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Suspended Coffee, a sweet gesture!

Fellow blogger Sanjay, once shared a post on "Suspended Coffees", but somehow - I forgot to re-share that post in G+. So here, I'm sharing the mini story dusted with little more history. Before I jump into explaining, what is "Suspended Coffee" and what is so sweet about it, here is a question: How many of you can start a day, without the help from a pick-me-up, say coffee or tea? Not many! May be 10% among the entire population, right?
So the remaining 90% of us, rely on this marvelous drink, which has become a part of our lives. Basically, Coffee is not a luxury but a human right :-)
The Story(rather, the sweet gesture!):
At times, when we come across genuine stories like this, we will be reminded of the term "Being Human", and in turn - it reinstates the faith in human beings - even when we are subjected to acknowledging a lot of natural and man-made calamities around the world!!

"Suspended Coffee" can be called as a custom or a ritual, which is easy to follow. "Suspended" means "Set Aside", so "Suspended Coffee" means "A Coffee which is set aside for later use"
When a person, who had a break of good luck(or simply put, the ones who can afford) enter a cafe and order a cup of coffee, he/she would not just pay for his/her own cup, but for two or more cups, allowing someone less fortunate to have a cup of coffee later, for free.
The Batista would keep a log, and when someone comes by the doorway of the cafe and ask for the availability of suspended coffee, the Batista would serve him/her with a cup of free coffee.

It is a sweet way to show generosity - where the donors and recipients never meet each other, the donor doesn't show off and the recipient doesn't have to show gratitude. "Suspended Coffees" are prevalent only in couple of European & Russian nations. Hope, it spreads it's tentacle all over the world.

At the same time, when I was thinking about India, I could not stop myself from pondering the most obvious question: "Even if I pay for a "Suspended Coffee" in India - there probably is no guarantee that a poor would be served, isn't it? I wish, I could be an optimist here - but the reality is kicking me hard!"

Leave a thought!

Comments

  1. Beena.stephyApril 27, 2013 at 9:33 AM

    nice post

    ReplyDelete
  2. Navaneetham KrishnanApril 27, 2013 at 10:11 AM

    I have to start my day with a coffee, never mine that I don't have food but the coffee is a must. Whichever interpretation suspended coffee is , I will not suspend it for the start of my day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RApril 27, 2013 at 10:34 AM

      HaHa, Good one Nava - Indeed, even I cannot suspend my own coffee, but can suspend few more by shelling out!!

      Delete
  3. Nilu AApril 27, 2013 at 11:11 AM

    Amazing post Pavithra... I loved the concept of suspended coffee.. Loved this story so much that waiting for Monday when I go down to meet my friends in the evening.. So that I can share this with them.. Your posts are always like great stories for me which comes with a valuable moral in the end... Looking forward for more Pavithra... Keep rocking :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RApril 27, 2013 at 7:24 PM

      Hey thanks for the beautiful words, Nilu!
      I'm glad you can share the story with your friends - you know this kinda topics always initiates a good debate especially among friends.
      Thanks again Nilu.

      Delete
  4. KalyanApril 28, 2013 at 12:50 AM

    Well, I guess its a novel concept and more so in countries like India, but here as you have doubted rightly, folks would be more happy filling their coffers to the umpteenth point rather than a social cause. The state of the country is such today that, but I would also love to be an optimist and hope this kind of social help starts so that ultimately there can be a better, rational and equitable distribution of natural bounty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RApril 28, 2013 at 5:02 AM

      Well said, Kalyan!
      Agree and hope that the day is not too far!!

      Delete
  5. ReniApril 28, 2013 at 6:28 AM

    I'm not exactly a coffee fan...but this suspended coffee concept is really sweet ...If only we could suspend meals,then our country would have lesser people suffering from poverty!I love the way u write and share these nice concepts !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RApril 28, 2013 at 7:30 AM

      Aha, that is a far better idea - "Suspended meal"!! Love it. And yes, India needs it more than any other country for sure.
      Well said, Reni.

      Delete
  6. ReniApril 28, 2013 at 6:29 AM

    hey btw i loved the pic too...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rani's gourmetApril 28, 2013 at 11:54 PM

    interesting and informative post:)

    ReplyDelete

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