A cup remembered for forty years
There is a Turkish saying: “A cup of coffee is remembered for forty years.” On 1 and 6 October, around International Coffee Day and the International Day of Older Persons, Društvo Medkulturni Dialog brought that cup to older residents in care. We will be remembering those visits for a long time too.
Our elders are the memory of our communities. They have lived through changes most of us know only from books. They raised families, built neighbourhoods and kept traditions alive. Valuing them is not a kindness we do for them. It is recognition of what we owe them, and of how much we still have to learn from them.
In the culture our coffee comes from, the eldest at the table is served first. That is the spirit in which we came: with Turkish coffee, prepared in copper pots over hot sand, and Noah’s pudding (aşure), a dish cooked in large pots precisely so that it can be shared. A short presentation told the story behind it, and after that it was time to talk.
Intercultural dialogue is not only a conversation between cultures, but also between generations. Every older person carries a story worth hearing, and every shared table is a chance to hear it.
Valuing our elders is not a kindness we do for them. It is recognition of what we owe them.
Thank you to the residents for welcoming us as their guests, to the staff for their hospitality and the care they give every day, and to our team and volunteers. We look forward to sitting at your table again.
Moments from our visits
To the cups that are remembered for forty years.
