The Coffee Shop NE

Weather: 9°, Sunshine
Coffee Shop: The Coffee Shop NE • 2852A Johnson St • Minneapolis • First Time
Drink: Cinnamon Peppermint Latte ($4.25 M)
Book: Bring Me the Rhinoceros: And Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life by John Tarrant


Coffee
I discovered Coffee Shop NE because they offered 20% off in my digital Chinook Book, an app full of "coupons" dedicated solely to local merchants committed to protecting the environment and giving back to the community. Coffee Shop NE is in the Audubon Park neighborhood of Northeast Minneapolis, an area I had not yet been to until today. They're situated on a block or two of great local businesses like Hazel's NE, Crafty Planet, Sarah Jane's Bakery, Rewind, and A Bag Lady—all of which I wanted to check out, but didn't have time.

This is another very neighborhood-centric feeling coffee shop and is very bright and full of life. The shop is split into two seating areas: the front area, being right next to the counter, is buzzing with life, and the back area is a little more mellow with comfy couches and armchairs and a couple large tables that you could sit up to 8+ people at. Even though it's a bit quieter in the back, noise seems to reverberate a lot, so it's never very quiet.

The woman working the register was 110% friendly and helped me decide what to order. They offer seemingly every coffee drink known to man and a large array of signature and specialty drinks, so I decided it would be worth having something special from their Winter Specialties menu. The woman originally recommended the Egg Nog Latte, which she promised was not over-sweet at all, but upon ordering it she found out they were out of egg nog. So instead I ordered the Mrs. Claus' Elixir, which was a latte with cinnamon and peppermint (syrup). All of their coffee is fair-trade organic, which makes me even more happy. The drink was exactly what I wanted it to be: warm and delicious. I can't even attempt to comment on the flavor of the espresso, since it was chock full of milk, cinnamon, and peppermint, but I was in creamy cinnamony heaven (it could have used a little more mint).

In terms of things I didn't try, they have an entire menu of sandwiches, pastries, salad, soup, and other random items, and they also sell packaged items like chocolate-covered berries, chocolate-covered coffee beans, and chocolate bars (chocolate!) And of course, their specialty drink menu is so unique and extensive that I want to come back and attempt to try every single one of them, caffeinated and not. They have a fun little merch section with Coffee Shop NE wares (including really cool $5 clear glass mugs), coffee-making supplies, and a Nikki McClure (love!) calendar.

I really enjoyed Coffee Shop NE, and I think it will make a great stop during a future Saturday thrift and yarn store outing—Saturday because donuts go so well with coffee and Sarah Jane's bakery isn't open on Sundays! Also, gasoline was $0.20 cheaper here than Uptown, but of course I forgot to fill up on my way out.

Book
Today's trip was destined to be short so I merely read one koan from Bring Me the Rhinoceros: And Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life, a book suggested by a good friend. Koans (at least in this book) are stories or questions, semi-parable, semi-riddle, used in Zen Buddhism to provoke and test a person and aid in meditation. By understanding the riddles posed in the koans, a student comes one step closer to full enlightenment. I enjoy koans despite the fact that they can be completely confounding—that is their job—because they are simple, thought-provoking, and oftentimes good lessons. Many koans are also very old and are an interesting look into the past.

The koan that I read (the first in the book) was Bodhidharma's Vast Emptiness. The best part about this book is that with each koan the author writes an introduction to help you have a little foothold before you read the koan, and a follow-up titled "Working with the Koan" that the author uses to help explain his understanding of the koan and bring it into modern life. Without these sections the average reader might not bother to think much about the koan if it's too confusing. For each section the author has written a title that explains the purpose of the koan, and this one was Forgetting Who You Are and Making Use of Nothing. It taught about the acceptance of letting go, emptiness, and nothingness. Admitting that you don't know. Letting go of the need to know and of expectations. Not doing things for want of praise or recognition. Some other sections include "The Secret of Changing Your Heart," "The Heaven That's Already Here," "Friendship," "On Avoiding Bad Art," and "Finding Your Song."

To study the Buddha's way is to study the self,
to study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be awakened
by ten thousand things.


People Watching
There were a lot of people here, and conversations tended to run into one another. This man sitting in the chair next to mine said at one point, "You look bored." I assured him that I was merely engrossed in my book. When he got up to leave he commented, "I have to leave now, but I hope you enjoy your book." He was a nice fella. There was also a pair of middle-aged men who were talking quite loudly and at one point discussing The Big Bang Theory (TV show) and all of the actors on it who had previously been on Roseanne. Oh, television, how I do not miss thee.

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