 1997, tea is far more popular here than Korea and therefore more widely available. (But that is a different blog).  

Pacific Coffee in Central on the corner of Lyndhurst and Hollywood.

Adam absolutely loved the coffee culture in both places, but while living in Hong Kong he was old enough to go to a coffee shop alone.  This he would do with some regularity, announcing his intention with "I'm heading into the city to go to a coffee shop and work."  Somehow this always had an edge of "I'm a grown up doing grown up things" attached to it.  And why not?  

As for me, I usually head to Starbucks when I am given a gift card from a student.  I like to order the "Chai Tea Latte, hot, tall."  Unfortunately, with Covid I think every shop is out of Chai Tea due to shipping issues or something.  

Oh, and have I mentioned that we actually have a Starbucks on our high school campus? True fact! It is open Monday - Friday now for breakfast and lunch.  And because our apartment building is also on campus, this means that I literally live 90 seconds from a small Starbucks.  There is nothing better than sitting in front of a big window, overlooking the view of Tai Tam Bay while sipping on a Chai Tea Latte.

Thank you, Korea and Hong Kong for all of the coffee shop memories. Cheers!