In the Drink – Part 2
30Apr2006
After my first post about non-alcolholic drinks, I follow up with a second (wonders never cease). Being on the West Coast really focuses me on one of my favourite non-alcoholic beverages – coffee. Here in San Francisco Peets seems to be the brand of choice, although Starbucks still does well because you get the same, consistent choice wherever you go.
I think there is some secret conspiracy theory behind all these coffee-shops. It’s a plan to have coffee-houses craft the cognitive and decision-making abilities of nations.
Think about it. When you used to order coffee in the old days the only choices were black or white. Then it became milk or creamer. Then fully leaded or decaf.
Now it’s a bewildering set of decisions involving size, flavour, type and heat preference. And what’s worse, it all has to be expressed in the correct order. It’s not a “Tall Double Cappucino”, it’s a “Double Tall Cappucino”. The only reason I get away with it is because of my foreign, James-Blunt-like accent. And I’m a traditionalist, so I never even have to think about ordering Chai Lattes or Iced Soymilk Frappucinos, thank God.
So the simple process of ordering coffee is subliminally pushing people to make quicker, more salient decisions. Malcolm Gladwell would be impressed. Surely that can only help other areas of their lives, which means that coffee-houses really only exist to improve the general good of the people. Do you agree?
I do believe you’re onto something here! ;-> I’ve been trying to get people to realize coffee is GOOD for them.. May I post a link to this particular post on my blog? *cheers* |_|)
Please tell me you thought Blink was nothing more than armchair psychology…
And for me, it’s not coffee it’s “grande china green tips one bag”… if I miss any one word of that, I’m given a latte.
it’s also about nationality coffees… i.e. there is irish coffee, there is greek coffee, there is turkish coffee (actually it’s the same, only greeks call it greek, turks call it turkish!) and above all: the french named-yet totally greek inspired-frappe (with the accent on e)!!! The absolute cold coffee that you can only drink in Greece, and in some areas of the UK near universities with greek students (civilization campaign on coffee)!
P.S. recipie available for interested
I have a special relationship with San Fran, because that is where i quit both coffee and cigarettes, i drank soy milk and Jamba Juice, i even had vegie burger for meals sometimes. West coast is a very interesting place, luckily Paris set me free from the Californian influence, the only problem is i cannot seem to quit smoking again.
If you are still there, try Muddy Waters, my favorite coffee shop when i was there.
I have to admit, I am hoplessly addicted to coffee and espresso. Unfortunatly there isn’t much to choose from in New Hampshire and I always seem to be in too much of a hurry to stop at small coffee shops for the good stuff. I’ve just returned from camping in Virginia Beach where they have Starbucks on every corner and although I prefer to patron small businesses rather than coorporate monopolizing giants, I must also admit that Starbucks is as deliciously addictive as coffee and espresso themselves.
So what’s a girl to do? I guess I’ll just have to start making more time in the morning for the little guys now that I’m back up in Dunkin Donuts country.
I’m a straight up latte girl. No flavor, no sugar. Just espresso and milk. I make my own at home and thus save BILLIONS of dollars. I like Starbucks, I like Seattle’s Best… not too picky. However, when it comes to beer and ale, I’m a complete snob! The darker the better!!!
coffeesister – please do. Coffee is definitely good for me…
sportychick – armchair psychology perhaps, but I’m in an armchair right now ?
e.i. – Today I visited the place in San Francisco which introduced the Irish Coffee to the US. Things have been going downhill ever since…
ana – I will try Muddy Waters if I can find it…
allykay – I used to go for the smaller places for the same reasons, but I am fed up of getting latte when I ask for cappucino, so I now tend to stick with the places I know deliver…
aimee – I’m a straight up cappucino guy myself. No flavour, no sugar, sometimes semi-skimmed if I remember to ask.
black coffee from east asia… no sugar, no cream (although I can enjoy both). I don’t think that the specificity in ordering at coffeeshops are sharpening decision making skills for people. Most people aren’t discerning (I’ve had people pick up drinks that were not there’s, with flavours nowhere near what they order and not know it) about what they get and most people don’t try to learn about their drink or try new ones for that matter. I train at an independently owned coffee house and most people just want a duplication of what they get at Starbucks. Most people treat coffeeshops as if they are all set up on Starbucks principles and order as if they are at Starbucks… like asking for a Big Mac at Burger King, it’s just not kosher. I wish it did help consumers be sharper in their decision making ability, but right now, I only see the opposite.
As an addendum, older people who order at coffeeshops just stick with what they know. People who actually want to learn about coffee are the ones who would already be making quick, salient decisions on a daily basis.