Eat it, deal with it

Tom wished for the clock's hands to turn backward. He was thinking of a scene from "Before Sunrise", where Jesse and Céline imagined themselves in a phone conversation. I looked away, as I knew where this would be heading. My housemate had an affair last term, which ended before Easter. Maybe he would move on before the holiday was over. Felix insisted on visiting Vienna during the weekend. And he suggested the Viennese coffee house. Two waitresses stood on both sides of the tables, which was filled with pastries. A tempting sight, but I was hesitant after looking at the stoic expression of the women. I tried to psychoanalyze them.

I read Elfriede Jelinek's "The Piano Teacher" last fall, which was part of the reading list (in Women and Writing). Erika Kohut terrified me, but I could understand her struggles. She was a prodigy, who was taught to be a perfectionist. Anything less would be unacceptable. It had a cataclysmic effect on her relationship with her mother and younger lover. Jelinek seemed to bring out her inner Freud. Still water would run deep, but it was an understatement in Jelinek's disturbing novel. I wondered if the waitresses have trivial problems that they were unable to resolve right away, and they would conceal it during working hours. Then again, the stoicism might allude to Monday blues.

Felix saw what I was doing, and I couldn't help but share my views. He was queasy about it, as he was reminded about Michael Haneke. He studied the works of the Australian filmmaker, who don't have a prolific career. But viewers were stunned. A summer holiday turned into a nightmare for a bourgeois family after a trio of youngsters played nasty tricks on them. The origin of antisemitism in a sleepy (German) town. And an advertisement on euthanasia disguising as a touching love story. It would have been outrageous, but I might be offending the customers of the coffee shop.

Austria had a storied past, but the tumultuous events would have left a scar on the inhabitants. The House of Habsburg was one of the most influential royal houses in Europe. It sided with the Axis powers, which spelled its doom. Vienna was one of the most vibrant capitals during the 19th century, and the inhabitants could have foreseen the troubled times ahead. It would reflect on the artworks.

And our order was about to be served

Tom suggested a lighter topic, as we traveled to forget the coursework. The Euros could have been a good start until Felix reminded him of the home team's failure to advance to the knockout round. Our visit to Schönbrunn Palace lasted longer than we planned, which affected our itinerary for the next day. I would love to spend more time at the Belvedere.

Felix was right about the coffee house. I could imagine authors spending hours in this establishment, reading and writing (or writing and reading). They could meet here and talk about anything under the sun, but it would seem mild for the likes of them. As for the regular patrons, they could read for hours. They would write a letter occasionally. In our case, we needed a break.

The experience would be incomplete without trying the pastries. I did order a slice of chocolate cake, and I could see it coming.