Written by: Nancy Britten

Happy Sunday, Haries!! If, like me, you’ve just realised that tomorrow is the first of December and you’re mildly alarmed by how quickly this semester seems to have slipped away, please enjoy this eighth instalment of HOTW as a gentle antidote. I’d been particularly excited for this interview with the one and only Josh (of @cappuccinocrawl …and if you’re not following that account yet, get on it.). What could be better than a scheduled hour dedicated to running and coffee chat? Glorious stuff.

We made our way to Origin, only to be met with shock and horror: it was FULL. Devastating. But fear not, never one to let an oversubscribed coffee shop derail my plans, we ambled along Newington Street in search of alternatives and stumbled upon the ever-reliable Cult Coffee, where, to our delight, two seats were poised and waiting just for us. Huzzah! Enjoy the interview…

Name: Josh Hardern 

Degree: Psychology, 2nd Year

What made you choose to study Psychology? I like knowing and understanding people’s thoughts, and I just like people.

Interview Location: Cult Coffee

One of my favourites: aesthetic, good coffee bean and close to uni so it’s a good study vibe (I would like to add that cult coffee is officially endorsed by the @ scrummy mummys too). 

Coffee Order: Cappuccino. Always.
I just like the foam. I love the chocolate. There’s something about it. Just everything about it. They make them differently every time: the foam changes, the chocolate changes, there’s lots of variants that come into play compared to other drinks… it’s always a surprise. (Future interviewees: take note. This is the level of passion I want when you describe your beverages of choice.) 

Cappuccino Rating (today): Good aeration, big improvement on the last time I came. The last one must have been pulled badly.Let me try to describe the flavour… no, I just can’t. But it’s an all-round good flavour. 9.5/10. 

Where are you from? Hertfordshire

Why did you decide to come to Edinburgh?The city is beautiful, the course was good, and it just kind of felt right. 

Now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for… please tell us all about the Cappuccino Crawl™. How did this come about? Well, I love going to cafés and catching up with people. It’s a good conversation every time: present, one-on-one, not forced. I always get a cappuccino, so I decided to document every single one. I’ve been doing it since September.

What is the worst cappuccino you’ve ever reviewed? Edinburgh Coffee Lounge. It just did NOT sit right with me. The flavour was bad, it felt like water, no foam. Just horrible. Also had a horrendous Starbucks one once. Awful. 

How did it feel being featured in The Tab? I’m loving my media era. Interview with the Haries, article in the student newspaper this week, and I’m on the student news radio too. (The pinnacle of campus celebrity status has been reached). It was funny because The Tab needed a hook for them so they put a sort of positive, inspirational student-focused spin on the story, but this is such an unserious thing I’m doing, just yapping about cappuccinos.
However, after the interview I actually had a revelation… it made me realise how many sober social interactions I’ve been having, and how refreshing that is. It framed my social life in such a nice way.

How did you get into running?

I ran a bit during lockdown, but it was a struggle. I wasn’t super involved with the Haries last year, but I went to a couple of social runs and they definitely taught me how to pace properly. That’s when I realised I’m actually pretty good at running and really enjoy it. I trained most of last year for the Edinburgh Half in May and really loved getting into it. Hopefully, in Semester 2 I’ll make it to more sessions.

Describe the Haries in 3 words: Social, wholesome, fun.

Goals for the Year (running and non-running related)

Running: I’m doing a full marathon in April. Brighton Marathon. I need to actually start training for that. (this is major! We will all be cheering you on)

Non-running: Get better at Spanish. I did it at GCSE and I’m doing Foundation Spanish 2 now, Foundation 3 next semester… so I’m locked in. 

If you didn’t run, what sport would you do? Badminton. It’s probably what I’m best at, and I used to play a bit. 

If you could instantly master one skill, what would it be? Painting. It would be so cool to just whip out a paintbrush and be genuinely good at it. I like it, but I’m not that good. (I agree, this is a fantastic skill to be able to master). 

If you could have three dream dinner party guests, who would they be and why?

• Eva Longoria: She’s my favourite person. My favourite celebrity ever.
• Ariana Grande: She’s thriving, she’s having a great time, it’s mental.
• James Acaster: He’s hilarious. My favourite comedian.

A non-running-related fun fact about you? I suppose that I run a cappuccino account. It’s the most interesting thing about me at the moment.

Favourite…

Meal to cook: A homemade burger, with potatoes of some sort and some vegetables

Place to run in Edinburgh: Portobello, the Leith–Stockbridge loop 

Favourite distance to run:10k

Favourite day of the week to run: Saturday. I feel so accomplished if I go for a run in the morning after a night out and I feel like it cleanses me into the weekend.

Favourite spot on campus: 4th floor library, east wing. (this is my idea of hell)

Most used emoji:
*Josh did an impression of this emoji about 4 times and tried to verbally describe it and on not one of these occasions did I have any idea which emoji he was talking about. This is the emoji of choice:  and although I have never used it myself, I can safely say I’ve been adding it to my repertoire since the interview. I love it.

Dream sponsor: Bar Salsa. My favourite place on earth.

Would You Rather…

Run the same route forever or never repeat a route again? Never repeat a route again.

Coffee always slightly too hot or slightly too cold? Slightly too cold. A hot coffee ruins the consistency; it goes watery. A cold one can still feel right.

Speak every language or play every instrument perfectly? Speak every language.

Song of the Week? Midnight Sun by Zara Larsson! It just gets me hyped up.