Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

The latest coffee shop trend, Anti-Cafés, has greatly peaked my interest, but I am afraid I will not get to experience it while living in China. 

I spent a lot of time searching for an Anti-Café after hearing my friends in the US rave about being able to walk into an immaculately decorated space and enjoy all you can drink coffee, tea, and dainty pastries without paying for each sip and bite.

At first, I didn't understand what my girlfriends were talking about when they mentioned spending their Sunday in an Anti-Café. They told me it was a new trend that was moving through countries around the world. They explained that the concept behind it is that the café is not your typical coffee and pastry shop where you pay as you go, but rather a place where one is meant to sit and enjoy your surroundings. The drinks and snacks are unlimited, and patrons are charged based on the amount of time they spend enjoying the Anti-Café.

I didn't understand why no young entrepreneur in Beijing seemed to be trying this trend. Breweries and other trendy restaurants seem to be popping up all over Beijing, so why not the Anti-Café?

I spent my Sunday in Beijing doing the next best thing, taking a trip to IKEA. I love going to IKEA for their coffee. The unlimited coffee refills and great Western food keep me daydreaming most of the morning.

Suddenly I understood why I had not seen an Anti-Café in Beijing.

As I looked around IKEA, I saw the foreigners I expected to see but was surprised to see tons of Chinese customers. I noticed a trend too, several of the Chinese customers seemed to have purchased only one cup of coffee and settled in for an entire morning of relaxation.

I saw one lady who looked like she had been sitting for hours enjoying the free drink refills as she knitted an entire sweater. I also noticed another lady who had purchased a drink but brought several of her own snacks in her purse.

I began to see that the Anti-Café idea, where a customer pays for the amount of time they spend, rather than the drinks and food they consume, may be too expensive to work in Beijing because several people looked as if they planned to spend the entire day in IKEA after only purchasing one drink. If they were charged based on time, their bill for the day's entertainment would be far higher in an Anti-Café.

I do not think Chinese culture will support the Anti-Café trend popping up around the world. I guess I will have to wait to experience these cafés on my next trip abroad. For now, I will tell my girlfriends back home about my experiences in China's Cool Cat Café or the Hello Kitty Café.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.