Culture in Two Cups

“ Look, that was no fight of the century. Somebody’s surely Php XXXX richer today. Tough luck”.

I couldn’t care less. I wasn’t very much into boxing - well, not while I was on official duty during the whole duration of the match. But surely, I was more into quietly observing how people discussed with gusto about boxing, and politics, and businesses, and healthy lifestyles - imaginary or real - , and who knows what, over sips of the brew Madge’s faithfully offers. This coffee shop has been a second home for everyone who would want to just throw their guards off, and bask the time away before the grueling Monday begins.

My trips to Iloilo are almost always redeemed by paying homage to one of the most enduring meccas for morning rituals. I often stay within walking distance from the La Paz Central Market for a cup or two of that good old morning brew and more . I take a brisk morning walk to what I call a time machine disguised as a three-block coffee shop.

Madge’s Coffee House is currently managed by Peter De la Cruz, of the third generation of the de la Cruz family who ran the business since the 1950s. It is all that one expects for a coffee shop located at the heart of the market. Brimming with folks from all walks, discussing topics from worlds both living and dead. I’m no coffee connoisseur, though I’d describe this Panay brew as rich tasting without being heavy on the stomach. The aroma is perfect recalling the commonly enjoyed brew passed through a kolador/colador (a makeshift pour over filter usually of cheese cloth ). For those opting for the creamed variant, it comes with evaporated milk.

I always go for the black brew (yes, no milk and sugar) , and with an hour and half to spend, I took the chance to capture the whole vibrant mix of aroma, elements and chitchat. Breakfast is perfect - pan de ciosa with poached egg sunny side up. By far, this is closest to how I think the bread should be made: A bit of crunch on the crust - just enough to hear the crack without hurting your gums - yet with a slight fluff in the body. Call me anything, but I see no difference with what regular Singapore hawker breakfasts have to offer.

Armed with five senses and a phone cam, I immerse in two cups worth of cultural dynamism. Memorabilia (pictures developed from film rolls), art (paintings),  contemporary hymnals discreetly flowing through the speakers, politics, ingenuity (a chandelier recycled from the accumulated empty milk cans) and a working man’s menu may seem a mismatch in the today’s marketing world - but work, it does - perfectly. Old news paper clippings featuring this coffee house in different angles, aged wooden frames and mesh screens conjuring images of the tiangge and the houses most of us grew in, various mugs displayed on shelves, the trusty old glass display shelf - all add up to the vibe,  taking me back to old homes and massive school buildings in art deco fashion. The mixed elements mysteriously work the same way Eddie Van Halen’s “Frankenstrat” or Brian May’s “Red Special” (for the uninitiated, these are DIY guitars which propelled the careers of the mentioned artists ). So does Madge’s magic brews.

Chandelier from used milk cans. Coolness

Perhaps it may pay to remember that great products + great service + gall + resonance are the essentials to survive in this current jungle of hype and marketing strategies. Printed cups and holders, gluta-toned endorsers, endless options and variants, posh interior design may always catch attention. Yet, in 2015,  attention spans are reducing by the alarming millisecond. Thankfully, Madge’s lingering brew never fails to take off where attentions begin to wane.