Welcome to the World’s First Online ‘Cultural Café‘!
The tradition of old-fashioned cafes was strong in many cities across the old continent, where people of different backgrounds and world views met and shared news, ideas and built a key part of our societies. It was something almost magical! Unfortunately these places are dying out and so is our capacity of speaking to people who don’t share our views without hiding behind a social media account.
Penny universities were coffee houses where everyone in society, no matter class or level of education, could listen to professors debate and take part in the conversation. Nowadays universities are not as elitist as the 1600’s yet not everyone goes to them and the language and places in which research is written and discussed make it difficult for many to gain an understanding without studying a degree in the topic.
Modern-day cafes have also changed a lot; free Wi-fi and charging stations have substituted newspapers and magazines which marks a change in atmosphere too. People in cafes tend to speak only to people they know either in the room or remotely via the internet.
If there was a way of turning this around?
What if a website could fulfil the role of an old-fashioned Cultural Café? What if the articles and debates could happen online and be accessible from computers and phones around the world?
Lost in a Cup aims to host conversations and debates on things that matter today in a modern, easily accessible format so that many people could access the content, comment it on the website and bring it to the conversation table with a good cup of coffee.
In future the aim is to collaborate with physical cafés and bring cultural debates into the local communities. Our role would be to help café owners create the right atmosphere and conditions to encourage such debates to take place and create specific events to encourage socialising and mutual cultural enrichment.
For now we are still testing out the concept of ‘cultural café’ and in the coming months we will hold a series of events in digital format. More information here.
Throughout this website you can read articles, comment them, share them with friends via social media and take part in a global exchange of ideas and comments on current debates. You find us on all the major social media channels and even on Spotify!
So go on, make yourself a cuppa tea or perhaps, even better, an espresso, grab a snack, sit back, read some articles and take part by commenting, sharing and if you like contributing with your perspective on the topic.
As we like to say, EspressøYourself!
Välkommen in!
/Alex
Founder of Lost in a Cup
The Vision in a Video – An Espresso Revolution
The Origin of The Name:
The name Lost in a Cup originates from the Italian saying perdersi in un bicchiere d’acqua, which means literally ‘to get lost in a cup of water’. People in Italy use this expression to describe when a person finds a situation more complicated than one normally would, or should. Many see this as a negative thing, however asking questions and doubting can also be very positive and this sort of analysis is what will characterise the articles you read on this website.
Over-thinking things and having the opportunity to look into a story from different angles is becoming a luxury as an often hectic lifestyle, lack of time and mental energy leeds us to live off headlines, photos, Tweets and hashtags turning-off the critical side.
This website will dedicate each month to a theme and explore it in detail with the goal of giving the reader different perspectives and welcoming comments and full-length contributions on the thematic.
The Language:
English, please! The aim is to make the discussions truly borderless and enrich them with comments from people of different backgrounds and countries of origin.