Koyel - Week 5.

I think the idea of analyzing a coffee shop as a rhetoric made us realize how broad the subject of rhetoric actually is , and how we can actually find rhetoric in everything around us. The idea of it did make me feel like I was going to learn something new , which excited me . Though it was sort of time consuming for me to find Java House because I had never been there before , neither did I really know the directions. The only thing I knew was that it was somewhere in Iowa Avenue. Thankfully a student helped me to locate it . I was assigned to jot down points regarding the coffee menu and the items being sold along with it. It was really enjoyable and time consuming at the same time . I had to walk around the entire counter area continuously and jot down every detail as if I am some journalist , minus the talking. It wasn't hard at all to jot every single thing down , since I have a habit to overwrite a lot. That's what happens when you come from  an Indian school , I guess. In every lecture , the professor rambles like there's no tomorrow at the speed of racing cars , and you are expected to note every single word and concept down . Regardless,  of how fast and inconsistently the teacher is speaking . If one point is  not jotted down due to the teacher's speed and convenient transference within different topics , and it lands on an exam paper - that's totally your fault. So , it was no surprise that I had three pages of jotted points for one coffee counter. The problem is when you have to use your voice and say your points out loud in front of people. That is just scary. At least , for me it is. The thing I learned and discovered in Java House were from  various aspects. As I spotted the mugs being displayed right beside the cashier counter, I realized its two elements of being a tool.  It not only fits but enhances the mood and feel of the place being most definitely , and makes it a cozy coffee shop. It also was a catalyst  in trying to lure in  costumers , and influence them  to order what they want right away . Because ,  it produces the instinct of getting coffee, right after seeing them in display. There is a reason why they were located right beside the cashier counter when you are placing your order - it isn't a coincidence , it is a luring trap to get costumers rattled in thinking what sort of coffee or tea they want , immediately. If it weren't for Java House being a prospect of an assignment , I would have never been able to look at things in that perspective within normal circumstances. In fact , I wouldn't even realize that the location of where everything is has a reason for why they are there. It also made me realize the uniqueness of Java house through various small elements draped around the counter area. The placement of bananas with stashes of chocolate beside it is something I haven't seen yet in any coffee shop . It gave one the feeling of home , where stashes of bananas are usually placed in our kitchen counter in front of  us , while we are sipping coffee. These food items placed in front of the counter acted as a tool in reminding us of how we have coffee at home. Java House, basically was trying to make costumers feel like this is a piece of our own homes thrown into the outside world of a city. Also , while ordering the menu , the Java House employees always offer costumers a coffee cup voluntarily . Offering a coffee mug  , like the ones we usually have at home , becomes a symbol of wanting the costumers to stay longer and making it feel like we are at home in our own living room , sipping coffee. Rather , than at a cafe , within the city. Another unique element I spotted was the lemonade container at display where one does not need to order it , and actually has the power to pour themselves as much as lemonade they want. It isn't something I have seen before and wouldn't have even noticed its uniqueness if Java House wouldn't be given to us as an assignment. Another very striking and different aspect I found in Java House was a brew bar . Before coming to Java House , I had never heard of a brew bar . It was explained to me there what a brew bar is . It is a brewing system where you have the power to actually make your own coffee and see from the counter that how it is being done and if you specifically would want it to be like that or in any other way. Famous coffee shops like Starbucks don't have this , and yet Java House does. It introduced me to something new , which I was not aware of. The most important thing , however , of what I discovered during our coffee shop assignment in Java House , was culture. I had asked one of the Java House employees to tell me about the variety of tea in their menu. Surprise , surprise - they had Masala Chai . Masala Chai is the  most common Indian tea , that Indians universally have in their country or in other countries , which had surprised me to find it here as an Indian myself. This added up to the broadening of Java House's cultural context , that is adorned with rich American cultural heritage as well , as we see portraits of Lincoln and Einstein draped  across the earthy wallpapers. The mixing of ancient American culture with new cultures of coffee and tea added to the mix , produces the audience Java House demands for ,  to be global.

These were few of the things on my list which made me realize how every small thing in daily life around us has a meaning and reason to why they are there. The smallest of smallest things around us are more than just objects- not only do they have meaning , but they have purpose. Just like us humans. This is what this coffee shop assignment in Rhetoric taught me.