Each year, my German friend sends me a delightful advent calendar with thoughtful stories, beautiful poems, and other meaningful texts.For December 8, I find the following contributed by Iris Macke:
In an inconspicuous little bakery on a busy street in Hamburg, Germany, men in their 50s clench their fingers around a cup of coffees for warmth. It is not the promising kind of customers who would bring in the money. Nevertheless, they are welcome. Coffee, cake and bread hang on the hooks for them.
"Bread on Hooks" is the name of the program that makes this bakery so remarkable. Whenever a customer has some spare change, he or she pays for an additional cup of coffee, piece of cake or a loaf of bread to what he or she actually purchases. The baker then hangs a voucher on one of the hooks above the counter. A customer with little or no money can take a voucher from the hook and receives a hot beverage or bread at no charge.
This tradition originated in Naples, Italy. Here, it is custom that people drink a donated espresso in the coffee shops. In Hamburg, however, this custom seems to take time for taking roots. Although many vouchers hang from the hooks, the customers are hesitant to use them. Especially older people are shy to take a bread from the hook. Their poverty is embarrassing to them, says the baker.
However, many leave the little shop with a smile. Some like to give. To donate a cup of coffee does not hurt the wallet. And the recipients smile, too. Because somebody cares.
May we all find ways - subtle and not so subtle - to give and receive!
Here is a Christmas song I really like:
