Coffee anyone?

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is waking up at the break of dawn to soak in the serenity of the morning. Yes, I am a morning person whose natural circadian cycle awakens me like clockwork.

The dogs go on their morning walk around 6:30 am. It's still too early for daycare to be open so no school buses or rowdy children. Only food carts selling dry and tasteless bagels, stale croissants, and instant coffee. This is a happy time.

His name is Ahmet, my coffee guy. He sets up his food cart daily at 3 am to serve the early morning commuters. Regular customers coming out of the subway station head straight to his cart for a pastry and coffee with milk and sugar. Total? Less than $5.

The first time I met him was during the pandemic. His cart was one of the few to open again in the neighborhood. I ordered a cup of coffee with milk and one sugar which was the only thing I found palatable. Most food carts have long lines so they avoid friendly chit-chats with anyone. But this guy greeted me with a genuine smile. After almost 18 months of being landlocked in my neighborhood, talking to people in person felt normal again. While food costs continue to increase in the city, Ahmet decided to keep his prices unchanged. I bought a cup of coffee with cream and one sugar for $1.25.

The next day, I decided to come back. To my surprise, he remembered how I my coffee. The bonus was his unexpected dry sense of humor. At a time when everyone has geopolitical, social, economic, and financial fatigue, his refreshing personality perked me up in the morning. He told me he used to have a halal food cart in midtown but the long hours of cooking took a toll on his body. So although he doesn't make as much selling pastries and coffee, he enjoys the interaction with his customers many of whom are blue-collar workers in their neighborhood. He's seen a lot change in the city in 40 years, yet he still has a cheerful and comical personality. He is as calm, cool, and collected unfazed by the twists and turns of life. Approachable guy with a genuine interest interspersed with humor. He is multi-lingual - Spanish, Arabic, and English - which adds to his personalized service. On Fridays and Saturdays, he fishes for trout and striped bass. That's so zen, I thought.

When I asked him if I can take his picture for an article, he obliged immediately. In fact, he wanted a few different poses. His infectious positive outlook makes me look forward to picking up after my dogs at 6:30 am every day.

P.S Ahmet's food cart is on the northwest corner of West Broadway and Warren streets. He is there until 2 pm every day.

P.S.S He corrected me saying he doesn't sell Folgers. He uses Kirkland coffee which is supposedly the generic beans from Starbucks.