h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm a coffee house junky. I avoid Starbucks like the plague, instead going to locally owned, unique coffee houses. Something about a hot cup of java, comfy couch, lively conversation, and an island of peaceful bliss in the otherwise stressful city makes me just want to stay and curl up on the couch.

But lately something has been bothering me, with increasing frequency: coffee house rudeness. People: coffee houses are not McDonalds, gas (petro) stations, or buses! They are SUPPOSED to be places of calm. That's why they have that trendy music, those relaxing couches, and that trendy decorating. So in order of annoyingness, I would like to ask everyone to...

(1) Stop using cell phones in coffee houses. Whether your in line, on the patio, or sitting down, yapping on a cell phone is just plain annoying! This should be self-evident and I can't understand why anyone would have the nerve to talk a cell phone into a coffee house with the intent of using it. If you're only getting a coffee on your way to a real estate agent convention, just use a drive-through espresso bar, and don't disturb my tranquil place to escape traffic and cell phones.

(2) Site next to the people you're talking to. I'm not sure why people feel compelled to carry on conversations across the room.

(3) If you're drinking your coffee "for here" please tell the cashier that. You'll get a much better ceramic mug instead of a plastic cup. Besides the fact that the coffee will stay warmer, you'll also be avoiding the wasteful cup you were going to throw away.

That's pretty much it. Think of a coffee house as someone's living room, not a dive bar and those of us leaning back in a chair and watching the fireplace will appreciate it!

-Ken

Just out of interest (and I agree with most of what you said) why do you object to people talking normally (assuming they aren't the sort of person that feels the need to shout to cover the distance) into a phone? Do you object to anyone talking at all? Is it just that you are a bit nosey and it bugs you when you can only hear one side of the conversation? It annoys me too, but I think it is because you don't get the usual ebb and flow of conversation - it is all one sided.

What I *really* object to is mobile phones ringing - particularly if the have a novelty ringtone. Put it on silent mode please guys!


k

I hate the people who don't throw their rubbish in the bin - in a busy restauraunt/cafe/coffee shop where people are waiting for tables how rude and thoughtless do you have to be to leave your empty cup/plate/can etc on your table when you're walking past the bin on your way out *anyway*...

People *think* they are talking normally on a mobile phone, but they are always shouting. If you speak calmly into a phone, the other person won't even hear you.

Strangely enough the French trains have a (voluntary?) ban on cellphones. I watched one guy using one very circumspectly, barely murmuring into it. Way to go!