Koffie ende Koeck - Amsterdam
- Rosy Vineyard
- Aug 17, 2020
- 2 min read
“Het regent weer lekker!” the coffee lady proclaims at the guy entering the café: the rain is back. The scenery describes Holland perfectly. We complain about one thing (sun), and then, when it’s all over, we complain about the opposite (rain). We just went through a heat wave (34 °C / 93 °F) and Corona was suddenly not interesting anymore. I am sitting at Koffie ende Koeck and hear the words "fan”, “thank god”, “sweat” and “shower” repetitively. It makes me smile, because the entire topic is such blithering nonsense. Happy staycation to me. My seat is close to the mint green window — a living television with real people. A girl sits on the back of a bike and she screams with joy when her boyfriend (my guess) crosses speedily through a burning red traffic light, almost hitting another bike. Funny, because it is dangerous. And so am I, for the economy, with my new smart ordering technique. I order an americano with a little bit of milk. Just 2 euros for a cappuccino without foam: score! A bit hypocrite, because I tend to say I ‘support’ small coffee cafés with my hobby. Obviously these two coins are not going to help them paying the rent. But I am sure I’ll come back. Koffie and the Koeck is hidden, rather far out of the city centre. It is close to the Westerpark, which is a nice green escape in Amsterdam. While the oxygen of the trees flows into my lungs through the window, I am well aware of the jazzy music that turns the room into a sweet little chillplace. The granny vibe is real, but it is done tastefully. I recognize the women behind the counter from the cookbook next to it. “It will be published this month!” she calls out happily. And I am happy for her, as is so difficult for cafés to stay authentic and alive ($$$) in this city. This woman manages to do so. I watch outside trough my television: is my bike stolen yet? It is not, and neither is my good mood. A guy walks in and sees the book too: “you’ve got your own book? Wat leuk! (How cool).” I’m closing my laptop now, so I can enjoy it all.
Goedendag for now,
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