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Pause



The Tweet:

the reason Koreans don't need 3rd spaces is because there is already a coffee shop optimized around beauty & slowness on every other block. this is prevalent across all of Asia. 

i'm concluding that it's the culture that creates this, not the other way around. it we want more of this in America, it starts at culture. and culture starts with grassroots efforts. it starts with us.

The Quote Tweet:

The reason the US lacks this isn’t “culture” (everyone likes nice coffee shops)…it’s just zoning.

I responded to the QT: 

But where does the impetus for certain types of zoning come from?

No response.

Mr. QT probably didn’t see my question.

There’s something else he didn’t see. Look at the original Tweet.

the reason Koreans don't need 3rd spaces is because there is already a coffee shop optimized around beauty & slowness on every other block. this is prevalent across all of Asia. (Italics mine)

I must admit I missed that the first time around, as well. The response “everyone likes nice like coffee shops” completely misses the essence of the original Tweet. The US may have plenty of coffee shops - - although zoning probably does limit where they are located - -  but what about coffee shops optimized around beauty and slowness? 

As Americans, do we even know what that means?

I think a lot of our coffee shops are focused on productivity. Get caffeine to fuel “getting the work done.” Bring your laptop and get the work done. Have a meeting and get the work done. Reward yourself for getting the work done. Choose your coffee shop based on its proximity to the place where you get the work done.

A coffee shop that optimizes beauty and slowness. 

Have you ever been to one? Do you see those kinds of places as natural expressions of the typical American ethos?

I was pondering this question as I sat at a stoplight on Dobbin Road yesterday. Something caught my eye. A sign. It said, “Pause.” 



Well, not exactly.

I took a deep breath. Exhaled.

I thought of how I’d soon be rewarding myself for running an errand I didn’t feel like doing by grabbing an iced coffee on the way to ticking off other chores on my list. 

  • grabbing 
  • ticking off
  • chores
  • list

What is this place that optimizes beauty and slowness? Is it merely zoning that prevents it?


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