I went out for a few hours this morning, to a cafe near the National Theatre that I’d been to a couple of times before. I came across a man there that I’d talked to before. He was a businessman, but he regretted taking his life in that direction. He was writing a book. We spoke about life and society again.
You don’t usually end up in conversations with strangers when you go to a cafe in Oslo. They’re usually full of people who are just there to get coffee and leave again, people who aren’t paying attention to their surroundings because they’re on their smartphones, or people who are there with their friends.
Meeting new people and having a conversation with them is difficult in a busy city like Oslo. I find this ironic, since cities are gathering places. Many people are in Oslo for reasons other than wanting to meet new people. I feel that the primary function of a cafe should be to facilitate social encounters between people.
The cafes I like to go to have couches and comfortable chairs, arranged in circles around the tables. Sitting down at a table creates an expectation that you have a conversation with the other people around it. If you want to be alone, I feel, perhaps you ought to go hiking instead.
Around 12, I packed up my notepad and left for lunch. Having finished my hamburger, I walked to a place that the man had recommended to me, named The House of Literature. It was located in the posh part of town, a short walk away from the Royal Palace. It was an old and fancy building and I got the sense that I didn’t belong there.
Inside, there was a bookshop, a cafe and a restaurant, all in the same room. At the dinner tables sat people who looked, for lack of a better word, very literary. Some sort of fish soup was apparently on the menu that day, and it was served in large bowls, almost as if to make a show of the meal.
As I looked around the room, a waiter, who had correctly assumed that I was new to the place, came up to me and asked me what I would like to eat. I told him I was mainly looking for a cup of coffee. He informed me that I would need to order food to sit in the restaurant half of the room and promptly left. I stood waiting at the counter for a few minutes, intending to order a coffee, but there wasn’t any good vacant seating, I was unsure if I liked the clientele, and I had already spent enough money that day, so I decided to go home instead.
I’ve lived in the Oslo area for about 15 years, but I never really took advantage of the city. I’m beginning to do that now, because I want a fresh start, and cities are good for people who are looking for a fresh start.