THE CAFE SOCIETY

What does it mean to belong to the Café Society? It means you sit up straight. You speak at a civilized volume. You never place your arms on the table. You arrive with a book, an idea, or simply the willingness to be present - and you let the morning come to you. The Café Society: A Portrait in Five Acts is Edward A. Samuelson's love letter to the international café - written from the table of a man who has been a devoted and card-carrying member for most of his life. Structured as five acts, the book moves through five cities across two countries: Chapala, Jalisco, México - the definitive home, where D.
H. Lawrence once wrote by morning light and Tennessee Williams drafted what became A Streetcar Named Desire; Guadalajara - the cosmopolitan anchor, with its French-influenced boulevards, jacaranda plazas, and the incomparable Café Boutique at the Teatro Degollado; New York City - the urban proving ground, where café society was born glittering and seen; Seattle - where coffee became a serious art form; and Portland, Oregon - Samuelson's hometown, one of the finest café cities in North America. Along the way, you will meet the characters who made the Mexican lakeside legendary: the literary pioneers of the 1920s-1940s, the golden age artists of the Ajijic colony, the muralists and surrealists whose energy still hums through the walls. And you will find edd himself - at a corner table, espresso sencillo in hand, glass of cold water alongside - practicing what he preaches: the slow, irreplaceable ritual of showing up, sitting down, and letting the world come to you. About the author: Edward A.
Samuelson MA, DD is an artist, healer, and life guide living in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico. He has been a regular at La Cafetería Pastería América since 2006. The espresso is excellent. He is always there. The table is waiting.