Spoon management system at a hipster cafe
Today in my ongoing series of photos from my travels: the ingenious spoon-management system at a cafe in Kensington Market, Toronto, a neighborhood that I like so much I set a novel there. Link
Today in my ongoing series of photos from my travels: the ingenious spoon-management system at a cafe in Kensington Market, Toronto, a neighborhood that I like so much I set a novel there. Link
the latest
latest episodes
Revolting
why?
Should be shut down by the health department
Wow, I have that white mug. It belonged to my grandfather.
Ha! I saw that picture and started to smile to myself, thinking that I knew a place just like that.
Then I saw the caption and realized that I know those exact spoons. Nice photo, too.
That's adorable! The white cup could use a rinse, I suppose...
How is this gross? This is way better than individually wrapped plastic spoons that I've seen at some fast food joints.
Honestly, why would one-time use plastic spoons need plastic wrappers? In case someone TOUCHED them? Gross!
Very similar to a "hipster" cafe i frequent here, though the one here has cleaner looking cups.
All those kids must be on the same wavelength or something, since the handwriting is almost the same as well
Unless you bring your own silverware when you eat out this isn't any worse than flatware placed on a white napkin at your average restaurant. Likely cleaner since its on display. Its simply contrasted by the dirty cup.
Not gross...except the spoons should have their handles pointing up, at least per Maine health code! Cause then people's fingers don't go all over the part you might stick in your mouth.
I'm glad I drink coffee black...and wouldn't have to use one of those spoons.
I walked down to Kensington Market,
bought me a fish to fry.
I went to the Silver Dollar,
looked a stranger in the eye.
A friend a mine says that he don't think
this town's so outa sight,
But he's got shades all round his soul
and he thinks he's seen the light.
By the way, hacked iPhone users can read "Someone..." through Install. I read it on my 3G iPod back in the old days.
incidentally, ideal (the shop pictured) does have great coffee :)
Nice Frank Zappa references; "Pick Me I'm Clean" and "Frogs with Dirty Little Lips" ..
How are the pancakes there?
..it's where I stole the margarine.
This must be a hipster system, it's the same one used by my favorite cafe, The Lady Kiligrew in Montague, Mass.
Both of those mugs, I believe, are Depression Glass. very hobo literati.
Definitely a Zappa nod "pick me, i'm clean" taken from the song SY-BORG. The other being from FROGS WITH DIRTY LITTLE LIPS! LOVE IT!!!!
What time of day was the photo taken?
Even if they washed both cups in the morning the dirty one could oh never mind they aren't washing those cups, are they?
I try so hard to think the best of things.
Dirty Little Spoons = great band name.
Cory: Can I recommend some kind of short hand for "Today in my ongoing series of photos from my travels". Think of all the valuable key strokes you could save. Maybe just "My latest photo".
LoL I thought this looked familiar, just noticed the caption.
I never understood why the spoons were in there upside down though. I want to grab them by the handle. Thats what handles are for!
For those who care:
"Pick Me I'm Clean" was originally released on 1981's "Tinsel Town Rebellion" and "Frogs With Dirty Little Lips" was originally released on 1984's "Them or Us," both of which were indeed Frank Zappa recordings. Are the signs from both? As the Magic 8-Ball says, all signs point to yes.
Same system used at many hipster coffeeshops around Cambridge and Somerville, MA.
"Revolting"? "Should be shut down"? Because they offer clean spoons to use? I just don't understand comments here sometimes.
"ingenious"? Let's not hype the extremely ordinary so.
Interesting (re: book and kensington market), had no idea! I'll post that little tidbit to the Om Message Board http://omfestival.ca/ommb/ as there are a lot of peeps on there that live in that neighbourhood.
Gimmie coffee in Brooklyn does this too, although they put the handles the right way up. I always wonder if anyone will accidentily put a dirty spoon back in the clean cup. Then I realize there's way worse stuff to be worried about. Their coffee is off the chain too.
File me under another person confused by the "revolting" comments.
