You can have social interaction with people in local events that cost little to nothing. Volunteering your time in an old person's home and sit and listen to their life stories. That's something I did as I was growing up (from 18-21) until my step fathers mother passed away.

If you're yearning for more human interaction you need to place yourself in situations for it to happen more-often. Lots of coffee shops like Starbucks, people go in, order, and go out. You'll have better luck in:
-Fitness classes
-Book clubs
-Hobby classes (woodworking, etc)
-Sports
-Gyms
-Forums (Such as this) that could be localized with meetups
-Museums
-Religious places of worship

The list goes on and on. Yes the internet has made it easier for people to interact, but there are many people like you who prefer real life interaction, instead of behind a screen.

https://www.meetup.com/

I used that site a long time ago when I was looking for soccer clubs to play in for some extra time on the pitch in a competitive setting. They have so many niches and categories for people all around the world.

they're hipster bars without alcohol, so the regulars tend to be more put together, nothing more, nothing less.

Wait, so we now judge the price of coffee by how long one is able to hang around for free while drinking it? Err...

Black coffee is the last thing I'd ever drink at Starbucks, since the little taste it has is absolutely terrible. All the ingredients that they add for their special drinks (mocha, chocolate and what have you) are strictly there to mask the abysmal taste of what they call coffee. Paying $2.71 for that is an absolute rip-off.

I'll gladly pay the same price for actual good coffee, served in a size that doesn't make me feel like a glutton.

Pubs can constitute a third place, absolutely.

If you replace consuming one coffee with one alcoholic drink, say a beer, glass of wine, 2 ounces of a spirit, etc., it could absolutely work.



I'm not trying to propose a space that monopolizes social contact. Those things could exist in a community and probably should, they seem more specialized than what I'm mentioning, most of those things have a specific purpose whereas something like I'm talking about has the purpose of being a social hub and cafe.



Markup for drinks in an establishment is almost always fucking outrageous. What's the markup for soda, tea, beer, etc. basically anywhere you eat out? You pay a premium for the right to enjoy it in a specific spot, basically.

As for your position on Starbucks' taste, I'm sorry your hyper sophisticated palette makes it impossible for you to bear it. I would bet you probably put a ton of cream and sugar and other bullshit into your coffee, anyways, and if you're gonna do that just go buy it at a fucking truck stop (which, honestly, probably isn't much cheaper depending on where/what you get).


This post was edited by Kamahl16 on Jun 16 2020 04:22pm

lol

I'm pretty sure they buy local beans that don't sell wherever they are and just burn the shit out of them.

Their charred coffee has grown on me though.

Cafe's were used by myself and spouse during periods when we lived with roommates, or apartments. It provided a public but private outing where you could freely talk away without interruption from someone who is half engaged in your conversation and half engaged doing dishes. The coffee is good too. Being older now, financial secure and having the privacy of a home and large deck there's little draw to cafes. Even the coffee has been replaced by an at home Breville Coffee machine.

When I enter the mass majority of coffee shops now I see a slew of laptops typically. You enter at 6-7am though you still see groups of middle aged individuals sitting in groups of friends talking. Friday coffee for instance. 9am onward I notice minimal social interaction. That's a reflection of modern times. Younger generations are more engaged in digital mediums while I believe middle aged are not and have a different value system.

Actual social interaction is beneficial , the coffee shop as noted above in my opinion is not a place where you find an abundance of actual socialization anymore. Actual exposure to long term socialization , while talking out my ass I would think develops empathy, compassion, understanding, etc. When you interact with people in a civil way in person vs just rolling through streams of online opinions I think you're more likely to develop ideas and opinions that are not as narrow since you have exposed yourself to other views compared to just reading articles that align with your own and giving the thumbs down to things you don't like.

TLDR - Physical social interaction is good, it widens your perspectives on things and forces you to debate / defend your point in person and listen to another persons opinion rather than just hitting the back button.

Endless cup of black coffee at a regular diner, be it private or a chain like Dennys is like $1.25, and the coffee tastes better. That's not 1 cup. That's endless refills. And assuming you aren't being rowdy and it's not a holiday (where they're going to be jam-packed) you can stay pretty much all day. And many diners now have free internet as well.

You want to compare your "roastery" to starbucks but that's simply bullshit, let's compare like with like. When all you're looking for is a plain cup of black coffee, a table to sit at, and a bit to snack on, starbucks is nothing but a shitty, overly noisy, and super expensive diner.

This post was edited by InsaneBobb on Jun 19 2020 02:00pm