[Vision2020] Coffee Drinkers Get a Purr With Their Buzz

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of the Los Angeles Times at:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-south-korea-cafes-20101228,0,1356792,print.story

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Coffee drinkers get a purr with their buzz in Seoul
Coffeehouse patrons can settle in with an espresso and a tabby, one of a
dozen cats at one of the numerous themed cafes around the South Korean
capital.
By John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times

December 28, 2010


Sure, Oh Yoo-jin wanted a cup of coffee, but what the 24-year-old
university student really wanted to do was commune with the residents of
her tiny neighborhood cafe — the cats.

On a recent afternoon, Oh and her boyfriend shared the brightly lighted
cafe with a dozen felines. There were cats lounging on the windowsills,
curiously nosing customers' coffee cups or taking leisurely strolls past
the register.

That's the point of Seoul's newest cat cafe: Why just caffeinate when you
can indulge with a purring tabby or Russian gray on your lap?

"Mom-and-pop cafes are everywhere and there's a Starbucks on just about
every corner in Seoul, but this is different," Oh said as she petted a cat
whose coloring matched her leopard-print blouse.

In South Korea's capital, which in recent years has felt the buzz of the
coffeehouse craze, entrepreneurs know that it's not enough just to serve
up drinks and scones. If you want to stay in business, you've got to
separate yourself from the crowd.

So, many have turned to cafes that invite parents to relax while their
children romp in supervised play areas, or where English, Mandarin or any
other language but Korean is the requisite tongue.

There are cafes where customers can bake a cake, get their hair and nails
done, have their fortunes read, or just marvel at hundreds of Barbie
dolls.

Want a little unconditional love with your morning coffee and paper? You
can head to cafes where dogs of all breeds and sizes are available for
petting and friendship. At other coffeehouses, customers play board games
such as Monopoly and Scrabble, compete in quiz contests and even dress up
in costumes.

One university cafe features statues of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and
Woodstock.

"We offer the complete Peanuts experience," manager Hur Su-ji said,
sniffing at the green Starbucks coffeehouse logo across the street. "And
we do OK."

Unlike coffeehouses in other cultures, many of Seoul's themed caffeine
cafes are bereft of customers in the morning. It's only in the evening
that the crowds come out.

But in Kwon Hyuk-jin's Cat Cafe, the customers come as soon as he opens
his doors at 1 p.m. A cat lover, Kwon saw the success that a friend had
introducing cats and coffee drinkers and opened his own business last
month.

"Some customers come for the coffee, but most come for the cats," he said
as one large tabby nosed a coffee grinder behind him. "A lot of women lead
their boyfriends here by the hand."

One woman, an artist, comes in each day to do paintings of the animals.
Another is so fascinated by the concept that she often lingers until
closing time, Kwon said.

Most tables include a lint roller. Customers are required to remove their
shoes and pass through a safety door to guard against cat escapes.

The Cat Cafe has rules: Don't wake up sleeping cats or grab a passing
feline. You can't feed the residents, and the menu also politely asks,
"Please don't tap the cats' behind."

"This is a place where you can make friends with the cats," a sign reads.
"However, cats are not toys."

Two friends sat on the floor and played with several rambunctious kittens.
"I like Randall, the gray cat. He's a very special animal," college
student Kim Joo-young said.

Her friend, Choi Hee-eun, who lives with her parents, wants her own cat
but her mother is against the idea. "In Korea, some of the old-timers
still believe that cats bring bad luck," she said.

But there seems to be little bad karma at the Cat Cafe. At a window table,
near a box that housed a sleeping kitten, Oh Yoo-jin and her boyfriend
looked pretty much at peace.

"I like this environment," said boyfriend Lee Ho, sneaking a glance at Oh.
"And who knows, one day I could see myself actually proposing here."

His girlfriend wasn't listening — she was too busy caressing the creature
asleep on her lap.

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One of the stars of the Cat Attic Cafe in Seoul. Some of the felines nap
in customers’ laps.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-12/58472151.jpg

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown