It was 9PM when I browsed my grabfood app and spotted a familiar logo. This logo is recognizable enough if you are in crypto. It piqued my interest because it was the first time I found a place with such a logo. Unfortunately, it was not a bitcoin logo rather doge, a coin that took off and suddenly became famous after Elon musk tweeted it. I told some of my friends that I wanted to check out the place the next day. My first initial question was “ why doge?”
Crypto themed cafes aren't anything new. In some parts of the world, there are some cafes with this theme and some also focus on educating people about cryptocurrency and blockchain. So, that was also the question I had in mind, “ Are they educating people about cryptocurrency?”
So, yesterday after working from the co-working space, I visited the cafe. It was located just behind the heart of Yogyakarta and also a famous tourist hub Malioboro. Its exact location is only 20 minutes away from the train station.
After arriving, there were some guys and plenty of cigarettes lying around on the table. It was a mixture of industrial vintage themed with dark colors. One can tell that the cafe is rather new as it seems some of it is still under construction. It was not the kind of cafe where one would be taking selfies, rather a place where one can drink something, smoke cigarettes, and talk.
I walked to the counter right away and screened through the menu. Since I had coffee earlier, I decided to just get red velvet. I am not one to socialize much but when I am curious about something or bored, I would muster up my courage to talk.
“ Why is it named Dogee?” I asked the guy who made the red velvet.
“ Oh, it’s just cause we are investing in cryptocurrency and doge”
Then I paid for the drink and sat while enjoying the red velvet. I was still not satisfied with the answer, so I came up to the guy and asked one more time, “ where do you normally trade?”
“ Binance and toko crypto”
“ So, are you trading then?” he added.
“ Yeah”
“ Oh wait, let me get the owner” and he walked up to the owner that accompanied me in that cafe for about 2 hours.
You know, when you meet someone who is also interested in cryptocurrency offline is just a different experience, especially in a country like mine where these talks are often in the news, online and not much around in normal conversation. There I was, meeting with a guy called Indra(AFAIK), one of the owners of the cafe.
He started trading in cryptocurrency just last year despite having heard about it a long time ago. He invested in doge coin and so are his friends which was his inspiration to make this crypto themed cafe. Indra wanted the cafe to be a space where people could talk openly and freely about cryptocurrency and sharing information. But as he told me, the place that is only 7 days, will likely turn into a bar.
During our first conversation, we talked about cryptocurrency, decentralization of the internet and NTFS. We were also discussing exchanges and the differences. It was a nice exchange of information as I also learned from him about stock investing which is something that I am currently interested in exploring. For someone who is slightly younger than me, he was bold to take risks.
“I appreciate it if someone is criticizing my cafe. It will be better for me, '' he said. I was beamed with excitement because I could share what I experienced from visiting many cafes in town and outside town. I respectfully told him what I think about the cafe vibe and would agree that it can be a mix of a cafe and a bar. He told me that the upstairs is better and more comfortable to work from and also has a chill vibe than the downstairs. I was too tired to check upstairs so I just nodded to it. I would love to go back again when I am around this area because it’s quite far and in different parts of town than where I normally hangout. And while we’re having the chat, I was also enjoying the red velvet which is something that I am about to review
Many cafes serve red velvet as their selection of non-coffee menu. Unfortunately, not all of them are good and for a recently opened cafe, their red velvet was good. I wasn’t expecting that it would be that good but it was. I was quite impressed with the taste of the red velvet. Since I was not ordering a takeaway, I didn’t get their cup which has a doge logo on it. Would I really recommend this place? I probably would but maybe after this place is a bit established. Because right now, it seems like it’s undergoing construction and still new. I am honestly excited to know which direction this cafe would choose. Will it be either a cafe and bar or just a cafe with cryptocurrency themed where people could get to know cryptocurrency and discuss it openly? either way, I am still excited about it.
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| Mac is a jack of all trades. A typical introvert in love with literature, books, technology and philosophy. She is also so into nootropics, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than that, she is passionate about cooking and traveling. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. If you like her content, don't hesitate to upvote, leave a comment or a feedback. A re-blog is also appreciated. |
