Day 32. Dream a little European dream.

there is a place where i can go if i am homesick for sweden. well, perhaps not sweden specifically, but at least something that’s a little bit european.

that’s right. in the middle of downtown asheville, on broadway street/biltmore avenue, lies a tiny, little european-style cafe. owned and run by a hungarian woman, the cafe specializes in hungarian pastries, along with other bakery favorites. and, of course, coffee. the lady who owns the cafe also bakes from recipes that her grandmother taught her back in the simple, little town in hungary where she grew up.

melinda, the chef & owner, moved to the states in the early 90s and began following a bakery and restaurant path that led her to this place about three years ago. she sounds like an amazing woman, a fighter, a female entrepreneur, and someone who chased the american dream… and found it. i didn’t have a chance to speak with her, but i simply must. she sounds intriguing and inspiring.

on any given day, when i walk past the cafe, i inevitably see people sipping lattes and espressos outside at one of the sidewalk tables. i peeked inside all of those times that i have passed by, but never gone in. and then, i finally did.

i went in and immediately ordered a regular coffee and no pastry, even though i was extremely tempted. however, i was meeting someone there… someone i didn’t know, who wanted to chat with me about what it was like living in sweden. so, i didn’t quite feel like having some yummy, gooey mess all over my face as we chatted. hehe. the guy i met found my blog, or heard about me, or something, and just wanted to pose some questions to me about my experiences in sweden. from what i gathered, he’s toying with the idea of making a big move in his life at some point perhaps. and he’s just weighing his options. so, we met at old europe to talk about, what else? europe!

the cafe is a fairly small cafe. but, it’s cozy small. the perfect size. only a couple of tiny two person tables flank the warm orange, washed walls where the counter is. but, then, there are also two small openings to another little section, only as wide as a hallway and only large enough to fit 3-4 two person tables down the “hallway”. one of those tables, the one towards the front of the cafe, sits beside the window. and, oh my gosh, it looks cozy. it was occupied when i was there, so i gotta time it right and go back when i can grab that spot.

i don’t know if the chef, the lady, uses organic anything. i don’t know if it’s local or not. i don’t know if she focuses on fair trade or all of the other things that many of her fellow cafe owners in asheville focus on. and while all those things are important, what is also important is the love that someone pours into a place. old europe certainly isn’t decorated with the hip, industrial, funky designs that most cafes are using in asheville. it’s not a warehouse-turned-cafe. no, this cafe evokes simplicity, warmth, and a sense of deep caring with a personal touch. it’s as if the walls ooze with the journey the owner has taken in order to reach this point in her life. it’s easy to feel the pride and joy she must have because she followed her dream – something that i am quite familiar with (in my own way) right now.

we all have our own dreams, don’t we? just like the guy i met for fika – who is beginning to wonder and discover his dreams for a different kind of life. what better way to ponder our dreams and plan how to make our dreams a reality than by grabbing a cup of coffee and a delicious pastry (i should have gotten a pastry, dang it.), sitting down, and just dreaming away. you see, fika, really is a spiritual discipline. or, it can be. it’s a chance to meet someone new. a chance to talk about dreams. a chance to reach out to another, or to just reach into yourself.

after 31 fika days, i needed a little european cafe to remind me of the simplicity and purpose of fika. it’s not some hip or cool new fad. it simply is. it isn’t some new starbucks-y campaign to draw in more people and entice them with cool furniture, designs, and coffees. fika is a swedish tradition, handed down through the years, just like the recipes for the pastries at old europe. and taking time for fika has survived all of the busy-ness that 21st century life throws at swedes. surely we can add something that is positive to our lives, right?

fika is something that’s real. it’s a real part of a real culture. a healthy and amazing part of the swedish culture, in my opinion. and it is an honor for me to be spending my days bringing the idea of fika to the city and people of asheville. not that we will ever do it the same here, as swedes do it in sweden. but, we can fika with the same intent. we can share in the same values of good coffee and good company, or by taking time every single day to let ourselves be and breathe, just a little more than usual. i promise that it makes a difference.

you know, we all need a little time to do like the europeans. we all need a little down-time. we all need a coffee and a pastry and a friend. we all need a little fika.

namaste. /liz

old europe . 13 broadway street . asheville, nc . 28801 . www.oldeuropepastries.com