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Café, coffee, Coffee Culture, coffee house, Panda, penguin, Polar Bear, Polar Bear Café, Shirokuma, Shirokuma Café, socialization
It seems like winter doesn’t want to leave us yet. A huggable arctic creature popped out this spring season and built a cozy place for us to stay. Yes, it’s the Polar Bear Café. With Shirokuma, Panda, Penguin, together with the rest of the crew, this coffee shop welcomes us to sip and stay as we enjoy the funny and fuzzy gags of a warm café.
One of the things that I truly like about this show is how it presents the global phenomenon behind the coffee culture. Coffee is a material substance which is highly regarded as a social lubricant and is naturally diverse goods. Its value is derived from where the beans are grown, size and texture, and how they are roasted. Once processed, these can be blended with other coffee beans from different places to produce pleasingly complex aromas with distinctive tastes.
On the other hand, culture infuses coffee with social and symbolic meanings. Through culture, consuming coffee can establish an identity, express values, and affirm social ties. Come to think of it, a café may have different kinds of coffee blends, but no matter how mixed the aromas are, all of them are creating a harmonized, organic, and relaxing scent that would make anyone at ease and feel at home. A coffee house also caters our moods, tastes, and caffeine necessities. Fascinatingly, one table can have different cups with different blends by which each serving represents the presence and significance of a person.
Further, it’s amazing how a café becomes a home not just for different kinds of coffee beans and drinks from around the world but also turns into a social hub which harbours people with different identities coming together to socialize and relax.
Pretty much just like what Polar Bear Café features. There are different animals and humans from all over the world gathering in a coffee house to share their daily and fun experiences. If there’s one thing in common that they have, it’s the keenness of drinking.
Personally, I enjoyed the first episode not only because of the cute characters and pleasing comedy but also because of the setting. Dropping into a café already became part of my daily routine because I’m fond of drinking coffee (or tea) whether it concerns my caffeine necessities or just chillaxing with friends.
Having said all of these, I also appreciate how Shirokuma cares in the preparation of the coffee and serving the customers. He’s making coffee consumption more than just about drinking, but rather he’s building a comfortable place where everyone can associate his or her feelings while drinking coffee as they enjoy each other’s company. And although the characters are animals, I commend how Polar Bear Café embellished a realistic human touch in a fun way.
Nice screencaps, refreshing post! If you like coffee, you might like this manhwa as well http://mangafox.me/manga/crazy_coffee_cat/ This must be good as well http://mangafox.me/manga/koohii_jikan/
Thanks for the links~
Coffee is still one of those things I’m relatively new at. It’s going to take a while before I can ask for a grande white chocolate mocha frappuccino or anything. But I can see from the different brands and how coffee houses work that there’s a lot more to this than just a hot beverage. It actually reminds me a little of what I know about wine culture.
I actually watch something on PBS, I believe, about the wine culture. But unlike coffee, wine causes you disorientation that’s why coffee becomes the most social drink. Also, have you notice, Tim Hortons commercials are always about socialization and keeping the family bonds to market their coffee. So I guess, big part of the coffee culture is how it’s marketed and the desired way of consuming it.
“Come to think of it, a café may have different kinds of coffee blends. But no matter how mixed the aromas are, all of them are creating a harmonized, organic, and relaxing scent that would make anyone at ease and feel at home.”
This post might have agreed with me more if it wasn’t for the fact that I really hate coffee and its various odors :P But in terms of the social attitudes involving its consumption and the way Shirokuma Cafe presents it, I agree. Still, its a bit alien to me because, a quite remarkable coincidence it may be, none of my friends really drink coffee either so I’ve never really got the hang out at a coffee place thing.
To be honest, it was only recently that I became fond of coffees, specifically machiatto and espresso. It wasn’t really because I crave for caffeine but it’s more of through influence why I started drinking these. That’s why I truly feel reminiscent of the times when I used to dislike coffee. ^^
Nice post and I like the series as well. However, I extremely dislike Coffee…that and tea. Only thing I had close that I liked would be the French varation, cafe au lait (coffee and milk); which the owner modified for my taste.
That said, I know little of the coffee culture, but both overseas and here (U.S) the differences are sort of interesting. For example, the French style for serving cafe au lait would be from a rounded small bowl rather than cup like many places here do. While that is traditional, my friend (who is a native from France) said that it is believed to make the blend more “tasteful and whole.” I tried it myself, but did not find any improvement. People I know from the mosque I used attend also like Coffee; one person I knew had a small cup with him everything morning; jokingly always calling it his “Sweet Soma.” Seems like drinks are one thing that reaches across social and cultural borders – well, for some people anyway.
Oh yeah, café au lait is a type of coffee. It just happened to be in French, so it’s fine to say you like coffee. ^^
My aunts are hardcore coffee drinkers, so I think if they will meet your friend they can easily understand each other when it comes to coffee. I remembered my aunts can tell which is freshly brewed from not. Just like you, I can’t.
