A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of - Etheses - Queen Margaret ...

experienced by Donald as he waited to meet me at Chalk Farm tube station the previous
evening.
It is worth noting, however, that the decision to go to the Salvation Army cafe was made not
because this was somewhere Mary and Donald especially fancied, but for access reasons. In
other words, it looked more accessible than the other nearby cafe we considered. Mary
remarked:
220
...by choice, I probably wouldn‟t have chosen to give my money to the Salvation
Army... however… I … they have £1.80 which they earned because… they looked a
bit more accessible than the… more upmarket café down the road … (l.3:871ff.)
She described what is often experienced as the ordeal involved in going to places where a
cup of decent coffee rather than a cup of instant is guaranteed:
...it‟s barrier stuff, isn‟t it... depending on the staff attitudes... how helpful they are...
depending on the boards and how they‟re written... where they‟re placed, you
know... these kind of things... how busy it is, getting the stuff back to the table, you
know… these kind of things which I think needn‟t be a problem but usually are...
(l.3:257ff.)
On this occasion they settled for the Salvation Army cafe:
this is comparatively less stressful
costa and starbucks are dreadful
they do nice coffee which I like
but it‟s a very stressful experience
we chose the Salvation Army because it‟s quieter
(l.3:15ff.)
Discussing the scene after Donald had left, Mary recalled of the interaction with the
volunteer serving in the cafe:
The guy was okay … you know... but, erm … … I don‟t know what he would have
been like if it had have been busier … I don‟t know … but he was all right... but he
didn‟t… he wasn‟t required to do anything, except serve us... I don‟t have to ask him