We lived for about ten years in a Victorian workers cottage in the suburb Balaclava. One of my favourite memories is sitting in our lovely brick paved courtyard some warm evenings, safely ensconced by ivy, ficus, wisteria, bougainvillea and a large birch tree. We would play backgammon while having a sip or two of Scotch. Once the internet arrived, things changed. Nevertheless, I remember the time so well and so fondly.
When we moved to Balaclava, there was a men's clothing store, a hardware store and many other useful businesses. There were only two places to buy a cup of coffee. Now there are a myriad of cafes but no men's clothing or hardware store.
We would make coffee at home, using freshly ground beans from the local coffee shop where coffee beans were roasted on site. At a guess, I think it was owned by Russian Jews, Balaclava being within the Bagel Belt. It took years of buying freshly ground coffee for the usual server, who was an older woman who I guess was Russian, to get a smile from her. Maybe you know the coffee roasters Hels?
It literally took years but eventually I could get a half smile from her by putting on my brightest face and a big wide smile with effusive thanks, she with a slight upturning of her lips.
As JB mentioned in a blog post, smiling is not a natural thing for some cultures.
Lordy, the place has modernised into Coffee Company, with a very slick website. Russian o rperhaps Polish woman would be long gone I guess.
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Memories, such sweet memories . . . :-)
ReplyDeleteYes JB, and I have rather a lot of them but no more than anyone else of the same age.
DeleteYour cottage courtyard sounds quite lovely. And I can almost smell that freshly roasted coffee from here.
ReplyDeleteJayCee, I don't take a lot of pride in anything but I was rather proud of our courtyard. It was a nice space. It was well over twenty years ago and I suppose the coffee was good.
DeleteI am echoing JayCee about your courtyard. We used to play backgammon too - with various household chores at stake.
ReplyDeleteEC, I wish we had thought of gambling on backgammon. Who would have thought a win was a thing to gamble! I can't remember how to play it now.
DeleteDearest Andrew,
ReplyDeleteDon't know if you can justify the word 'grumpy' here.
One never knew what she lived through...
Hugs,
Mariette
Mariette, that is quite true and I am never unpleasant as I don't know what a person has been through, but it does seem to be a cultural matter.
DeleteAndrew, who are you for labeling this 'cultural'? Having friends from Russia and having our book published in Russian, we do know a little bit more about their culture. Aside from speaking seven languages myself, that gives a more accurate insight. Generalizing is never a good thing!
DeleteMariette, I am not highly educated and not so wise to the ways of the world. I can't think of another word beyond cultural. I simply say the culture of Russia and perhaps former eastern Europeans was to not readily smile in day to day life contact in shops and similar impersonal contact. Am I wrong?
DeleteOnce again: Generalizing is never a good thing!
DeleteNever mind the nightmares the Russians caused at our investment apartment body corporate meetings where they would simply refuse to spend money to maintain the apartment block to a reasonable standard. Nightmares! Call it as you wish, cultural stereotyping. You and I are both grieving about the loss of our partners, but perhaps we'll just leave it there. Russia is not a favourite country in Australia at the moment.
DeleteThe story of the Russian lady rings a bell for me. We live 6 months of the year near Miami Beach in a place called Sunny Isles Beach which has a very large Russian population and lots of Russian deli's! Once I waited in line to pay for my groceries behind a line of 8 people. The cashier greeted each customer in Russian. When I went to pay she greeted me in English and I was baffled that she knew . I asked her how she knew and she said because I smiled, She informed me that Russians don't smile in the supermarket !! I never forgot that ! It was about 10 years ago.
ReplyDeleteGreat story Judee, and thank you. I'm glad you smiled, even if no one else was doing so.
DeleteI love freshly ground coffee beans for my coffee; sadly, we don't get it that often.
ReplyDeleteBob, I would be classed as a Melbourne coffee snob. A cup or two of freshly ground coffee to make a long black and/or a double espresso is essential.
DeleteI have a backyard that I do not use it frequently enough. I love mindful breathing in it whenever I get too mad about something. The coffee roaster sounds fascinating. I would love to explore them if they are still standing today
ReplyDeleteRoentare, a backyard is different to a courtyard but breathing in the scents of a backyard must be a good calming treatment. The shop is still there. Check the link in my post to the Coffee Company.
