Had lunch at Kim Long's today and as we were driving away I noticed a newly opened Internet cafe on the north side of 81st, east of Memorial, advertising free wireless Internet access. It's called Caffe Bona. I didn't stop in today, but will be interested to check it out at some point. It's hard to imagine an Internet coffee shop working as a place you reach by car -- perhaps they'll draw clientele from the apartment complex within walking distance.
With a name like Caffe Bona, I'm guessing the place is run by Julian and his friend Sandy, filling in between acting engagements.
(I'd be interested in knowing how many Tulsa readers have any idea what that last paragraph is all about.)
UPDATE: Since no one e-mailed to say, "I get it! Ha, ha!", I'll explain myself in the extended entry below.
Despite the wonder about a wireless internet cafe in a suburban context, I am thrilled that someone is opening such an establishment in Tulsa, and I wish them all the best. I really enjoyed the Internet cafe I frequented in Savannah, and I hope the idea spreads quickly to Midtown and Downtown.
Now to explain the obscure reference: Julian and Sandy were recurring characters on a late-1960s British radio comedy sketch show called "Round the Horne". Each week, in the "Trends" segment, Kenneth Horne would encounter these two in their latest trendy enterprise, which almost always had the word Bona in the title -- Bona Catering, Bona Pets, Ballet Bona -- bona being the word for good in a Romany-derived slang called "palare" (spelled variously), used extensively in these sketches. Sandy's standard greeting for Mr. Horne -- "How bona to vada your dolly old eek again!" -- translates to "How nice to see your lovely face again." So when I saw a sign that said "Caffe Bona", that was the first thing that came to my mind. One of these days, I'll troll in and have a vada.
Some British coworkers introduced me to "Round the Horne" about a year ago, and recordings of the show have enlivened some long drives and late night work sessions. Americans will recognize the name of one of the show's writers -- Marty Feldman, who went on to an acting career in the US. You can hear RTH and a lot of other British comedy on BBC7, a digital radio service also available on the Internet. RTH is on Wednesdays at 6:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Tulsa time.
