by Xinhua writer Yin Ke
KUWAIT CITY, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- At 9 p.m., when many cities are winding down for the night, Kuwait City is only beginning to come alive. Coffee shops are filled with customers, and some are willing to drive for an hour to reach their favorite spot.
"If I don't go to a coffee shop tonight, I somehow feel the day isn't really over," said Jarrah Al-Qazza, who lives in Kuwait.
Across the Gulf country, coffee shops have become more than places to grab a drink. From university students to retirees, people come here to meet friends, work, study, or simply spend time on their own, turning a cup of coffee into their "admission ticket" to a "third space" beyond home and the workplace.
Behind the trend lies a shift in Kuwaiti social life, as the country's traditional extended-family model and long-established social structures meet a growing desire for more individualized space.
QUEST FOR SPACE
Family has long been the core social unit in Kuwait, where the extended-family model remains deeply rooted. It is still common for parents, children, and married siblings to live together under one roof.
Modern life, however, has created new demands on domestic space, including remote work and online learning. Coffee shops have emerged as a natural alternative outside the home.
Mohammad Alwahaib, a professor of philosophy at Kuwait University, said young Kuwaitis' attachment to family has not weakened, while modern lifestyles have created new spatial needs. As higher education, knowledge-based work and digital working practices expand, more young people want a place outside the home where they can think, study and work.
Today, more Kuwaitis are chatting, working on laptops, reading, or just sitting by the window at cafes across the country.
An office worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that instead of going straight home after work, she usually spends an hour or two at a coffee shop, sorting through one day's work, reading, or having some me time.
"Only in a coffee shop can I stop playing any particular role and just be myself," she said.
A young internet entrepreneur, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said he regularly goes to a coffee shop in the evening to continue working. "There's Wi-Fi, there are power outlets, and nobody bothers me," he said.
Many coffee shops have adapted to such demand, offering Wi-Fi, ample power outlets, large tables, and comfortable surroundings for longer stays. Some have even created "quiet zones."
Meanwhile, coffee shops have been springing up across Kuwait, with homegrown brands proliferating alongside international chains.
Locals joke that if you plant a seed in Kuwait, it is more likely to grow into a coffee shop than a tree.
CHANGING SOCIAL VENUE
If family is the basic unit of Kuwaiti society, the diwaniya is an important bridge between family and society and a key to understanding social life in the Gulf.
The term originally referred to a relatively separate reception room in a Kuwaiti home and later came to encompass the social gatherings held there, a tradition dating back hundreds of years.
Diwaniyas generally fall into two categories: family and public. Family diwaniyas bring relatives together regularly to maintain family ties. Public diwaniyas are generally open in the evening and welcome guests regardless of their social status or whether they know the host.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Kuwait had fewer than 20 public diwaniyas. Today, there are thousands. People gather there to drink tea, exchange news, discuss business, and deal with family matters, giving the diwaniya a reputation as a kind of "people's parliament."
Yet this traditional social space is evolving.
Young Kuwaitis still attend family diwaniyas during festivals and special occasions, but for everyday meetings with friends, classmates and colleagues, many are turning to coffee shops. There, they face fewer constraints related to family identity or seniority. For around 3 Kuwaiti dinars (about 10 U.S. dollars), they can spend several hours as they please.
Moreover, while traditional diwaniyas have long been predominantly male spaces, coffee shops have become an important part of everyday social life for women, offering a more open and accessible public space.
Coffee shops have not replaced the diwaniya. Instead, the two are developing a new division of functions. The diwaniya continues to serve family ties, traditional social interaction and discussions of family and public affairs, while coffee shops increasingly accommodate everyday leisure, work meetings, interaction across social circles and individual self-expression.
Their coexistence reflects the changing social landscape of Gulf societies, where tradition and modernity continue to coexist.
THIRD SPACE IN THE MAKING
Coffee shops offer a useful window into social change in Kuwait as transformations unfold in everyday settings.
One is a shift in consumer culture. Kuwait has become a vibrant market for specialty coffee, with coffee shops providing local entrepreneurs a platform to showcase their design concepts, brand identities and products. The trend points to a growing interest in the cultural and emotional value behind consumption, rather than simply purchasing power.
Another is the reshaping of public life.
A psychology student at Kuwait University who identified herself as Sarah said people need both solitude and a sense of others around them.
"In a coffee shop, you can read, work, or sit there doing nothing," she said. "You can maintain your sense of independence while still feeling that you are part of public life."
Coffee shops are also becoming spaces for cultural exchange.
Nasser, a young Kuwaiti who asked his full name not be mentioned, first encountered Chinese Pu'er tea while studying abroad and later traveled to China several times to learn about its cultivation, production and appreciation.
After returning to Kuwait, he chose not to open a traditional Chinese-style teahouse, but instead introduced Chinese tea into local coffee shops.
"What really attracts young people is not just Chinese tea itself, but the fact that it can also become part of modern urban life," Nasser told Xinhua. "Tea doesn't necessarily have to be served only in a traditional teahouse."
Professor Alwahaib said cultural exchange increasingly takes place through the spaces people inhabit in everyday life rather than solely through formal cultural presentations.
Kuwait's hot climate has also helped foster the coffee shop lifestyle. High temperatures during much of the year restrict outdoor activities, making air-conditioned spaces equipped with Wi-Fi and comfortable seating particularly attractive, Alwahaib added.
For Kuwaitis, coffee shops do not replace the family or reject tradition. They simply add a third space to everyday life, responding to modern needs while remaining rooted in tradition. ■
