loaf [lohf]
to idle away time; to lounge or saunter lazily and idly; a portion of bread or cake baked in a mass, usually oblong with a rounded top (haha)
Synonyms include: to be inactive, be slothful, be unoccupied, dillydally, evade, fool around, hang out, loiter, lounge, pass time, relax

Riann’s favorite past time is an activity she fondly calls, “loafing.” Whenever she has ANY TIME whatsoever where she doesn’t have to work or run errands, she “loafs around,” often pulling a fellow malingerer to join her. Living 4 minutes away, I find myself a part of her spontaneous loafing excursions.

Loafing doesn’t involve a lot of planning or thinking. In fact, it calls for more randomness than anything. When I’m driving home from work, Riann will call or I’ll call her and next thing you know, we’re either at the mall or at this SurfCity/Jamba Juice-like place that opened recently in Glendale called “Maui Wowie.” After spending one evening there, sipping on one of many coffee and fruity drinks, we realized that we had found our new favorite hangout.

One Tuesday night, however, we decided to to check out this place in Fullerton called 419 Veronese Gallery and Cafe, highly recommended by Chef Seong, who was there to loaf along. What a welcome treat that evening was. The cafe itself is not your typical Starbucks or Coffee Bean, whose walls are often laden with shelves of packed coffee beans, tea bags and travelmugs with the notable insignias etched on them. This cafe was different. In the simplest description that I could give - it feels like someone's house.

Before Riann and I walked through the front door, we were welcomed by a quick set of steps, which leads to a porch furnished with a wooden park bench and table. The red front door opens up into a living area of armchairs, small coffee tables, books, art and...is that Whitney Houston playing in the speaker? Hahaha! The soundtrack all night was an eclectic blend of KOST 103.5 classics, from Toni Braxton, to Jewel, to BSB (YUCK!!!) to Joe's favorite, Lionel Richie.

We walked around the property as we waited for Seong to arrive and we were, what's the word?...Delighted. No two sets of tables and chairs look alike and each piece of furniture is strategically placed in a part of the house and garden that it was supposed to. A deck surrounds the cafe, and we found ourselves sitting at a table on the corner of this deck, sipping our tea and mango slush, snacking on tiramisu and chatting about everything, from Valentine's Day disasters to musical artists no one would ever suspect we'd be fans of.

We couldn't leave without taking pictures so here we are taking in the eclectic environment around us. Right next to our table was a shelf of books and... weights? Hahaha! Riann picked up the 5 lb'ers whilst I decided to take in this book...written in Korean or Japanese.

The place wasn't crowded so it was a relatively peaceful evening, except, of course, for the laughter you can't avoid when you're in good company. (Pictures taken by S.H. Good job, Chef!)