Yes, the white mug has coffee on it. It is for storing spoons that have been used to store coffee, not clean spoons ready for customers. It could be a bucket or a box or a hole in the ground, it really doesn't matter as far as being sanitary is concerned, as long as it keeps the dirty spoons separate from the clean ones.
I'm wondering if people are reacting to the counter top without actually looking closely at it?
The countertop is clean - the paint needs touching up IMO, but I understand the distressed, vintage look is "in".
I agree about handles-up rather than handles-down, though.
For those who haven't been to i deal coffee, it really isn't gross, honest. The place is run by some great folks, and when you buy a pound (bean, or ground the way you like it) they'll make you a fresh cuppa on the house. Sweet! Also their Prince of Darkness blend, affectionately known as "P.O.D." really is one of the best dark roast blends I've ever had. Highly recommended.
Yeah, I'm not understanding the revulsion here, either. Every café I frequent does this. (Alas, no Zappa-derived signage, AFAIK.) It keeps the spoons separate and takes up less space than a tray. Also, silverware trays tend to get cinammon/chocolate/turbinado, etc. fallout as folks doctor their drinks just so.
Like #10, however, all the spoons I see are placed handle-up, dirty or clean. Occasionally, there's a mix-up when someone puts their OMG-used-to-stir-hot-coffee spoon back in the clean jar, but that's rare. I suppose the system showed above would minimize that.
(A café round these parts that deployed plastic utensils? Would, at the very least, find itself the target of a lot of lectures. )
It's so weird to see this on BoingBoing! I visit this cafe most days, they do one of the best jasmine green teas in the city. They keep in in a little styrofoam cup next to the register that is endearingly marked "tea". They also have a hair salon seat outside, in a pleasingly-eccentric-but-not-trying-too-hard kind of way.
Hmmm, I'm enjoying a cup of Princess of Darkness right now. Not my favorite coffee in the city but definitely up there.
A note: This place is not only for "hipsters". It is in fact clean, nice, comfortable, delicious and I only get bad looks from half the staff when I walk in. Its probably the lululemon pants.
I'd prefer my clean spoons a little farther away from the dirty ones.
There is no spoon.
SPOON!
"Retro's out Jumble's in
You dinosaur thing
Afro's out Boneheads in
You dinosaur thing
Help us out Rag it all in
You dinosaur thing
Do you believe it?
Or are you tryin it on
Like something that caught your eye
On Kensington Market."
Ah, good times! (Lurches off to the 501 Queen streetcar stop.)
As owner of i deal coffee and originator of the 'Dirty Little Spoon' management technique-THANK YOU FRANKOPHILES for recognizing some arcane Zappa refernces, its been 8 years that we've used those signs and NOT ONCE has Frank Zappa been credited by a customer. Thank you, thank you, I don't feel so alone anymore,...
Woah woah woah, #37. You have awesome taste in music. I never find Steve Hogarth (or Marillion, for that matter) fans anywhere!
I had to click, just to know how this post had possibly generated 39 replies.
Buncha ephemera-lovin freaks.
My favorite local coffee shop uses this system, too, except more with the artsy-writing than the obscure-referencing.
Hey, Coffeebeanguy! Many thanks for the several delicious coffees I've enjoyed in your fine establishment.
This reminded me of the Linux Caffe, which is fairly close to this shop.I'll have to check out i deal coffee next time I'm in Toronto.Locally owned shops have more character and this pic is proof of that.Love the Zappa references.
Jeez that's right out of page 4, paragraph 2 of "How to Rule The World by Running A Hipster Coffee Bar".
noobz.
The signs are cute, but a good 25% of people are absolute morons who will not read or follow instructions. I see it everyday at my convenience store. They keep trying to open a locked door with a large, highlighted "CLOSED" sign on it. Having driven a car for years, they cannot figure out how to pump gas. They lock THEMSELVES in the bathroom! I expect independent coffee shops to have a smarter clientele than McDonald's, but I bet there's still a problem with people disregarding the signs and dumping their dirties in the clean cup.
The disposable stir sticks are no better because I see people fixing their coffee with sticks they pulled out with grease-blackened hands. I just shrug and hope that heat will kill the germs.