Creaky old wooden chairs.....

I just visited Rao's Coffee House at Amherst Center, to pick up my favorite "Chai to go". I was shell shocked when I saw that the place had been given a makeover.

This is not the first instance that I have had to witness the change from something old, deep rooted, historical, lovable, familiar, memorable change into a high quality furniture store. Being from Bombay, I saw this change left, right and center over the last 5-7 years. We loved it as it happened for sure, but eventually- "Naah, I wish it were the same old messy place". When the old made way for the new, familiar staff changed, familiar routines changed, familiar ambiance changed, rates changed. So essentially, it was never really a change of furniture at all. It was the soul being ripped out and being replaced. No matter how ordinary home might be, it's still home. It sure was a great house to start with. But then, because you used it along the way to getting familiar with it, it got old. The house became the home. But when you're from Bombay, you've seen the change- We saw Bombay making way for Mumbai.........

The whole point behind heading to Rao's and not Starbucks, is the smell of coffee and the creaky old furniture! I would go to Starbucks if I wanted to! Why would someone change something when people already love what's being offered to them! I am getting sick of the everyday transformation of something we love into something that had the stench of a corporate boardroom. It's another institution dying on us-the good old coffee shop, the cafe. The first one opened in Damascus in the 1500s. And it started dying right here in the US in the 80s I think, when the first Starbucks store opened in Seattle.

All said and done, I would say that the new Rao's is not a second Starbucks on East Pleasant Street. It is still, in essence, very close to the one we know and have come to love. A year of use and we'll have the old one back. I just got the feeling that the lights were too bright. Maybe someone should suggest installing the old tube lights once again maybe.....kidding......

A tribute to the old Rao's. You rock.......