This post has been brewing for a little while now. If it was an espresso, this could turn it a little bitter. It's not an espresso though, it's a bunch of words that are in part homage and in part sociology.
Caffeine must surely be one of life's richest pleasures. With equal blends of romance, puritanical pleasure, sensory stimulation, social lubrication and sheer indulgence, a dose of caffeine in your preferred configuration kicks goals on a bunch of levels. It's surely the most fun you can have in a cup (although I do remember some photos my parents took at Disneyland on some Madhatter's Tea Cup ride...but that's a bit of a tangent).
I don't intend to wax on about coffee for a whole lot of paragraphs—we're recruiting more eminent spokespeople to look after that in forthcoming posts.
I have two coffee-connected thoughts and then I'm done. Two thoughts, two posts.
Thought One: Coffee is a low-cost luxury
This is my slither of a thought. Whether you own half of Turkmenistan, Brazil or Ethiopia, or you study at the government's pleasure, a cup of coffee will cost you roughly the same amount of money. And it can transport you wherever you'd like to go. There's a romance activated by a short macchiato created from beans grown in countries that I haven't been to that doesn't require a plane flight.
Around $3-4 (depending on whether you're having a coffee or a warm milk shake) will give you the excuse to meet up with someone and the lubricant for the conversation. It will provide the prop to hold on to for those awkward moments and grasp with steadying assurance during unfolding revelations or ecstacy. A friend of mine and me effectively rented a booth at a café in Leederville one public holiday for 6 hours. The rent was about $1/hour for the two coffees (and numerous waters) we had for the duration. That's great value right there.
It's breathtaking and liberating the permission a little cup gives you to write, to talk, to journal, to read and to dream. And you can do all of these alone or accompanied. Your choice. It's coffee—it's up to you.
In a time when luxury is often displayed with big ticket items, coffee stands head and shoulders above them all as a little piece of repeatable luxury in a cup.
Friday, June 8, 2007
In praise of the caffeinated beverage
Part One: Luxury
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15 comments:
Hey, I'm just checking out sites to get Ideas for mine! I enjoyed yours, thanks!
Check out mine! www.mysportpicks.blogspot.com
thanks kenny
Shameless plug, Kenny O, shameless plug!
I only started drinking coffee last year. Now my friend insists on weaning me off my half-sachet of sugar. Seeing as he is my barista, I have no choice in the matter.
I sit in Cinos, talking to friends, commenting on passers by, meeting the regulars (G'Day Nash!) and listening to stories.
Coffee is a luxury, I'm quite glad I picked it up because teapots are such a pain, sometimes.
Hmmm...I'm not 100% sure Kenny O really read the post. Just a hunch.
I bought a cup of coffee yesterday.
‘No! You lie!’ shouts my lone paparazzo. ‘In fact, you bought three coffees yesterday, and that’s why you’re not going to Europe this year, you spendthrift, you!’
Or at least, that’s what my lone paparazzo would shout if I had one. Which I don’t. But he’d point out my dissembling, because the men with the telephoto lenses are restive, all-seeing, seekers and tellers of truth.
They ARE. Stop snickering.
To begin again: I bought three cups of coffee yesterday, but only one of them was an event.
I was tired. I was flat. I was ready to wave a dismissive hand at the world and tell it to come back when it was less lumpy and compromised and oily-despite-the-makeup.
I ordered and paid and waited (and waited – we were on Subi-time...). And then I hefted my paper cup, and the weight in my hand was renewing and enlivening.
‘Here,’ I thought, ‘here is simple pleasure. Here is truth, an honest thing, that is what it is, without pretense. This liquid, that washes around the cup like it’s thickened with the desperately insightful thoughts I’ll think once I drink it.’
And this event cost me $4. (Not a warm milkshake, Simon, just a Subi-price...).
...
But yeah, it was a really bad coffee. (A Subi-coffee?)
I guess that’s the thing with affordable luxury… Sometimes it’s just affordable...
One thing I am most grateful for in life is that I met Simon. The reason for this is that I was introduced to the short mac.
I had the odd latte and was going off coffee as I couldn't get the strength I needed and Simon came to my rescue with the few mls of bean & water luxury in a small glass.
As I can have a quite addictive streak, I have had to control myself to 3 coffees a week and I do this simply to savour every last bit of it as I know I won't be coming back to the fount of all goodness for at least a couple of days. I occasionally break this control on my machine at home but can you blame me?
I grew up in PNG and have walked among the beans we now drink. I have it in my blood (seriously, I just had a blood test and part of it was a golden brown, caramel colour) and there is no other beverage better that God gave to us. Yes I rank it ahead of wine and that is saying something considering my penchant for a Sav Blanc from NZ or a Barossa Shiraz. It's even nicer than Coca Cola and I LOOOOOVVVVE Coke.
Awww...shucks Mikey. Some people are grateful for introducing them to Jesus. I showed you good coffee. There's a river of life flowing out of it.
as a french teacher but also a barrista lately let me say that I have discovered the pleasure of coffee in Australia. coffee places here are the kind of compulsary step to make friends or get to know someone better (according to MY personal experience). It is really different from France where we would catch up with someone more at their place. So I am still ajusting myself to this new concept and I encourage you to come to 'Le Papillon' for Great coffee.
Simey, I'm sure if I didn't already know Jesus you'd have introduced me after the short mac.
maybe over one...
All I can say is I miss Australia's coffee!
American coffee tastes like water.. well wait.. it actually tastes like instant coffee.
sorry america.. i love you really, but you need to learn how to make coffee! The only decent coffee i can get is an espresso from starbucks.. and its not that great!
cheap, but not great. I bought an espresso from Krispy Kreme the other day and it cost 99 cents and was as good as starbucks! (sorry karen, mine tasted good for 99 cents.. thats what you get for getting coffee in subi!)
It all makes me a bit homesick! oh well.. 3 weeks till a good cuppa joe!
You just need to add more syrup Aimee. Your problem right now is that what you're drinking is reminding you of coffee.
gonna miss coffee! :(
Don't worry mate - after 4 weeks you'll be back here enjoying it in good company.
ha ha ha ha ha!
hope u don't have a prophetic gift!
You had better back Tony- otherwise I will come over and get you.
I do have to agree Aimee, American coffee is c... (really bad), Aussies definitely have the upper hand
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