Chapel Hill Eats: Coffee and Society

Coffee and Society

Lauren Kemp

Head fuzzy and completely exhausted due to lack of sleep, I stumbled through the magnificent oak doors of Franklin Street’s Starbucks. From the moment I entered, it was a new world. A line of caffeine deprived students and hurried office workers wove around contemporary table settings and bar stools. Perched in the corner, sat retired men and women, taking the occasional sip of their specialty coffee and casually flipping through the New York Times or USA Today. The intoxicating aroma of both the coffee and culture was sufficient to wake me up; however, I patiently waited in line, basked in the surroundings, and eagerly awaited my first caffeine jolt of the day.

Coffee is an integral part of modern society. One can find “coffee breaks” in the work place, “coffee hour” following religious services, and coffee houses for socialization and entertainment. The modern evolution of coffee has swept up the town of Chapel Hill. Not only is the stimulating drink perfect for students searching for a way to stay awake for an eight o’clock class, but professors, white collar office workers, and even the construction workforce are spotted with the universally recognized Starbucks cup.

To satisfy the demand on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, coffee is available almost everywhere. I have been to at least three Starbucks stores on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. However, this does not even include the Starbucks stands conveniently located inside the cafeteria, study halls, and Student Stores. It would almost seem, due to their overwhelming presence on campus, that Starbucks has acquired a monopoly on Chapel Hill’s coffee consumption – if it weren’t for the two Caribou Coffees on Franklin Street or the myriad of independently owned café’s. This town is full of coffee authorities, so why do we continue to purchase coffee at the myriad of coffee houses and pay two to three dollars more for something easily brewed at home or in a dorm at a fraction of the time and cost? Simply, friendship cannot be developed in the confines of a home; it must be cultivated in a stimulating environment. The additional expense culminated because of a barista’s expertise is worth paying to receive the benefit of fulfilling the needs all humans inherently have: to share and interact with one another.

It may seem that college students have a simplified relationship with coffee – they use it to feed their lifestyle characterized by lack of sleep. This, however, is far from the whole truth. Caffeine can be found just about anywhere in the form of soda, tea, and energy drinks, so a stimulant cannot be the sole reason for its popularity. Surely the stimulant is important, providing a means to shock the senses awake before an early class or cramming for an exam successfully into the late hours of the night. However, coffee is not always used in this manner. By talking to many of the early birds carting a thermos of coffee to class, I realized coffee is not solely about the instant energy, but about the routine. “I make it before class, it’s my treat for the long walk”, says student Marie Frye. She echoes the responses of many of her schoolmates, and continues the march.

As I walk through Davis library, I see study groups congregating at the large, square tables. Coffee in hand, they use the drink to bring group members together and as an incentive to actually show up for the session. Similarly, Starbucks on South Campus is a regular meeting place; however, the plush armchairs don’t just attract study groups. Organization officers frequent the coffeehouse, providing a common ground upon which to discuss group issues. The crackling fireplace also attracts friends itching to catch up with one another in an attempt to bring order to their busy lives. According to student Mary Young, “coffee is essential, I make it in my dorm every morning before class – but I’ll only pay for it if it means I get to reconnect with an old high-school friend”. Clearly the social aspect of coffee consumption is important in the student community. Its caffeine effects make it important, but its social applications make it indispensable.

Coffee’s consistent consumption in the workplace, not the campus, has shaped the American view of coffee. Office workers rely on coffee for fuel. They drink it to facilitate the making of a deadline, or just to continue monotonously typing numbers into an Excel program. Additionally, office employees rely on coffee to get them through the day. For the average white collar worker, coffee not only holds importance for increasing work efficiency, but signifies a hard worker to anyone holding a Starbucks mug. This perception of proficiency is extremely important to Western society, and is a factor in coffee’s extreme popularity. It also spurs employers to provide coffee as a reward; it is a perk with a low cost. This way, employees are not likely to leave the workplace in search of an afternoon pick me up, which will increase work time (Reward 32).

