伦敦咖啡馆的前世今生_咖啡馆的那个座位

　　The Starbucks on Russell Street near Covent Garden piazza is one of London’s many cloned coffee shops. Can you imagine walking in, sitting next to a stranger and asking for the latest news? Or slamming a recent novel down next to someone’s coffee and asking for their opinion before delivering yours? It’s not the done thing1).
　　But 300 years ago, precisely this kind of behaviour was encouraged in thousands of coffeehouses all over London. In 1712, the Starbucks site was occupied by Button’s coffeehouse. Inside, poets, playwrights, journalists and members of the public gathered around long wooden tables drinking, thinking, writing and discussing literature into the night. Nailed to the wall, near where the Starbucks community notice board now stands, was the white marble head of a lion with wide-open jaws. The public was invited to feed it with letters, limericks2) and stories; the best of the lion’s digest were published in a weekly edition of Joseph Addison3)’s Guardian newspaper, entitled “the roarings of the lion.”
　　Today, not even a blue plaque4) commemorates Button’s. It’s just one of London’s forgotten coffeehouse sites.
　　London’s first coffeehouse (or rather, coffee stall) was opened by an eccentric Greek named Pasqua Roseé in 1652. While a servant for a British Levant merchant in Smyrna, Turkey, Roseé developed a taste for the exotic Turkish drink and decided to import it to London. People from all walks of life swarmed5) to his business to meet, greet, drink, think, write, gossip and jest, all fuelled by coffee.
　　Before long, the ale house and tavern keepers of Cornhill could only look on despairingly as Pasqua sold over 600 dishes of coffee a day. Worse still, coffee came to be portrayed as an antidote6) to drunkenness, violence and lust; providing a catalyst7) for pure thought, sophistication and wit. Roseé had triggered a coffeehouse boom and his “bitter Mohammedan gruel8)” would transform London forever.
　　By 1663 there were 82 coffeehouses within the old Roman walls of the City. They arose from the ashes of the Great Fire9) and went on to survive Charles II’s attempt to crush them in 1675. It concerned the king that for a measly one-penny entrance fee anyone could discuss politics freely. The term “coffee-house politician” referred to someone who spent all day cultivating pious opinions about matters of high state and sharing them with anyone who’d listen. Although some coffeehouses had female staff, no respectable woman would wish to be seen inside these premises and the Women’s Petition Against Coffee (1674) bemoaned10) how the “newfangled11), abominable12), heathenish13) liquor called coffee” had transformed their industrious, virile men into effeminate14) babbling layabouts15) who idled away their time in coffeehouses. 　　The men took no notice and London became a city of coffee addicts. By the dawn of the eighteenth century, contemporaries counted over 3,000 coffeehouses in London.
　　Early coffeehouses were not clones of each other; many had their own distinct character. The walls of Don Saltero’s Chelsea coffeehouse were adorned with exotic taxidermy16), a talking point for local gentlemen scientists; at Lunt’s in Clerkenwell Green, patrons could sip coffee, have a haircut and enjoy a fiery lecture on the abolition of slavery given by its barber-proprietor; at Moll King’s, a near neighbour of Button’s in Covent Garden, libertines could sober up17) after a long night of drinking. There was even a floating coffeehouse, the Folly of the Thames, moored outside Somerset House18), where jittery dancers performed waltzes and jigs late into the night.
　　Despite these diversifications, coffeehouses all followed the same formula, maximising the interaction between customers and forging a creative, convivial environment. On entering, patrons would be engulfed in smoke, steam, and sweat and assailed by cries of “What news have you?” or, more formally, “Your servant, sir, what news from Tripoli?” Rows of well-dressed men in periwigs would sit around rectangular wooden tables strewn with every type of media imaginable—newspapers, pamphlets, prints, manuscript newsletters, ballads, even playing cards. Unless it was a West End19) or Exchange Alley coffeehouse, the room would be cosy but spartan20)—shaved wooden floors, no cushions, wainscoted walls, candles, the odd spittoon. In the distance, a little Cupid-like boy in a flowing periwig would bring a dish of coffee. It would cost a penny and come with unlimited refills. Once a drink was provided, it was time to engage with21) the coffeehouse’s other visitors.
　　Conversation was the lifeblood of coffeehouses. From coffeehouses all over London, Samuel Pepys22) recorded fantastical tales and metaphysical discussions—of voyages “across the high hills in Asia above the clouds” and the futility of distinguishing between a waking and a dreaming state. Listening and talking to strangers—sometimes for hours on end23)—was a founding principle of coffeehouses yet one that seems most alien to us today.