DeleteI do like to sip on scotch.
ReplyDeleteJust the one Dora, hey.
DeleteBagel Belt. I never heard of that.
ReplyDeleteKirk, you would have heard of Bible Belt though I think?
DeleteYou brought back memories of an Italian neighbourhood I lived in for a long time. We all had huge front porches and would wander around the road espressos in hand provided by the neighbours. We all walked our dogs after work in the local park. Looking back it's like dreamscape from a movie. A fabulous neighbourhood.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
That's lovely WWW, but we move from whatever reasons arise at the time. No regrets, but nice memories.
DeleteI have old photos of my mother where she never smiled, but I think only for photos, because I know she smiled at other times when talking with people and having a few drinks.
ReplyDeleteYour little paved patio sounds delightful. I've thought about paving a section of my tiny garden so I could sit out there, but then there's mosquitos and ants and neighours who might want to join me and talk when I'd rather be alone.
River, that's a bit sad that you don't have photos of your mother smiling. I have rather a lot of my mother smiling. Every one of them actually. You have dry heat. There can't be too many mozzies. It's the neighbours who worry you. I get being alone. I rather like it myself but it was better being alone with Ray.
DeleteMy family has lived in North Caulfield, Balaclava or StKilda since I was in middle high school (1963), and have always gone to coffee shops in our suburb. Although I don't remember which coffee vendor you best remember, I do know we chose our coffee shops because they spoke English, Russian, Yiddish, Hebrew, Polish and Hungarian. And Eastern European breads and cakes.
ReplyDeleteEven now, Joe and I still buy our bagels and cheese cakes in Balaclava :)
Hels, I think there is only one coffee roaster in Balaclava and it has been there for decades. It had/has an area at the back to sit and drink coffee at tables. Balaclava was quite a remarkable place where different races and cultures blended so perfectly.
DeleteIt made me laugh. I was in an unfamiliar place, and there was a coffee roaster right across the parking lot where I was. I stood there sniffing the air. It really was delightful. A man walked past me and said, "It smells like this all the time. I just hate it!" Made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteDebby, I hope the man enjoyed his drink of awful coffee pouring out of a machine. It used to be a think before opening your house for inspection before sale, to put on a pot of fresh coffee brewing.
DeleteIdeal setting for a drink or to in the other premises Andrew. It becomes a challenge to get someone to smile, seems you did well on that front.
ReplyDeleteMemories are wonderful to have.
Yes, Margaret. I did succeed at getting her to smile. She knew me well enough and eventually relented. When you are older, memories are a great thing to have.
DeleteYou have some wonderful memories. They say smell evokes the strongest memories
ReplyDeleteFun60, surprisingly and disappointingly, no smell reminds me of Ray. Well, not yet.
DeleteThat sounds like a paradisaic place ! What did life do that you landed in the middle of a big town ? Probably work, that's very often the reason.
ReplyDeleteGattina, a lifestyle change as we were seeing old age in the distant future. The house was about four kilometres away from where I now live and I visit there occasionally by tram, a 20 minute trip.
DeleteMemories are infinitely precious things, Andrew as you demonstrate here simply and well. Aloha friend!
ReplyDeleteThey are indeed Cloudia and I am sure you have many from before you moved to a high rise building.
DeleteMaybe the staff had been trained as waiters in France or Italy, never smile, just do the job, and do it well.
ReplyDeleteYet today TP, I read about an American travelling in France and how friendly he found people when he attempted to speak a few French words.
DeleteI only drink one cup of coffee a day otherwise I start getting unpleasant palpitations ( decaf just doesn't cut it somehow) and it has to be from fresh roasted beans...........does that make me a coffee snob?
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
You are well on the way Allison. Welcome.
DeleteIt's a shame the Internet has sucked up all of our spare time so thoroughly.
ReplyDeleteIt really has Steve. I try not to lament the loss of time to play games etc, but that's how it is.
DeleteNice memories to have, Andrew. Isn't it amazing how much the internet has changed our every day lives.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt about that Pat. Mostly for the better.
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