schele

Review of the Past: Trip to Harbin#

• Regarding the questions in (4), now I have some answers. In terms of aesthetics, it is actually the answer in terms of aesthetics.
• So, why does it make me uncomfortable?
  • I don't like the Hrushev-style buildings with the earthy yellow color tone in Daoli District. The color combinations of the public facilities' designs that I passed by are not pleasing to the eye. They make me feel a kind of ugliness that is neither good nor bad. At least, I cannot feel the beauty of the design and combination in them. These designs lack vitality.
  • The architectural style here, like the buildings from the reform and opening-up period, looks old. Walking on the streets full of such buildings gives a sense of despair and decline.
  • In conclusion, it feels like the end result of China's failed reform and opening-up, with a touch of the ugly collective style of the Soviet Union. So, I don't like it here. The urban design here gives me a sense of malice.

In a sense, this can be considered a very unique urban style.

Experience and Evaluation#

• Why a café? Because there was no atmosphere for writing blogs elsewhere, so I went there. By the way, I asked the café owner if there were any other recommended cafés in the area. I often use this method to find good things, and it has always worked, at least for the small circle of coffee drinkers.

In fact, café, coffee shop, and coffee restaurant are often confused. Café and coffee restaurant are similar, as they not only serve coffee but also provide meals. You can have a meal inside. However, this is not the case for coffee shops, as they do not provide meals. You cannot have a meal there.
However, in most cafés in China, the distinction is not so clear because most of them cannot make enough money by only selling drinks. So, you can call them bars.

• I spent some time searching for and trying out these cafés, and here I list them.

Cube and Stay Café#

• As you can see, it looks a bit small inside, like most other similar cafés, filled with a sense of modern interior design. It is located at the corner after a car wash shop, like an unsegregated chat room, at least that's how I see it.
  • There are all kinds of conversations here, maybe because it's close to the university. Today, I heard a lot of discussions about studying abroad and going overseas.
• Unlike one-fourth of Beijing, there are no specialty coffees here. I ordered a coffee made from Ethiopian beans. After grinding the beans, the staff would let you smell it. As she said, there is indeed a fermented sour smell. After drinking the hot coffee, there is a refreshing aftertaste and a hint of a light alcoholic taste.

You cannot expect me to describe the fruity flavors. I cannot taste the flavors described on the bag. You should try it yourself.

• In conclusion, subjectively speaking, this place is not suitable for deep thinking work. It is suitable for chatting or doing some divergent work.
  • I stayed here for an afternoon, and the students learning German across from me were chatting the whole time. They didn't learn much.

Mint Coffee#

However, I find it strange that they are closed on Thursdays.

• This is the only recommended café in Qunli District. It is located on the ground floor of a residential area. It has a very ordinary café design. If you see it, you would think it is one of those not-so-good shops in residential buildings that are often mentioned on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform). Inside the shop, it looks like a typical café, small but with everything it should have.
  • Next to it is a wetland park. You can take a walk there and then come here to rest and chat. The conversations here are down-to-earth and related to daily life.

By the way, there is a coffee tree inside the shop.

• It has outdoor tables, but it was hot outside, so I didn't try sitting there. Besides, I can't sit on a beach chair and type.
• They offer Italian espresso, hand drip, and specialty coffees. I think the Italian espresso is very good. If there are not many people in the shop, you can treat the sound of the owner making coffee as ASMR for work. But in reality, she plays popular English music in the shop.
• In conclusion, there are quite a few customers here, and the remote location does not affect the number of customers. The bright atmosphere in the afternoon and the loud conversations of others fill the air here. It is also not suitable for deep thinking work, but it is suitable for having in-depth conversations or exchanging information.

  Indeed, this place is suitable for resting and chatting when you are tired.

January Coffee#

• café
• In fact, I think this place has a strong "commercialized" smell. The decoration is in a retro American style. I think the value of the menu items is not comparable to the coffee. They are too expensive.
  • Many people come here specifically to take photos. I saw a pair of women who brought a bunch of clothes to change and take pictures here.
• The baristas here are used to introducing the characteristics of the coffee, like salespeople. In fact, I think this creates a suggestion that makes customers think the coffee tastes better.
• The baristas will make specialty coffees in front of you. They even cover the finished coffee with a lid to let you experience the aroma of the coffee here. Unfortunately, for the cinnamon grapefruit coffee I ordered, I didn't smell any cinnamon, only a slight burnt leaf smell. They said the coffee is sweet, but it tasted sour to me. Well, maybe I prefer sweet coffee.
• Maybe because the shop is relatively large, although it is noisy like a restaurant, with someone playing videos out loud, the atmosphere is not too bad, at least for me.

Can Box#

• It is located in a residential area. According to the owner, they just moved here six months ago. It used to be a Russian's residence, and the shop is very small. However, as you can see, the decorations inside are overwhelming and in the style of old cadres from the reform and opening-up period. There are not many seats, just a few, and it is purely a place for taking photos. In fact, on the day I went there, someone came to take wedding photos.
• I didn't stay here for long. In fact, I think the design here goes against what a coffee shop should do. There are few seats, and there are not enough spacious tables. It is only used for taking photos and experiencing.

Lemu Coffee#

• This is a bar There is a band's drum in the shop.
• The barista looks young, and it seems like he is a college graduate who opened the shop himself. When I was sitting here, his friends would come to find him, and they would chat and play the guitar together.

Not Worth It and Searching#

• Obviously, after trying out many cafés, I have fewer things to say about them because I realized that I have almost nothing good to say about their appearances. They are all similar.
  • They like to place their shops in residential areas or on street corners. In fact, there are a few more that I didn't visit because I couldn't find them. Maybe they have closed down.
  • I cannot compare the taste of coffee because I ordered different ones each time, and I have no intention of comparing them. I was just curious, so I did it. As for hand drip coffee, I can taste a bit of coffee flavor and a hint of red wine and acidity, but I cannot taste the fruity flavors and other tastes they mentioned. My favorite is still latte.
    • After all, I cannot try each coffee like those baristas and then compare the similarities with fruits or chocolates.
  • These cafés, although they have different interior designs, are still places for drinking coffee, chatting, and even working. They provide services such as an environment and a cup of coffee, maybe with some desserts. There is no so-called "petty bourgeoisie" or nobility here. They are just slightly better than the average bubble tea shops in terms of design and service.
    • Yes, you have noticed that when you try more, there is no nobility in it. They provide just these things: a clean seat, a possibly musical environment, a cup of coffee, and the introduction of the barista.
• After exploring in person, I have seen the real cafés and coffee. They are not "stylish," "capitalistic," or "noble." But without a doubt, they are expensive. When I think about it, if I only knew these things, how could I justify spending so much money?
  • The bourgeoisie admire drinking coffee because it fits their own etiquette and art. For them, coffee represents rationality and wisdom. Then, what does coffee represent for me? Or rather, what should coffee represent?
  • I think I should break and forget about what I already have. I need to find my own answers from the most basic things I see, my own art, and my own subjective construction.

Answer#

• In a previous conversation with a barista, I learned that the aromas, tastes, and descriptions of coffee are learned through constant comparison and familiarity. To taste a sip of coffee, you need to separate those mixed feelings, analyze and associate them carefully to come up with a description of the taste of that cup of coffee. One day, while walking on the street, I suddenly realized that this conclusion is full of rationality. It is the answer I am looking for: Drinking coffee means rational analysis and separating mixed feelings. This behavior itself is art.

• Write in Harbin, 20230523