Java Beans Cafe, Al Mansak, Abha. January 2017.
[from FB post: March 11.2017]
Everyone Loves Norm: my coffee shop experience
"Norm!" everyone would shout in Cheers when George Wendt entered the bar -- not quite the same for me but I get a very cheerful "Sir Matt" from the Filipino guys who work there. I go every day, sometimes twice, because frankly, it is the only thing to do here other than sit in my room and look at FB rants from my friends worldwide. I have become so "spoiled" by being a regular there that when I go to other coffee shops I almost forget that I have to order and pay for my drink before I sit down. There is something nice about walking into a place and sitting down and having your drink brought to you without saying a word.
"Java Beans" is apparently a rip off of a coffee shop in Hamburg, Germany. The Saudi owners (medical doctors) went to Hamburg for a conference and liked a certain coffee shop so much that they photographed the interior and had it replicated. I guess there is very little danger the German owners will ever pass through Abha, Saudi Arabia. For our dusty little city on the edge of the plateau, Java Beans is kind of like Starbucks meets the local pub. Prices are high (same as Starbucks anywhere) mainly to keep out the riff raff. This policy works most of the time, but occasionally the local "education challenged" set do enter and end up cursing the staff about the high prices and storm out.
The bulk of the customers are high-income, professional Saudis or students from my university. Excepting when there is a big football (soccer) match on TV, it is a pretty tranquil place. When there is a big game the place charges a cover and it becomes more akin to a pub in London than a coffee shop in Saudi Arabia. I never stay for games - Saudis LOVE football and are enthusiastic fans. The Arabic commentary on the TV is loud -- the fans' reactions even louder.
The cast of characters are as follows: Mr. Hilali, the Moroccan manager -- great customer service face and good problem solver. We speak bad French to communicate. I knew all those years of French study would finally pay off. He's not much interested in Moliere though... Then there is the taciturn Sudani cashier, Mohannad, who is virtually Borg-like with his headset and endless phone conversations. He speaks no English. I am not sure if he can speak anything unless it's into his phone mic. After that, there are a raft of Filipino guys who mostly run the place. They have come and gone over the years and I got to know many of them quite well. They are super nice to me but provide lackluster service to the Saudis. I can't blame them -- the Saudis are rude in both English and Arabic. And finally, there is poor, illiterate Surya -- the little Nepali cleaner. The Filipinos run him ragged barking out orders to clean stuff up like the ugly step sisters from Cinderella. "Surya! Surya! Do this, clean that!" They complain to me he is on his phone all the time and not working even as they check their own facebook accounts.
So mostly I sit alone and use the WiFi and just watch people come and go. Occasionally a work colleague or a Saudi friend will join me. Most of the time I am on my own though and just observe. Students come to study. Religious types come to have "Quran studies". Guys come to meet their friends. People have animated conversations in Arabic and often look around to see who is listening. Yeah....you gotta be careful what you say here, even the Saudis. Oh yes... I forgot. I sit in the "singles" section - so it is kind of like a big gay, Starbucks -- all guys. The "family section" is a claustrophobic collection of windowless rooms upstairs (enter in the rear, by the kitchen). I went once when we were a mixed group (male/female) from the university. I felt like I was in some subterranean Japanese pub in Tokyo. Alas, this is the norm in Saudi Arabia -- the single section (males) of any place is usually bright and airy and the family section is all dark and blocked off from view.
I feel really lucky to have this place just a short walk from my apartment. To be honest, I am not sure I would have lasted as long as I have without it. My room gets very confining after a time and I can only listen to so much youtube music and view so many facebook posts before I start to get stir crazy. It really reminds me of the bars I frequented back in Milford, PA. It is a place near my home where I am well known and I feel comfortable. I am on the "inside" and get to watch "outsiders" come and go. I am sure there would be a PhD dissertation in all of it if I had bothered to take notes over the last 3.5 years. It also makes me understand that my affinity for bars back home is less about alcohol and more about being a part of a place.
And ultimately, isn't that all what we are looking for? A place to fit in and feel comfortable....
I read this with a great warmth of nostalgia. No comment or update other than I am still in touch with a few the Filipino staff (who have all gone back home by now). And, of course, Saudi Arabia itself has radically changed since I have left - it seems for the better! For example, Saudi women have slowly started to enter the labor force and the reliance on foreign labor has decreased in the service sector.