The pursuit for the ultimate cup of coffee in the past year has seen me trying out various caffeine options as far north as Tiberias and far south as Eilat.
By BENITA LEVINRoasting coffee beans at the Power Coffeeworks in Jerusalem(photo credit: STEVE LINDE)
TIME MAGAZINE recently published an article on the “18 behaviors of emotionally intelligent people.” As a life coach, this is a topic that is very close to my heart, as I firmly believe this doesn’t always get the attention it deserves, for both young and old. The list included qualities like "being curious about people," "embracing change," "being a good judge of character" and being "difficult to offend." No surprises there.But the one paragraph that made me raise an eyebrow, was the claim that emotionally intelligent people “limit their intake of caffeine!” Really? Is that a prerequisite? Now, that could be a tough challenge.As a new immigrant in a new country, the pursuit for the ultimate cup of coffee in the past year has seen me trying out various caffeine options as far north as Tiberias and far south as Eilat. The benchmark was my favorite coffee spot in Johannesburg – JoziBlue. The reason? A guaranteed hot cup of caffeine, coupled with personal, friendly service and the genius option of being able to place your order ahead of time on whatsapp, if you were in a rush and didn’t have time to sit down for a croissant.The coffee shop culture in Tel Aviv is most definitely a highlight at any time of the year. People sit outside, often with their dogs, while typing on their computers. Colorful flags are visible throughout the city, ahead of the 20th annual Gay Pride Parade on June 8. You don’t have to walk far to find a cozy place to stop for a range of coffees and fresh pastries. But it was a spontaneous meeting with another immigrant from South African that saw us catching up at a uniquely alternative looking, funky coffee spot near the Mahaneh Yehuda shuk (market) in Jerusalem. My coffee compatriot had chosen the venue, but as I walked in, I felt a strange sense of familiarity.The owner, Stephanie, stood behind the counter, smiling as she attended to the customers at the bar in front of her. Her interaction with her clearly regular customers reminded me of the way Shmuel had happily chatted to his clients at my favorite Jo’burg venue. And then, the penny dropped. While walking through the streets of Ra’anana a few weeks before, I’d bumped into a former Durbanite, who advised me to try out the coffee at Power Coffeeworks. This was the very same place.What was so familiar about this charismatic shop owner, was of course her accent! Yep, a fellow former South African working with her husband in a bustling coffee shop in a prime position in Jerusalem. The clientele ranged from secular to religious, clearly all there for the ambience and the coffee.Many were working on their laptops, others were sitting and laughing in small groups.But the real test, would be the coffee. And it most certainly did live up to the challenge.The pursuit for the best cup of caffeine in a very unofficial personal snap survey, had ended it seemed at the hands of another fellow South African. Such a small world! So, while sipping on another large “hafuch” cappuccino as I type, I am contemplating some of the qualities of emotionally intelligent people. There are so many on the list in the article that I agree with, but am going to have to keep pondering the need to cut down on coffee.When faced with the range of outstanding options here, it’s not easy to cut it off one’s daily to-do list! But then perhaps one could argue that using one’s discretion must also be an important quality for emotionally intelligent people?
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