Coffee culture and country classes

Two days in a row now I've found myself in the trendy, well let's face it, only trendy cafe cum bar in town. It's unheard of; before I know it I'll be Lunesdale Valley barfly association. No, perhaps not, however it's remarkable that the coffee culture has pervaded even the deepest darkest recesses of Cumbria. £2 a cup for a mocha. Jolly fine stuff I'll admit, but around here that's like a King's ransom; in which case the King must be doing very nicely indeed. Not to rest on our laurels, or should that be coffee beans, the town has even gained a 'Fair Trade' status. Trendy coffee guzzling and with a 21st century sense of public conscience to boot. Remarkable.

Supping a cuppa also provides a particularly fine situation for people watching. The sceptical might falsely believe there's little of such a pastime of which to be indulged in a town of 3,500 people, but they'd be wrong. There's a full dichotomy of the rural classes on display for social commentators to analyse comprising a complex strata of aspirational and actual socio-economic placements.

My favourite specimens from the past couple of days have to be the aspiring county set. Now to explain for the more urban based readers of this blog, the county set are the often landed gentry demographic who seem to pull off living very comfortably while not appearing to actual work a great deal. Understandably this may be seen as something of an attraction for those of an appearance conscious nature and lo and behold if my cafe cum bar haunt wasn't full of a rowdy group of such county set wannabes. They dressed in a quasi-county fashion to fit the image, lacking though the two hundred quid wellies or saville row tailory that's reserved for the real deal. The conversation was exceptionally boisterous; they had a presence they wanted to be felt. What japes! As with so many things in life however there's no comparison with the real thing and their efforts felt strained rather than the effortless ya-hoos of bona fide country gents. Still, the world is full of images and if it keeps them happy then carry on, carry on. There's entertainment and show at every table!