I Went for the Pretty Coffee Cup—And Left Thinking About Ukraine

I saw something pretty online—a coffee cup that had illustrations of London, shown through a small paper window. The sleeve twists around the coffee cup to reveal sights like Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral, and Covent Garden market.

So when I was in the neighbourhood on Wednesday for the M.C. Escher exhibit, I thought I’d pop by and get one. I filmed a little video and posted it to my Instagram:

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On TikTok, I was accused of AI (although I’m not sure if that comment was directed to me or to the artwork on the coffee cup). On Instagram, people thought it was cute. I had a nice time at the café, called Cream Dream, reading up on Ukrainian activism. The café provides a calm, pink-tinted atmosphere; it promises a place to “savour slow mornings” and enjoy Ukrainian dishes, and all their pastries and coffees are gluten-free and plant-based.

The thing is, I didn’t know about the Ukrainian angle until after I was already in the bakery. And although I enjoyed learning more about what was happening in Ukraine (there were newspapers and other reading materials available to patrons), I’m not sure that I would have put Cream Dream Bakery on my radar if not for the specialty coffee cup—which I’m weirdly kind of ashamed of.

I want to be someone who participates actively in the goings-on of the world, especially when it comes to pain and suffering. I don’t want to be someone who turns a blind eye to the harm that’s being caused to others; I don’t want to be fine with bad things happening, as long as they’re not happening to me.

I think a lot of people who travel regularly are plugged into this idea; that if we want to experience the places that communities have built up in places we don’t call home, learning and understanding about those cultures is key. Otherwise you end up in places where tourism does more harm than good.

But—and I think a lot of people have been feeling this acutely, recently—there’s so much bad stuff going on right now, to keep on top of everything sometimes feels irresponsible. The war in Iran, the war in Ukraine, Palestine/Israel…it all feels like so much. Add on top of that non-person-to-person conflict like that people can’t afford their groceries and the world is heating up more and more each year, and it’s enough to make anyone want to lie down for several hours. This kind of self-inflicted knowledge overdose isn’t healthy, especially if it leads to feelings of further helplessness.

So I think we choose our battles; choose the things that we know we can stay impactful on. At least, I know I do—try to set limits on how much I allow to consume about the horrors of the world before my mental health is impacted too deeply. And I know a lot of people do this—we donate to charities, volunteer with organisations who provide aid to war-torn regions, and keep hope in our hearts. But falling down a rabbit hole of despair you can’t get out of doesn’t help anyone.

Still, it was nice to spend some time at Cream Dream Bakery; have a coffee, eavesdrop on some friends catching up, and peruse the literature offered about the efforts in Ukraine. Am I a little embarrassed that the thing that got me through the door was a pretty coffee cup? Yes. But I’m glad I went, and if I’m a better person for knowing the goings-on in Ukraine, I’m glad it’s enticing people like me.