I go to a lot of cafes. A lot. But in all my visits, today is only the second time I’ve had a significant interaction with a complete stranger – the first time was in Adelaide meeting a bona fide snob. Fleeting encounters are plentiful, such as butting into a conversation about the cost of stainless steel straws and handmade metal spoons, but ones where I actually seem to hold a two sided conversation with someone I’ve never met before, are few and far between.

Today, at a cafe that had only been open for a couple of weeks, I decided, against my better judgement, that instead of going through a caffeine withdrawal phase, I’d get my usual trio of coffees. It just happened to be a very busy period at the cafe, so I popped myself on one of the communal tables. The seat I’d happened to choose had taken me past a person who sat at the end of the table, notebook and pens out, a book, as well as a very vintage looking camera. It was all going as per my normal cafe ritual of playing on my phone, and receiving my many coffees in quick succession, then taking pictures of them. I’m pretty sure the guy looked at me as soon as I started snapping away, but didn’t yet engage in conversation. After the photos, I began sipping away at my espresso. It wasn’t until I unexpectedly spotted a nice setup for one of my coffees, at the same time that the cafe staff was replacing a bottle of water for the table, leading to an awkward moment where the staff paused to allow me to take my photo, and me excusing myself for making a nuisance of myself having rearranged things on the table, that this fellow offered me his camera. Continue reading →