Suspended coffee (2 Viewers)

[dudley]

Read about this on the electrical forum, sounds pretty great.

"We enter a little coffeehouse with a friend of mine and give our order. While we’re approaching our table two people come in and they go to the counter:
‘Five coffees, please. Two of them for us and three suspended’ They pay for their order, take the two and leave.

I ask my friend: “What are those ‘suspended’ coffees?”
My friend: “Wait for it and you will see.”

Some more people enter. Two girls ask for one coffee each, pay and go. The next order was for seven coffees and it was made by three lawyers - three for them and four ‘suspended’. While I still wonder what’s the deal with those ‘suspended’ coffees I enjoy the sunny weather and the beautiful view towards the square in front of the café. Suddenly a man dressed in shabby clothes who looks like a beggar comes in through the door and kindly asks, ‘Do you have a suspended coffee ?’

It’s simple - people pay in advance for a coffee meant for someone who can not afford a warm beverage. The tradition with the suspended coffees started in Naples, but it has spread all over the world and in some places you can order not only a suspended coffee, but also a sandwich or a whole meal.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have such cafés or even grocery stores in every town where the less fortunate will find hope and support ? If you own a business why don’t you offer it to your clients… I am sure many of them will like it.

 

[ann post]

That is nice.

 

[pavlos]

Hooray indeed! That's a great idea.

 

[therealjohnny]

That is nice.

No, it's Naples

 

[rettucs]

I heard someone on the radio talking about this the other day. A Cork lad. He was looking to set it up here. They have facebook pages and stuff and awareness is starting to grow.

Agreed, its a great idea.

 

[Theseus Mock]

Quora thread about this too sent to my inbox this morning. People giving "suspended" coffee will feel warm and great for their good deeds, but everything else about its execution is just wrong. I completely agree with this commenter:

http://mbstories.quora.com/This-should-totally-be-a-thing-everywhere/comment/193977

this is a terrible idea. Where do I begin?
1) No shop owner wants homeless people aware of this program coming in and out of the store all day looking for these free coffees and then sitting there to enjoy them. It will scare away the paying customers.
2) Who is the person serving the coffee or food to decide who is eligible for a free coffee? Is it only homeless people? Do they have to be visibly homeless (dirty, smelly, old clothes)?? What if it's just somebody having a bad day or down on their luck... there are a million different scenarios here!!
3) What if nobody buys a "suspended" coffee one day? Will the homeless people believe the shop owner??
4) Next point then is... Should we trust the shop owners?? What if they take money for suspended coffees, but don't give them all out?? They keep the profit?

Honestly, it just gives more work to the people working behind the counter, something else to keep track of, on top of the 1,000 other things they are supposed to do and don"t get paid much for. Where is their free coffee?

I think there are many shop owners out there, that if they can see somebody is having a bad day or has just experienced some bad luck, that will step up and do something as simple as buy a cup of coffee for someone... but to start handing out free coffee on a regular basis or to homeless people will just create problems. For people who think they deserve it and maybe don't and for the clerks who will have to argue with these people

 

[therealjohnny]

I had visions of 'poor' students lining up for free coffee

thusly

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/backpackers-in-charity-bludge/story-e6frg6n6-1226574451553

THEY'VE long been admired for their resourcefulness on the road, but now backpackers are taking food from the mouths of the homeless.
Scores of travellers are lining up each night at a Sydney mobile food van to take advantage of free meals being offered to the destitute.
Eight backpackers were seen on two nights last week using the Exodus Foundation night food van service at the Domain carpark. After receiving a bag of food, some of the backpackers wandered back to the nearby Elephant Backpacker Hostel, while others sat by the road eating.





also:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bludge

 

[ann post]

Quora thread about this too sent to my inbox this morning. People giving "suspended" coffee will feel warm and great for their good deeds, but everything else about its execution is just wrong. I completely agree with this commenter:

http://mbstories.quora.com/This-should-totally-be-a-thing-everywhere/comment/193977

I cant remember which comedian, but i saw a good sketch about how people are happy to donate to charity, but wouldn't donate hand to hand to a homeless person. That commenter's points are pretty solid apart from ignoring that more money is going over the counter, so in a way it could be considered that if nobody shows up for suspended coffee, all you are doing is tipping the place you like.

