A teacher has described her acute embarrassment after a complete stranger approached her table in a West London café and handed her a brutally honest handwritten note, complaining that her conversation was too loud.
The awkward café encounter
Paulina, a 32-year-old teacher who grew up in Poland, was enjoying an Americano with a colleague at a small coffee shop in Hammersmith when the incident unfolded. An elderly woman walked up to their table, placed down a piece of paper, and simply said it was "for you" before departing.
The two-sided message, scrawled in green ink, left nothing to the imagination. It read: "Hi, I don't know if you are aware; your voice, volume of, has been overwhelming to us. We have been unable to have a conversation as we cannot hear each other. However, we have heard every word of your conversation – we now know the names of your cats."
The note concluded by stating the café was "a space for more than yourself" and that the writer and her companion had "unfortunately we have had to leave." It finished with the pointed remark: "Something to think about."
Mortification and reflection
"I was, of course, mortified, as everyone would be, I think. It's like a nightmare situation," Paulina admitted. Despite the initial shock, she has since found humour in the episode, particularly the line about her cats. "It's really funny, some people said it sounds like a threat – 'I know the name of your cats'," she added.
Reflecting on the setting, Paulina described the café as "very small – the size of the average living room in a semi-detached house." She believes she may have inadvertently slipped into her 'teacher voice', projecting more than a typical indoor volume. "I do reflect on myself as well," she stated, acknowledging that while the method was jarring, it is sometimes necessary to inform people if they are being disruptive.
The café owner was reportedly just as surprised as Paulina. "He seemed really shocked," she recalled. "He was working on his laptop and he said he didn't even hear us. It was very strange."
A balanced view of London life
Despite the uncomfortable experience, Paulina, who now lives in South East London and previously lived in Liverpool, was keen to stress that this single event has not coloured her view of the capital or its residents.
In fact, on the very same day, she experienced the city's famous kindness when a stranger helped her with the Tube map. "I've had so much positivity from this city," she said. "I really don't subscribe to the 'rude Londoner' experience, I think people are really, really lovely and we do feel welcome in the city."
The incident highlights the unspoken tensions and delicate social contracts of sharing small public spaces, where one person's lively chat can become another's unbearable noise.