　　Debates culminated in verdicts. In Covent Garden, the Bedford Coffeehouse had a “theatrical thermometer” with temperatures ranging from “excellent” to “execrable.” Playwrights dreaded walking into the Bedford after the opening night of their latest play to receive judgment as did politicians walking into the Westminster coffeehouses after delivering speeches to Parliament. The Hoxton Square Coffeehouse was renowned for its inquisitions of insanity, where a suspected madman would be tied up and wheeled into the coffee room. A jury of coffee drinkers would view, prod and talk to the alleged lunatic and then vote on whether to incarcerate24) the accused in one of the local madhouses. Coffeehouses were democratic theatres of judgment. The way you dressed, your quick-wittedness, even the way you held your spoon—all were assiduously25) monitored and discussed. 　　Coffeehouses brought people and ideas together; they inspired brilliant ideas and discoveries that would make Britain the envy of the world. The first stocks and shares were traded in Jonathan’s coffeehouse by the Royal Exchange (now a private members’ club); merchants, ship-captains, cartographers26), and stockbrokers coalesced27) into Britain’s insurance industry at Lloyd’s on Lombard Street (now a Sainsbury’s); and the coffeehouses surrounding the Royal Society galvanized28) scientific breakthroughs. Isaac Newton once dissected a dolphin on the table of the Grecian Coffeehouse.
　　But how much of this burst of innovation can be traced back to the drink itself? For those accustomed to silky-smooth flat whites brewed with mathematical precision in one of London’s cafes, the taste of eighteenth-century coffee would be completely unpalatable29). People in the eighteenth century found it disgusting too, routinely comparing it to ink, soot, mud, damp and, most commonly, excrement. But it was addictive, a mental and physical boost to punctuate the working day, and a gateway to inspiration; the taste was secondary.
　　The flavours found in the latest incarnation of London cafes are undoubtedly superior, but the vanishing opportunities for intellectual engagement and spirited debate with strangers have been quite a trade-off30).
