Hi there everyone. A few days ago I found a quote I had stored in my computer from the movie You’ve Got Mail that goes:
The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are, can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall! Decaf! Cappuccino!
Now, I was wondering how coffee shops have become so important to society right now. First of all, well, it’s a place to hang out and spent time talking with other people. Either for going out with your best friends, having a small meeting regarding business, or catching up with a long lost friend, places like these coffee shops have struck as a great option. Why? The ambiance is calm and relaxing, and it offers you the opportunity to talk over a cup of coffee or a light snack. It’s a gathering point easy to find and open to everyone.
Something interesting to consider is the appearance of the first coffee shops in the United States. Now, according to masstraveljournal.com, “the first coffeehouse in America was opened in October of 1676 by John Sparry in Boston, according to the book When in Boston by Jim Vrabel.” Since then, many coffee shops have appeared in this and all the countries. Probably Starbucks is the best example of a well-known coffee shop that has reached a great market and has achieved worldwide recognition. Their concept of a store is stated in their webpage,
“When our customers feel this sense of belonging, our stores become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends. It’s about enjoyment at the speed of life – sometimes slow and savored, sometimes faster. Always full of humanity.” (starbucks.com).
However, Starbucks isn’t the only coffee shop with a great vision of what they want to offer their clients. According to the New York Times, lately some new coffee shops have opened in this city, and the important thing about them is that they treat coffee making as an art. So from a place like this you can expect the best coffee beans available in the US and freshly roasted as well, great quality, a precise preparation of it, and a nice and arty presentation. (nytimes.com) Obviously, I imagine, it is way more expensive than a regular cup of coffee.
For me, I don’t really care how much it costs, or how fancy it is, as long as it fulfills its purpose. (Waking me up, making me happy, just being something to drink while talking to friends…) what matters the most are the memories we keep from hanging out in these places and the moments we share with the people we cherish.
Works cited:
"America's First Coffeehouse | Massachusetts Travel Journal."Massachusetts Travel Journal | Exploring Boston, Cape Cod, the Berkshires, and more. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2011. .
Hi Angela,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, coffee shops are a really nice place to hang around with friends and socialize, besides; they are also perfect places to escape from the routine and go and read a good book, the newspaper or just chill out.
You made me remember that in the TV series of Friends, in which the main place where the characters spend their time is in the coffee shop named Central Perk and actually they are not at all times drinking coffee but rather having relaxed and funny conversations. So, you can see that even the media realizes how coffee shops are a place where people like to go to hang out and use that on their shows so that a wider audience feels identified with it and therefore have more rating.
I believe that coffee shops are really nice places to hang out alone or with friends because of the environment that surrounds it, its peacefulness and also because you can be sure that you will be in a beautifully aromatized place. Something that characterizes most coffee shops is that they all have this European style in their decoration and make you believe you are different places of Europe such as Paris, Rome, between others. That is actually the reason why I like coffee shops.
I am really enjoying your posts; you always pick quite interesting topics that I had not even thought of related to coffee. Keep up the good work and see you later! ;)
Hello Angela!
ReplyDeleteThank you by commenting on my blog :D I will certainly post something about the other kinds of bees apart from queens.
Personally, I don't drink coffee at all because I heard once that it could cause heart diseases because of the caffeine accelerating effects and it also turned your tooth darker. I don't like either the taste of a regular coffe ... just saying xD.
Even though, I do enjoy the smell o just made coffee or the one I can perceive when going to a grains mill. It is kind of interesting don't you think?
About your post, I totally agree with your quote. We like coffee shops such as Starbucks not for the coffee, but for the experience. We actually want to pay for a product called mockiato vainilla expresso :D. I never go to places such as Starbucks because I find the prices just to expensive for a simple coffee!
I really like your blog, your topic is quite tasty. Just as a comment, you might want to change the font colors. I had some problems reading the whole text with that background picture(haha I liked those marshmallows?)
See you :]
Danyel