And yes, coffee as a commodity reached across social and cultural borders. It has long antiquity and historicity. Previously, it was bounding exclusivity, for instance there’s this Café society. But overtime, because of commercialism and ease of trade coffee consumption become more and more common–thanks to Starbucks!
Anyway, thanks for the sharing your thoughts I didn’t know that even the cups used matter when drinking and serving a particular type of coffee until you mentioned it. That’s something that I’d like to read about.
The fact they made an anime starring Kuma’s cousin, Panda’s son and Penta Penguin’s uncle is all I need to make this one a keeper. Dreams do come true Snippy, they do come true.
Kuma’s cousin–from Tekken? Lol. But I didn’t know who’s Panda’s son and Penta Penguin.
But oh yeah, dreams come true. They really do. ^^
Panda is another bear from Tekken (Kuma’s crush, a female panda bear named…Panda) and Penta Penguin’s…a penguin from Crash Bandicoot.
Oh yeah, how did I ever forgot those. I guess it’s been a while since I was a kid and played those.
Wow. I’m surprised you used to play games when you’re a wee lass. Now that you’re a young adult, I suppose you retired. Tis a shame really, but such is life.
Yeah, it’s been a while since I played Tekken and Crash Bandicoot. I must allot sometime for those.
I love sitting at Cafe since I was in high school. Somehow I could read and learn better in that kind of environment. I suspect that Coffee and Cafe played major role in my academic success to this very day.
I really must start watching this show soon :)
As far as the first episode goes, it’s not hard to like this show especially if your into cozy and light mood watch. Hope you find it enjoying. ^^
Now I feel like making myself a cup of hot coffee. Nothing taste better than a cup of hot, rich or cold, ice blended coffee. Not lukewarm, please. Seems like this coffee culture is widely spread across the world. Even here in my city, my friends and I love to chit-chat over a cup of coffee (or tea) although I have yet to come across shop owners such as Shirokuma who interacts with his customers. It looks lovely and cozy.
I definitely agree blended coffee. Same here, it’s either hot or cold, not lukewarm. ^^
Actually, I used to work in a coffee house when I was in high school and it’s really incredible how people can spent so much time sitting and chit-chatting as they sip their coffee (or tea). I guess the whole “Starbucks” phenomenon is all over the world now, culture spread really amazes me.
What a charming post about a charming anime.
What’s interesting about coffee culture is that its divided. There is a relaxing cafe culture and then there is the Italian model where the bar is for ordering a drinking, but not loitering. I was piqued by the loud and full outer tables in contrast to the quiet atmosphere inside of the cafe. Maybe it’s just a function of the time of year, but I found it neat Polar Bear had time to chat with Penguin at the counter.
Thank you. ^^
What you said about the Italian model is really interesting. The setup and vicinity is something that I didn’t really notice–thanks for this idea! Another thing that I find interesting is Polar Bear Cafe chose to have winter animals to serve in a cafe–a warm place. So that’s another opposing harmony in this show, simple and ignorable idea but a sure factor why this anime is charming.
“Lots of pretty girls and exotic animals…” the second episode reflects, I think, what you’ve been expressing in your lovely post, Snippet!
What I like most about Shirokuma Café is the relaxed and slow motion ways of Shirokuma-san himself. He is a friendly guy but leaves the talking to the guests and restricts himself to occasional expressions of his quirky humor and to the diligent preparation of coffee. I think Polar Bear Café is a mixture of the Italian and the relaxing model discussed in the other comments: Many guests seem to visit the café with friends sitting at the tables. Penguin-san, on the other hand, I would rather locate in an Italian-styled coffee bar as he seems to visit the café alone looking for other people to talk to.
I myself have a favourite café, too, which I try to visit at least once a week. The place is run by Japanese and half of the visitors stem from the Asian expat communities of my town. They have delicious cakes and tasty maccarons (no gimauve, though!) in Western as well as Japanese tastes, different sorts of tea, unobtrusive, chilly music and fashionable and pretty girls, as well. The coffee, alas, is not more than decent but I would hold that the coffee house atmosphere is even more important than the coffee itself.
My all-time favourite café is Café Alpha from YKK, though. I just adore this manga and I’d love to visit this remote place where Hatsuseno Alpha is happy to prepare delicious coffee and talk to one or two customers per week until the end of the world.
I also adore Shirokuma-san for his character. As you said, his humour, diligence and calmness are something that I truly admire.
I had a lot of fun writing this post because I used to work in a café, that’s actually my first job. It fascinates me how for most customers they can’t live without their coffee (or tea), and I definitely agree with you that the café’s atmosphere is more important than the coffee itself. Most of our customers keep on coming back because of the service. Once you get to interact with the customers everyday, you build that friendly relationship which makes it so easy to spot the pattern of their order. Through there, you get to know their characters.
Anyway, actually when I started watching anime, I was surprised how a Maid Café is being portrayed. It’s quite… interesting. ^^ So it’s refreshing for me to see an anime about café without incorporating that “usual” otaku culture, but rather the one that’s going right now–which is the global phenomenon of the coffee culture.
Btw, thanks for mentioning YKK, that kind of a story is something I can check out if I’m in search of a good read.
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