Heuristic. Reify. Ontological. Anti-hegemonic. Discourse. [UPDATED]

Words I heard in a casual conversation in the Divinity School's basement cafeteria this morning.

UPDATE: As Chavi rightly points out, it's really a coffee shop with a dingy nearby room to sit in. It's name is "Grounds of Being." Its slogan, proudly printed in Gothic lettering on t-shirts for sale with your latte, is "Where God Drinks Coffee."

The place is in the gloomy dungeon of Swift Hall. It features cheerful, briskly comptetent students working the counter, making espresso drinks, ringing up purchases of the vegan and vegetarian food that's sold there everyday and bantering with their friends and teachers.  One of the more artistic ones has drawn college basketball-style brackets on a chalk board next to the Espresso machine. The brackets feature gods, titans of religion or godlike individuals who go head-to-head in popularity contests. People vote for their favorite by depositing tips in labeled cups at the cash register (see photo below).

Each week features a different competition. Last week, Gandolf bested Dumbledore; before that Moses overwhelmed Chuck Norris; the Buddha is doing well this week against some demi-god, whose name I forget, but some votes get siphone off by the cup labeled "I'm offended". 

The place is cheerful and energetic in spite of its dungeon-like location and appearance (and because of its coffe, no doubt).

And, as you can see by the title of this post, it features some pretty heady conversation, too.

--T.A.

Comments

[Chavi]

In the coffee shop? Oh I miss that dank little shop :)

[Mom]

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose (sorry this hasn't got accents that I know how to use). I remember that coffee shop fondly--they didn't discriminater against you if you were staff (when I worked at the Press) or older student.
Pretty passable coffee and wonderful for the atmosphere of Greek-root conversations.

[david]

Chavi:

Yep-- that's the one. It's not really a "cafeteria," is it?

Mom:

Takes ya back, don't it?

[Mom]

Ahhh--doesn't it, though. I'm trying to remember the smell--there was the fragrance of coffee, of course, but something else--what was it? Brains working? Sweat? a passing rodent? Wet parkas in winter?