Ethnography 3p553l

Lambert 1 Peter Lambert Mr. Borrero ENGL 1101 November 27, 2012 The Social Evolution of the Social Drink House Long restless nights are a common occurrence in college. Pulling an all-nighter is difficult, and repeat offenders often resort to coffee to sustain themselves. Coffee has become a familiar drink to anyone who simply needs more time, but it has also created a culture unique in and of itself. What exactly happens in a group of people that exist in a perpetual state of caffeinated consciousness? How has this community of coffee drinkers evolved from what it was? This paper intends to explore how the purpose of the coffeehouse has changed over the years. Sitting down at a coffee house and enjoying a nice cup ‘o Joe has always been a social thing, though it wasn’t always for Avant garde European people. Going back to in time to the Middle East during the 15th century you would see the roots of coffee. Coffee houses were where people talked. It had the tendency to loosen the tongue, and open up conversation. This angered authorities because coffee had a tendency to make people gossip and lie supposedly. Coffee saw its darkest during this time. There was an active group trying to form a prohibition against the black drink. By the 17th century however, coffee had risen once again, and coffee houses were where people talked politics and recite stories. Taking a step back to the mid-16th century Europe, you would find drunken people. Water was known to be dirty, and to avoid dying a quick death of some illness people opted to drink alcohol. It was clean, addicting, and best of all- it let you die at a slightly slower rate than water at the time. Everyone drank it. When coffee houses emerged in Europe it gave people a chance to sober up. The stigma that

Lambert 2 the opinionated and enlightened discuss bourgy things at coffee houses probably came from here. Rather than being opinionated or enlightened, the crowd that drank coffee were simply the people who weren’t perpetually drunk. Coffeehouses became the place to go to find thinkers, politicians, scientists, and the like. It almost became a local hub for people to simply communicate. This was actually a new concept for people in 17th century Great Britain. Hattox claims that “all classes went to coffeehouses” (Hattox 94). This is exactly what society had been mis until this point. Coffeehouses served the purpose of a forum for literally anyone who cared to talk. They were not exclusive, and had a blatant disregard for social status. In a society with such a rift between the bourgeoisie, middle class, and plebeians, this mystical place that finally permitted the poles of classes to intermingle was something that benefited everyone. Back to the present, coffee is still a social drink, though other things have changed. The image of the coffee drinker has changed over the years. It used to be thought of a sinful drink that only gossipers and flirts would drink. Growing into the brew of the enlightened, then into the roast of the sleepy. Coffee drinkers have evolved with the cultures, beliefs, and values of society. Thanks to Starbucks and the globalization of coffee, it isn’t uncommon to see a seven year old enjoy a frappe. Going into a coffeehouse displays many demographics of people. Coffeehouses aren’t exactly exclusive clubs, but as with any discourse community some people tend to frequent these places more than others. The exact coffeehouse I examined was a Starbucks across the street from UNC Charlotte. This particular Starbucks is fairly standard as far as Starbucks chains go, if not a bit larger than the average one. There are outlets all along the walls, and open Wi-Fi for customers (or Wi-Fi squatters). A corner of the store has couches for customers to melt into, and a wall is lined with coffee and coffee accessories. Customers converse and create a light noise in the background as employees mix and make drinks. A

Lambert 3 friendly coffeehouse by any measure. The fact that this Starbucks is unreasonably close to a university should be noted, as this obviously skews the crowd ever so slightly. I encountered a variety of people at Starbucks, but for the most part people were students, or adults. But the fact that this was one of the few distinctions I could find in this discourse community is unsettling. Though it does bring another idea to the table- Coffee is for everyone. This seems to almost be a mission statement for Starbucks because they have made coffee drinking so friendly. Anyone can find something they would like if they went to a Starbucks. Merely looking at the menu lends to this fact. Kids can order a hot chocolate, and the coffee crazies can still get their quadruple shot of espresso. Long time frequenters can still get something fresh and new because Starbucks has an ever changing menu due to the season and holiday. Though anyone can enjoy a coffee at Starbucks, the truly uniting mantra of coffeehouse visitors is what actually makes the community. What unites the people who sit down at a coffeehouse and drink coffee is the fact that no one sits down at a coffeehouse to drink coffee. Coffee is a social drink. Hardly anyone orders a coffee, sits down, simply drinks, and then leaves as soon as they are done. People come to Starbucks to meet with old friends, find new friends, or work in peace. Which is in the true and honest spirit of the coffeehouse. Most everyone who goes to Starbucks ranges from everything between the high end of the low class to the low end of the high class. Coffeehouses in general have been a place for people from all kinds of social standings to go to. As a long time goer of Starbucks aptly put “Starbucks is for everyone”, but so much in the present is for everyone (Anthony). The only difference between the past and now is that coffeehouses aren’t the only place you can go to talk to someone in a complete different social standing.

Lambert 4 Though coffeehouses have over the years been a place for discourse to happen, its importance in society might be decreasing. As Habermas put it "The coffee house not merely made access to the relevant circles less formal and easier; it embraced the wider strata of the middle class, including craftsmen and shopkeepers” (Habermas 33). Though this is true, it was only a revolutionary idea in 17th century Europe. Coffeehouses filled a rare niche for thinkers back then. They leveled the playing field. Workers and wealthy shopkeepers alike could all talk openly about their ideas. Coffeehouses performed the role of a great equalizer to the multiple social strata of European society. This simply isn’t as true anymore. While coffeehouses are still a great way to talk to a plethora of people, it isn’t the only way anymore. In this day and age it is not a challenge to in on educated discussions. With creations like the internet and social media, all you really need to take part in a specific conversation is internet access. As with anything in life, coffee has constants and variables. Over the years the fact that coffeehouses have been about talking and communicating hasn’t changed, but they aren’t the class ignoring, level playing field that they once were. Coffeehouses aren’t a dying trend, but simply a changing one. The world has so many ways to communicate that what originally made coffeehouses so unique is now seen in different parts of the social world. This opens up a new question. What has taken up the mantle of the coffeehouse in the present? What could possibly have replaced the coffeehouse as the go to place for open and easy discussion?

Lambert 5 Works Cited Anthony. Personal Interview. 17 Dec. 2012 Cameron. Personal Interview. 19 Dec. 2012 Cowan, Brian. The Social Life Of Coffee. London: Yale University Press, 1969. Print. Gerald. Personal Interview. 17 Dec. 2012 Habermas, Jurgen. The Structural Transformation of The Public Sphere. Cambridge, Massaschusets: The MIT Press, 1991. eBook. Hattox, Ralph. Coffee and Coffeehouses. London: University of Washington, Print. Sandra. Personal Interview. 17 Dec. 2012 Sowsina. Personal Interview. 17 Dec. 2012