I'm guessing that places will just openly say 'we don't do suspended coffee' or whatever, and you can choose which ones you go to. In ireland, we'd pretty much know who was homeless in the majority of towns, but less so in the cities.

 

[Theseus Mock]

I had visions of 'poor' students lining up for free coffee

thusly

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/backpackers-in-charity-bludge/story-e6frg6n6-1226574451553

Irish backpackers (or working holiday visa folks) spotted in soup kitchen queues in Perth also http://www.irishecho.com.au/2013/02/21/young-irish-lining-up-for-free-meal-at-soup-kitchen/23538

 

[Theseus Mock]

I'm guessing that places will just openly say 'we don't do suspended coffee' or whatever, and you can choose which ones you go to. In ireland, we'd pretty much know who was homeless in the majority of towns, but less so in the cities.

The last thing we need is some homeless guy instagramm'ing the crema of his €7 euro coffee in 3fe.

 

[magicbastarder]

I cant remember which comedian, but i saw a good sketch about how people are happy to donate to charity, but wouldn't donate hand to hand to a homeless person.

i had understood the advice from homeless charities was not to give money to homeless people - because a quite significant percentage of people who are homeless who are there because of addiction or mental issues, you're better channeling your money to people providing secure board and food.

 

[therealjohnny]

Irish backpackers (or working holiday visa folks) spotted in soup kitchen queues in Perth also http://www.irishecho.com.au/2013/02/21/young-irish-lining-up-for-free-meal-at-soup-kitchen/23538

I had never heard the phrase " left high, dry and handsome" before

A quick google search suggests that woman, Ms Lowe invented it

 

[rettucs]

I cant remember which comedian, but i saw a good sketch about how people are happy to donate to charity, but wouldn't donate hand to hand to a homeless person.

seems fair enough. Its not just the points about addicition and mental issues, but also the vast numbers of people begging in the city at the moment. You can't possibly give to everyone. Giving to a charity who know better how to dole it out to those most in need makes a whole lot of sense to me .

 

[Scientician 0.8]

i had understood the advice from homeless charities was not to give money to homeless people - because a quite significant percentage of people who are homeless who are there because of addiction or mental issues, you're better channeling your money to people providing secure board and food.

It's somewhat in the charities' interests to say that, no matter what the reality on the ground is. Basically they want your money to pay all their nice middle-class salaries and then yeah help the poor. I'm not saying they're wrong exactly but if you cut out the middlemen they've no jobs.

 

[therealjohnny]

When I saw the term 'suspended coffee' I thought of this

“I’d like an iced coffee with milk, with no coffee in it.”

 

[rettucs]

It's somewhat in the charities' interests to say that, no matter what the reality on the ground is. Basically they want your money to pay all their nice middle-class salaries and then yeah help the poor. I'm not saying they're wrong exactly but if you cut out the middlemen they've no jobs.

theres a fair amount of cunty charities. For example, any charity that would use the services of a chugger are cunts.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

Chartities turn decent people into chuggers

 

[Theseus Mock]

I cant remember which comedian, but i saw a good sketch about how people are happy to donate to charity, but wouldn't donate hand to hand to a homeless person.

Dublin City Business Improvement District (yes, such a thing exists) and a homeless charity campaigned not long ago to give to charity rather than a homeless person.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/people-urged-to-give-money-to-charity-not-beggars-1.1042412

Of course, that's not to say that charities themselves are golden angels in all of this with some CEOs taking huge pay packets / chuggers having to be paid.

 

[Scientician 0.8]

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/politics/charity-bosses-salaries-exceed-100k-168734.html

 

[Unicron]

Dublin City Business Improvement District (yes, such a thing exists)

It's in their interest to disencourage panhandling because the presence of them ruins the vibe for shoppers, their motivations have nothing to do with helping the homeless.