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October 1, 2000
Rose's House of Coffee
I walk often to a coffeehouse. The walk takes me down Yuelue Mountain and into the streets of Changsha. The campus is situated on the west side of the Xiangjiang river. The main city is on the east side of the river and this side maintains some characteristics of a small village. I also walk side streets as often as possible so I will get away from the heavy traffic and mingle with the residents in quieter surroundings.
This day, September 28, found the incoming students completing their orientation and preparing for graduation while grandparents and babies watched. The tortilla lady was making my usual breakfast tortilla of fresh flour with spices and chopped green onions. I don't usually buy food on the streets, but this is transferred with tongs from a hot griddle to a cutting board, swiftly cut into small pieces as I watch, and then put in a plastic bag and weighed with no touching by bare hands after the cooking. It is very hot and greasy. It, like most Chinese food, is very oily.
Rose's House of Coffee is a twenty minute walk from my home. It takes me past expensive homes, small alleyways, pool tables, mahjong tables, and vendors of all types. Rose's is family owned, as are most Chinese businesses. At various times of the day there are four different people working. This day I found the grandfather, father, and daughter working. The place is large by Chinese standards, and seats 24 at tables covered with cloth table cloths.
One of the things I really like about Rose's is the absence of the lightweight plastic that cover most tablecloths in Chinese restaurants. The purpose for these coverings is obvious, as Chinese place bones and other non-eatable items from their food right on the table. However, I dislike the feeling of the plastic against my skin.
Rose's has two signs, a large one obvious in my picture and a smaller one that is more difficult to see. The signs are in English as well as Chinese, which is a good thing since I can't read Chinese and would probably not have found the coffee house. The second sign reads "Roses Housee of Coffe." The person making the sign clearly knew one of these strange words ended in two letters. I find the errors made in interpreting Chinese into English charming.
They make coffee in an unusual way. They boil the water in a glass globe over a bunsen burner. A glass funnel holds the coffee grounds; the funnel is fitted into the lower globe. As the water in the lower globe boils it enters the funnel and the globe with the ground coffee. They time it precisely and wait one minute before they turn off the flame, allow the coffee to flow back into the lower globe. Then they pour it into a coffee cup and deliver it to me with a proud smile. They make two kinds of coffee: Blue Mountain and Brazilian. I prefer the Brazilian which cost 18 yuan per cup. That is $2.25. Worth every penny.
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