 Believe
it or not, there was life before Starbucks. And what a glorious,
caffeinated, academically enriching life it was. This
oasis of lattes and cappuccinos was smack dab in the middle of
campus, hidden among eucalyptus, just southeast of “The
Hump.”
I am talking about the Grove Caffe, where I spent much of my undergraduate
years at UCSD. Whether I was working, slinging shots of hot espresso
out the small service window, studying at one of the tables, or
doing what is done best in a campus café—having long
drawn out philosophical conversations about saving the world—I
was soaking up the smell of coffee. 
That little wooden hut had a funky, hip feel, where traditions
like wearing strange hats flourished in protest against the health
code requiring servers to cover their heads. I was particularly
partial to the two-foot-tall, Dr. Seuss-inspired hats made of papier
mâché. The Grove was home to anyone and everyone and
offered cheap drinks and snacks to budget-conscious students, no
matter their tastes, majors or social circle.
My
co-workers and I got pretty good at predicting a customer’s
order, be it faculty member, UCSD staff or student. After serving
literally thousands of cups of caffeine, we could spot the scruffy
surf rat who had just finished his morning “radical surf
session at Black’s”—that would be a hot chocolate
and cheese Danish. Or the three sorority sisters, clad in matching
Greek-lettered sweatshirts, taking a break from studying at S&E
library, around the corner. Yup, that one would be three large
mochas, extra whip cream and three apple crisps. And then my favorite
customers, the eccentric foreign-accented faculty members with
their refined tastes. They were
definitely double espressos or two Earl Grey tea bags per cup.  Not only did I get good at predicting orders, I would often see
regular customers at the back of the line and have their drinks
ready before they arrived. And, to this day, 15-plus years later,
now a UCSD staff member, I sometimes walk into a meeting, see a
faculty member or former grad student, and recall, “Oh, yeah,
that will be a double macchiato and a scone, right?” And speaking of scones, if you worked at the Grove, the deal was
good—one drink and pastry per shift. So, with a double hammerhead
mocha and a scone, you could last all day. And, if a scone happened
to break on a shift, well, that was dinner. I’ll never forget
a particularly lean summer where
I survived on broken scones for six days a week. I have never been
able to look at those dough balls the same way since! I have tried to keep tabs on some of my coffee compatriots but
I wish I knew where more of you were, so drop me line. Maybe we
could catch up over a cup ’o Joe—but, definitely the
type that is brewed in a funky spot designed to bring out the best
in radical discussions about saving the world. Or maybe today it
might be about the best tips for childcare, pre-schools and life
insurance. But, hey, isn’t that kinda related to saving the
world?  Do you have a memory or a story about UCSD? This space could be
yours. Write to the editor at alumnieditor@ucsd.edu
—Annamarie Bezzerides, ’91, is senior director
of regional development at UCSD. |