　　伦敦有着众多千篇一律的咖啡馆，位于罗素大街考文特花园广场旁的星巴克便是其中的一家。你是否能想象这样的场景：信步走入咖啡馆中，挨着一个陌生人坐下，向他打听一下最新的新闻？或是把一本新近出版的小说啪的一声甩在别人的咖啡旁，先问问此人对这本书的看法，然后再说说自己的意见？在今天看来，这样的做法有点不太正常。
　　但在三百年前，整个伦敦数以千计的咖啡馆里所推崇的正是上述这样的做法。如今的星巴克店址在1712年曾是巴顿咖啡馆的所在地。彼时，诗人、剧作家、记者以及普通大众在巴顿咖啡馆齐聚一堂，他们围坐在长木桌旁啜饮咖啡、沉思冥想、书写文字、畅谈文学，直至深夜。巴顿咖啡馆的墙上还钉着一个白色的大理石狮子头(就在如今星巴克的社区公告栏附近)，狮口大开，是在邀请公众将信件、五行打油诗以及故事等投入其中。“狮子文摘”里最精彩的文章会被刊登在约瑟夫·艾迪生的《卫报》周刊上，题为“狮子的咆哮”。
　　现如今，人们甚至连一块纪念巴顿咖啡馆的蓝色牌匾都找不到了。巴顿咖啡馆只是伦敦一个被遗忘的咖啡馆旧址而已。
　　伦敦的第一家咖啡馆(更确切地说是咖啡摊)是由一个古怪的希腊人于1652年开设的，这个人叫巴斯卡·罗素。罗素曾为英国利凡特公司一名驻土耳其士麦那的商人做过随从，期间他对富有异国情调的土耳其饮品产生了兴趣，于是决定将其引入伦敦。罗素在伦敦开设咖啡馆后，各色人等蜂拥而至，在咖啡馆里聚朋会友、寒暄问候、啜饮咖啡、深思冥想、书写文字、闲聊漫谈、说笑打趣。在咖啡的刺激下，所有人都很兴奋。
　　没多久，巴斯卡一天就能卖出六百多份咖啡了，康恩希尔地区的啤酒屋和小酒馆的老板们对此只有望洋兴叹的份儿。让他们感到更糟的是，在人们眼中，咖啡慢慢变成了医治醉酒、消除暴力和缓解欲望的良药，并成为纯洁思想、丰富阅历和增长智慧的催化剂。罗素引发了咖啡馆业的繁荣，他那被称作“穆罕默德苦粥”的咖啡也永远地改变了伦敦。
　　时至1663年，伦敦市的古罗马城墙内共有82家咖啡馆，它们是在“伦敦大火”的废墟上建起来的。1675年，查理二世试图“扫清”这些咖啡馆，但它们还是逃过此劫，幸存了下来。当时，让查理二世国王担心的是任何人只需区区一便士的入馆费就可以自由地谈论时政。那时有一种说法叫“咖啡馆政客”，指的就是这样一类人，他们整日泡在咖啡馆里不切实际地思考国家事务，并与周围任何乐于倾听的人分享自己的看法。尽管有些咖啡馆有女工，但体面的女士是不希望自己出现在那样的场所的。1674年的《女性抵制咖啡请愿书》里曾如此哀叹道，“这种既新奇又可恶、被人称为咖啡的异教徒的饮料”已经把她们勤劳、强健的男人们变成了女里女气、喋喋不休的懒汉，他们只知道在咖啡馆里荒废时光。
　　男人们对此并没有在意，伦敦到处都是喝咖啡成瘾的人。18世纪初，据当时的人统计，伦敦拥有三千多家咖啡馆。 　　早期的咖啡馆并不是千篇一律的，许多咖啡馆都有自己独特的风格。比如，唐·撒尔特罗开设的切尔西咖啡馆的墙壁上装饰有富有异国情调的动物标本，这可是当地绅士科学家们的谈资之一。在位于克拉肯威尔格林的伦特咖啡馆，顾客们可以一边呷着咖啡，一边理发，同时还能欣赏兼任理发师的店主有关废除奴隶制的激情演讲。在离考文特花园巴顿咖啡馆不远的摩尔·金咖啡馆，浪子们经过长夜痛饮后可以在这里慢慢清醒。甚至还有一家水上咖啡馆——泰晤士河上的芙利，就停泊在萨默赛特宫外面，激情的舞者在那儿表演华尔兹和吉格舞，直至深夜。
　　尽管咖啡馆各具特色，但都遵循同样的模式，那就是最大程度地增进顾客间的相互交流，营造一个富有创意且令人愉悦的氛围。顾客一走入咖啡馆，就会感受到扑面而来的烟雾、水汽和汗味，有人会扯着嗓子问你：“带来什么消息没有？”也有人问得更为正式：“尊敬的阁下，请问的黎波里有什么新闻吗？” 衣着讲究、戴着假发的男人们围坐在几排长方形的木桌旁，桌上散放着你能想到的各种传播媒介——报纸、小册子、印刷刊物、信札手稿、民谣，甚至还有扑克牌。除了伦敦西区和交易巷的咖啡馆外，其他的咖啡馆都布置得很舒适，不过也很简朴——地上铺着打磨过的木地板，没有垫子，墙上镶有壁板，备有蜡烛和造型特别的痰盂。远处，一个戴着蓬松假发、酷似丘比特的小男孩端来一份咖啡。咖啡价值一便士，喝完还可以无限次免费续杯。一旦咖啡在手，你就该加入到咖啡馆其他顾客的谈天论地中去了。
　　顾客间的交流是咖啡馆保持活力的源泉。塞缪尔·佩皮斯记录下了伦敦各个咖啡馆里所谈论的奇谈怪事以及各种“形而上”的讨论，比如“越过亚洲高山”的旅行，以及弄清梦醒与梦境的区别是如何徒劳无益。倾听陌生人的谈话并与他们进行交流——有时会持续几个小时——是咖啡馆生活的基本原则，但这一原则在今天的我们看来却十分陌生。
