Don Senneville and Jim White
Black Lions are the symbol of strength and courage, which could describe their coffees. It also is true that the Black Lion Movement was an anit-fascist resistance group in Italy in WW2. They are not here! OK, this is shaky evidence that coffee fuels revolutions (as seen at the Boston Tea Party doc on Netflix)! Or, “Instant coffee helped fuel World Wars” (from Don, who was raised on Army coffee). Remember, in France they were drinking coffee before they stormed the Bastille (no cappuccinos after noon). However, the Holland Center, PVCC, YM(w)CA and the Black Lion Cafe complex seem safe. Good coffee and comfortable couches in the quiet, air conditioned foyer. No signs of revolution here. Too Bourgeois.
But could The Black Lion Cafe (though very quiet on the morning of our visit) become a center for philosophical discussions like the coffeehouses of olden times? With the college next door, healthy people stopping in from their workouts at the YM(w)CA, and organizational types from their meetings at the Holland Center, The Black Lion Cafe serves as a fueling station for humans. History tells us that coffee replaced beer as the most popular drink in the 1700s and beyond. Is it still that way? There have been efforts to slow its popularity down. For example, Frederick the Great tried to ban coffee roasting in his German kingdom. He thought it was hurting the beer business, so he denied coffee sellers permits, except for his pals. Frederick wasn’t so great, but the beer was. Coffee underground!
So, we innocently sat in the comfort of the Black Lion Cafe wondering about the relationship between the coziness of coffee and the real world. Here are a few of those questions:
*What idea is the Seed Cafe really planting?
*What does ROC2 really mean? Are the Dutch Bros really Dutch?
*On Cave Creek road there is serious coffee every 500 meters. Front lines of the coffee revolution? “Carefree and Caffeinated?”
*Should we investigate the English Tea Room?
*Is coffee like the “melange” in Dune, the book/movie? *see below
*Do you know who Starbucks was in the novel, Moby Dick? (think strong and steady)
*What is white trash coffee (think Big Earl’s)? Is white trash coffee a type of latte or
Is it Army coffee with powdered creamer and Jack Daniels?
*If coffee is like social media, it could be called “Jitter”. Wanna join??
