Reading in Starbucks?

While I was still residing in Kuala Lumpur I heard from my friend about how tranquil and artsy (a high class feeling? LOL) to read a favorite novel or book in Starbucks, sipping coffee and enjoying the classic music played in the background.

Typical Malaysian coffee shop, "Kedai Kopi" or "Kopi Tiam"

(Photo source: ChanChiewSoo's blog)

Starbucks is overpriced in Malaysia and practical people like me never sees sipping a cup of coffee which is less tasteful than local coffee shops but with the price 5 to 10 times greater (no kidding). I only went to Starbucks for the first time at the age of 25 (I'm a dinosaur) with my best friend who happened to settle down in KL and also because we had not seen each other for ages.

Chocolate Lounge at Southern Cross Station, Melbourne

I never visit any Starbucks in Melbourne because this is a city known for its awesome cafés and coffee culture so we rather enjoy a tea or coffee with friends in some nice Italian or simply Aussie cafés. I believe Starbucks is not happening in Melbourne^^

So now, here I am, in Seoul, very surprised to see American franchise mushrooming at almost every corner of the downtown streets. After being treated to a coffee at Starbucks by chance some weeks ago, I realized the price is very reasonable and thought of treating myself to a read-a-book-in-Starbucks experience and see if I would like it.

On one cool, after-rain afternoon, I decided to visit the Starbucks.

Starbucks in Seoul, in between the Central governmental Complex and Sejong Art Center.

Not far away there is another Starbucks -_-"

And many other cafés with glamorous names around.

I walked in, ordered iced coffee and a piece of black forest cake, and chose a seat at the window screen (Mistake 1 and 2, see below). 

The black forest cake that has only 3 blue berries and the tasteless iced coffee because of the far too many ice cubes.

Mistake 1: Don't buy more than a coffee. Because of the inconvenience of carrying a bag with heavy book and the coffee and the cake at the same time to go upstairs, I was left with no choice to choose a seat nearby unless I risk losing my cake or coffee while walking up the stairs LOL. OK, may be this is only me.

Even a motor bike that is parked right in the middle of between two trees can make me feel "oh wow this is a cool symmetrical scene!" and prompt me to take out my camera. Si beh wu liao LOL.

Mistake 2: sitting facing the window is totally attention-distracting, so many funny things happened outside that I could not pay attention on my book. And being a photo-snapping maniac, I can't help to take out my camera when something interesting took place in front of my eyes. More photos in upcoming posts for "Overseen in Seoul" series.

Mistake 3: People talking out loud in Starbucks. I know who comes and goes around me. Asian-looking man and woman were speaking in English to my right. A beautiful OL to my left was retouching her make up and snapping photos of herself afterwards, and then she received a phone call and left. Then a bunch of ajossis sit down at the table behind me and were talking and laughing so loud that the whatever classic music that was playing in the background was drowned to mere mosquito buzzing sound.

I also realized the girl who sat next to me cannot concentrate on her book too. She later gave up the book and staring into emptiness towards my direction.

I always brought papers and pens with me so I wrote a reply letter to my friend while gave up on book-reading. So this experience is not too bad though, at last I'm not wasting my time^^

Try again?

Yes, may be! Just heard from a fellow research fellow friend that a Caffé Pascucci nearby our condo is a good place to study. So I shall give this book-reading-in-a-café another shot, and will make comparison between these 2 cafés^^

Caffé Pascucci outside of Yonsei University.

The only shot and it's blurry X_X

Until next time, xoxo