　　在咖啡馆里，所有的争论最终都以裁决而告终。在考文特花园的贝德福特咖啡馆有一支“戏剧温度计”，其温度区间从“极好”到“极差”皆有。剧作家们在其新剧的首映夜后是不敢走入贝德福特咖啡馆接受评判的，这与政客们在议会上发表演讲后不敢步入威斯敏斯特咖啡馆接受评判是一个道理。霍克斯顿广场咖啡馆以其对精神错乱者的讯问而闻名。谁要是被怀疑精神错乱，就会被捆绑起来推进这间咖啡馆。由咖啡馆的顾客组成的陪审团对这位疑似精神错乱者进行观察、刺激，并与其交谈，然后投票决定是否将此人关入当地的某家精神病院。咖啡馆里上演着民主审判。你的穿着打扮、你的敏捷才思，甚至你握汤匙的方式——所有这些都会被人持续地关注和议论着。
　　咖啡馆将人们聚集在一起，同时也汇集了人们的思想，这里激发的奇思妙想与伟大发现足以使英国成为全世界艳羡的对象。世界上首批股票与证券交易就发生在乔纳森咖啡馆，由皇家交易所(目前为一家私人会所)主办；在朗伯德街上的劳埃德咖啡馆(现在是一家塞恩斯伯里超市)，商人、船长、地图绘制者和股票经纪人联合起来，共同促成了英国的保险业；此外，皇家学会周围的咖啡馆还激发了科学的突破性进展。艾萨克·牛顿就曾在希腊咖啡馆的桌子上解剖过一只海豚。
　　但在这股创新潮的背后，咖啡本身所起的作用又有多大呢？今天的人们已经习惯了伦敦那些独立经营的咖啡馆里经过精确计算煮出来的咖啡，它们加了牛奶，口感丝滑、味道寡淡。对于这些人来说，18世纪的咖啡喝起来完全是难以下咽。其实，当时的人们也觉得咖啡令人作呕，经常将其比作墨水、煤灰、泥巴、瓦斯等，最常见的是将其比作粪便。不过，咖啡容易使人上瘾，工作之余喝点咖啡会让人头脑清醒、体力充沛，并能激发灵感；至于味道好坏，倒在其次了。
　　在现如今的伦敦咖啡馆，咖啡的味道自然好得多了，但那种在咖啡馆与陌生人进行思想交流和热烈辩论的氛围却逐渐消失殆尽，正所谓有得必有失。
　　1. the done thing：(在某种特定的社会形态下)正确的行为方式
　　2. limerick [?l?m?r?k] n. 五行打油诗
　　3. Joseph Addison：约瑟夫·艾迪生(1672~1719)，英国散文家、诗人、剧作家以及政治家，曾创办著名杂志《闲谈者》(Tatler)与《旁观者》(Spectator)。
　　4. plaque [pl?k] n. 匾额，铭碑，饰板
　　5. swarm [sw??(r)m] vi. 云集，涌往
　　6. antidote [??nt??d??t] n. [医]解毒剂
　　7. catalyst [?k?t?l?st] n. 催化剂
　　8. gruel [?ɡru??l] n. 稀粥
　　9. Great Fire：伦敦大火，发生于1666年9月2日至9月5日，是英国伦敦历史上最严重的一次火灾，期间伦敦大约六分之一的建筑被烧毁，包括87间教堂、44家公司以及约13, 000间民房。
　　10. bemoan [b??m??n] vt. 哀叹，对……表示惋惜或悲伤
　　11. newfangled [?nju??f??ɡ(?)ld] adj. 新奇的，新制的
　　12. abominable [??b?m?n?b(?)l] adj. 讨厌的，令人憎恶的
　　13. heathenish [?hi??(?)n??] adj. 异教徒的
　　14. effeminate [??fem?n?t] adj. 柔弱的，女人气的
　　15. layabout [?le???ba?t] n. 懒惰或闲散的人；游手好闲者
　　16. taxidermy [?t?ks??d??(r)mi] n. 动物标本剥制术
　　17. sober up：清醒起来
　　18. Somerset House：萨默赛特宫，伦敦市中心一座华美的新古典主义宫殿。15世纪时这里曾是都铎王朝的宫殿，到18世纪成为英国一些重要的团体组织的总部。
　　19. West End：伦敦西区，与纽约百老汇齐名的世界两大戏剧中心之一，是表演艺术的国际舞台，也是英国戏剧界的代名词。
　　20. spartan [?spɑ?(r)t(?)n] adj. 简朴的
　　21. engage with：参加，投入
　　22. Samuel Pepys：塞缪尔·佩皮斯(1633～1703)，17世纪英国作家、政治家、海军大臣，以散文和流传后世的日记而闻名。
　　23. on end：连续地
　　24. incarcerate [?n?kɑ?(r)s?re?t] vt. 把……关进监狱，监禁，幽闭
　　25. assiduously [??s?dj??sli] adv. 不停地，不懈地
　　26. cartographer [kɑ?(r)?t?ɡr?f?] n. 地图制作者，制图师
　　27. coalesce [?k????les] vi. 接合，联合
　　28. galvanize [?ɡ?lv?na?z] vt. 唤醒，刺激，激励
　　29. unpalatable [?n?p?l?t?b(?)l] adj. 味道差的
　　30. trade-off：交换，交易

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