In contrast to this stigma is the coffee break. According to Asad Raza, social blogger for Three Quarks Daily, “The coffee break is the oasis in the day in which workers are temporarily freed from adherence to their routinized schedules and can indulge in idleness”. Without such a break, madness would ensue. Coffee’s link to both labor and freedom is clearly prevalent in the workplace. This dichotomy allows coffee to act as the primary refreshment in the world of intellectual labor, stimulating the mind and then providing release.

In the world of the coffee house, there is no such thing as simple “coffee”. Walk into a Western coffeehouse and experience the overwhelming menu options – then try to force a quick decision regarding milk preparation, caffeine content, and the taunting non-fat option. Coffee house owners have made a fortune in creating the specialty drinks craved by consumers – and the relentless branding and marketing is to blame. Almost everyone can identify the Starbucks logo or recognize Dunkin Doughnuts’ slogan “America runs on Dunkin.” They are valued in society for providing a social outlet, but their branding keeps consumers returning for the extraordinarily priced specialty drinks, which now make the purchaser universally recognized as a tasteful coffee drinker. In reality, consumers typically do not distinguish between types of coffee, but it is the preparation that allows specialty shops to gouge prices (Raza 1). The coffee that is put into a macchiato or latte is essentially the same type someone would brew instantly in a home coffeemaker. There is no distinction. However, while cream and sugar are the typical low-cost additives in a drink not prepared specially, flavored syrup shots and espresso superfluities drive up the price. Most important, however, is the milk’s state. Whether it has been frothed, steamed, or disregarded completely changes the name of the drink, and effectively transforms coffee into a gourmet treat. This draws connoisseurs to the coffee industry and increases coffee’s value in society, because it is no longer for poor college students in search of cheap caffeine.

As popular as coffee has become, it is undoubtedly not loved by everyone. Ironically, these people who despise coffee love the social atmosphere of the coffee house. Rachel Jones, a student frequently found at “The Daily Grind”, is unafraid to announce her distaste for the drink. She says “the bitterness gags me.” Therefore, her continued presence in the aromatic shop is curious. When asked why she is drawn to the shop she remarks “my friends love it here, so I just order a Chai tea and wait for my next class”. This situation is addressed by coffee houses in many ways. They provide an assortment of drinks, such as the tea enjoyed by Miss Jones, and hot chocolate or gourmet Italian sodas. In addition to the wide selection of beverages, baked goods are made fresh daily and displayed in clear cases near the register to tempt customers. These blue-berry muffins, flakey scones, and buttery croissants are distributed to both coffee drinkers and despisers alike. In fact, regular morning customers wake up earlier than required to sit in the coffeehouse, sip their drinks, and enjoy their breakfasts. Because of the coffee houses’ ability to attract customers who might not enjoy their main product, they have transformed an idea that would possibly have been applied only to a small niche, into encompassing almost everyone in society. Regardless of a person’s affinity for coffee, they are aware that the coffee house is a place for socializing and meeting. Consequently, they incorporate themselves into the activities of the coffee culture.

Drinking is essential to survival, but humans have increased its importance from solely sustenance, to a communal exercise. Humans starve for social interaction, and drinking coffee is a form of expression that leads to the identification of one’s own kind. Coffee houses allow consumers to congregate in a familiar place and not only receive refreshment, but satisfy their craving for common bond to society. People come from a myriad of places on the pretense of acquiring a stimulant to make it through the day, but what they really want is to feel attached to a selective group that provides an outlet from their mundane, repetitive lives.

In a sense, the coffee house has transformed itself into the modern watering hole. This convenient meeting place has an important role in the lives of otherwise unrelated people. It brings people together regardless of divisions such as race, gender, and culture. No other commodity can boast such an accomplishment. Even food, crucial for life, is somewhat ineffective when attempting to forge a bond between many cultures. Only coffee, drunk for all the same reasons and prepared in all the same ways, can bridge the gap humans have created for themselves. That is why coffee is valued and that is why it remains integral to society.

Works Cited