For this project I chose the experience of a coffee shop with a friend. We walk in and the first think I notice is that the space is overloaded with furniture. Mainly they are tables, chairs and stools, then there are a couple of fridges and a bookshelf. Obviously there isn’t enough space to walk around the seats. There are only three members of the staff: a barista, a girl assigned to wash the pottery and a guy at the counter. We move on to the till, we order and finally we sit down at a small table, just big enough for 2 or 3 people.

The back of my chair keeps bumping against the chair behind me. It’s really annoying. After a couple of minutes, the two coffees we ordered arrive at the table.
We are enjoying our drink, but because of the narrow corridor, the people passing by or waiting for takeaway, keep pushing us from the side.

I feel that our personal space is inexistent and violated. Definitely not a comfortable situation. However, the atmosphere of the place in general feels cosy. There is no music, it’s quiet. The only noise comes from the cups clashing with each other behind the counter and from the traffic outside. The two big windows on the front of the shop are open to allow some fresh air to come inside.

The room is stuffed with smell of coffee. I can feel it on my clothes too.

The every day rituals

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The ritual of making a cup of tea is know to anyone. Is almost and action that doesn’t request any afford. Poor the hot water in the pot, add the tea bag, wait for a couple of minuts and that pour the hot beverage in the cup. It’s so simple that all the steps become natural to us. That is exactly what a ritual is. An action which is divided in a series of acts. Doesn’t matter if it happens in the morning, in the evening or in the afternoon, it’s just a moment of pleasure. We like rituals a lot, they make our life easier and we save time. We are comfortable and confident when our day is punctuated by our owns. And we feel unstable if one of them are ruined.  Tea ritual is presents in many cultures, especially in Asia and South America. Here in U.K. there’s a big culture for the hot drink. Almost become an necessity against the cold weather.