10年前的我，拿起攝影機是為了記錄眷村瓦解前的那一刻；為了留下兒時與爺爺奶奶相處的珍貴記憶。
10年後的今天，再度燃起拍攝的熱情，紀錄退休後的媽咪成為咖啡風味獵人，找尋衣索比亞水洗與不同豆子的風味體驗。
是記錄，也是分享自己喜愛的台灣、在地文化特色與所見所聞。
"It is good to sit indoor in a coffee shop." After nearly 5 months of the Covid-19 outbreak, it was the first time being able to sit inside the coffee shop with my mom, and hum along with the familiar melodies. I still remember that the songs played at Cafe were from Jack Johnson's 3rd album, called In Between Dreams.
Honestly, this was the moment we had waited for a long time. The music and taste bring us back to life before the pandemic. I am thankful for being able to spend time with loved ones together.
Mom and I are coffee enthusiasts. We love to spend time together in the coffee shops on weekends. We even made a list of cafes to explore the flavors and support the independent coffee shop owners who overcame many difficulties to make their dreams come true. Today, we were happy to be back at BikeCoffee.
Mr. Chen, the owner of BikeCoffee, has a humble beginning; Actually, the first cup of coffee he made for his customer was at the corner of the park. With his bike and simple implements, such as water, gas; from the north of Taiwan to the south, he shared his love of coffee with people on the weekends.
Before opening the BikeCoffee, Mr. Cheng, rode his bike to the parks and streets to sell his hand-made coffee every weeken
d. He was an engineer, working in Taipei from Monday to Friday. However, it was his part-time job that made him happier. With his passion, he decided to quit his high-paying job to become a Barista. He started BikeCoffee in Kaohsiung in 2015.
What makes his shop unique is that Mr. Cheng is also a book lover. He has a wild-range of second-hand book collections. If you like reading, you may fall in love with the atmosphere of being surrounded by books and music while enjoying his freshly ground coffee.
However, this year has been the toughest year for many businesses, including the coffee industry due to the pandemic. For the local coffee owner, it is even harder to barely break even. Not many small-medium size businesses can survive during the pandemic. It is sad to say that only a few coffee shops can make it, and Mr. Chen is one of them. As a fan of BikeCoffee, it is good to see his customers coming back, and the businesses are steadily back to normal.
Note:
While enjoying the coffee, Mr. Cheng brought a book and came to us surprisingly. He shared with us one of his favorite picture books, called The Missing Piece. "Sometimes waiting is an art. It could lead you to the result that you have been looking for." The perspective he shared impressed me a lot.
I will keep practicing my English writing and being patient while making progress, just like Mr. Cheng, following his passion for coffee and turning it into a profession.