My name is Shia Tshyu, even the universe will one day collapse, the Starbucks in Seoul will never fall. Every day, I see people as if they are enchanted to go to Starbucks, they usually run into Starbucks, order, wait for their names being called by staff. Then, they will turn on the Apple computer, sitting strictly, and start typing on the keyboard. Of course, some will sit in groups and start chatting, some will also run out after having the drinks. One thing in common for all who visit the Starbucks, they are quite busy, always. I couldn’t figure out why they are so busy. There are always students who always study even during the breaks, there are always workers who are always bond with Gmail during weekends, there are always men and women, dressing properly, making the coffees their decoration on a Thursday afternoon. Time passes differently on them, sometimes they spent hours and hours to finish one drink.
Sitting on the backless, cushion-less bar stool, as if the world has only two kinds of people left. Successful (or at least have-things-to-do) people and a jobless me. It’s quite a phenomenon if you observe that there are more cafés in Seoul than foods in the supermarket. Many cafés here are just next door. On the left is the beloved streaky pork, oh sorry, Starbucks, on the right is the cute local café, like a quiet cabbage.
It’s my first time, three-day consecutively sitting in the same Starbucks. Unlike many people, I came here for the 10min crush, and I believe “persistence means victory.” My laptop and coffee are my disguises, my undercover work is fantasizing love with good-looking men. Like the one sitting on my left with a blue shirt, in the age of 30s; also the one student on my right. Endless daydreaming making me the never bachelor.
Seoul people love Ice Americano, and it is like a cipher for all here, and as long as you skillfully mastered”아이스 아메리카노 주세요 aiseu amelikanojuseyo” you are much welcomed to be in Seoul. The first time I tried Ice Americano is the fourth year I arrived in Seoul, before that it was just too bitter. However, now I can eat rice with Ice Americano. I looked at everyone who sits alone in this Starbucks, they are emotionless, eyes glaring at their laptop, maybe, maybe, this is how we all forgot the bitter and astringent Ice Americano…
아메리카노 一杯冰美式咖啡
我叫夏哲宇，就算宇宙毀滅了，首爾市的星巴克也不會倒閉。每天都能看見像著了迷一樣的首爾人匆匆走進星巴克，瀟灑的點單等候店員呼叫名字，取好飲料，要麼打開標配的蘋果筆記本電腦開始敲鍵盤，要麼三五成群地開始談笑，要麼行色匆匆的又破門而出。這些星巴克的人都有著一樣的特徵，他們特別忙。我真的搞不懂他們為什麼這麼忙，假期了也有在這裡聽著網課做著筆記的好學生，週末也有在Gmail上奮筆疾書的職場白領，一個普通的週四下午，幾個男人女人們擠在一起，咖啡成了點綴他們精緻談話裝飾品，幾個小時都喝不完一杯咖啡。
坐在一張沒有靠背，沒有坐墊的僵硬的吧台座上，彷彿這世界上只剩下兩種人，成功人士和我。是的，首爾市的咖啡店可能比菜市場的菜都多，一個個緊鄰著，左邊是黃金五花肉星巴克，人人對它垂涎欲滴，右邊相貌平平的本地咖啡，像是一顆安靜的白菜。
這是我第一次連續三天來到星巴克，和第一種人不一樣，我，是來談十分鐘戀愛的。筆記本電腦和咖啡只是擋住我傻笑的工具，我內心真實的意淫都是在假裝忙碌的時間里開始的。左邊穿藍色襯衣的三十多歲的男人，嗯，我的愛。右邊的那一個年輕的小大學生，嗯，也是我的愛。就這樣帶著無限期待甚至有點下流的幻想，我不再是這城市裡的單身漢了。
首爾人都喜歡冰美式咖啡，在首爾市這便是一句通關密語，只要熟練掌握”아이스 아메리카노 aiseu amelikano” 好像你的一天便能精神飽滿的開始。我第一次嘗試아이스 아메리카노是來首爾市後的第四年，原因是實在是太苦了。而現在的我，都可以用아이스 아메리카노拌飯了。我望著這間星巴克里和我一樣每一個單獨坐著的人，他們面無表情，眼睛直勾勾的盯著電腦屏幕，可能很多人就是這樣忘記了原來아이스 아메리카노的苦澀…
