The Essentiality Of Cafes

We live in a country where, when you drive down the street of a small town center, you will see nothing to eat but large businesses—McDonald's, Burger King, Crumbl Cookie, and more—that hog the areas where family-owned restaurants and cafes used to be staples of the community. Lexington, Massachusetts, the lucky town that it is, has not yet seen the effects of this food gentrification; unlike many other towns, our community still holds strong, and one of the main causes of that is food. 

Cafes are very important to the Lexington Center. This town is formed on community, not division, and a cafe is a nice small place where one or many can go after school, work, or other commitments to enjoy a coffee with their friends, to have a chat with a person you may not have seen in a long time, or maybe just to kick back, relax, and have a coffee. 

In a society that is highly individual, it is important for us to remember community, and the fact is that cafes are not just simple areas to eat or get a drink: they spark social connections that you may keep for life. In many countries, among the happiest in the world (Ex, Sweden, Norway, Denmark), a concept of “Fika” exists. Fika is the old Swedish spelling of coffee turned backwards, and, being half Swedish myself, I religiously partake in this mental well-being practice. Essentially, the concept of Fika involves having coffee and a tasty treat, either alone or with family/friends. There is no one way to do Fika; however, a cafe is essentially a part of Fika, and since we have so many in the Lexington community, there is no reason to shy away from using them.

Our society is experiencing epidemics of loneliness: people feel like nobody is there for them, and their jobs work them to the point of zombification. All of this contributes to a growing depression rate among all people, youth especially. Cafes, though on the outside are quite modest, may actually be key to solving the mental health crisis that plagues America, and that is why we are so lucky to be growing up in a town with many cafes, so I encourage you to go out to your local cafe, and look forward to what prospects life may hold for you.

by MEKAAL KHAN

Views expressed above represent the opinion of the author and are not intended to represent Lexspects editorial staff or Lexington High School.