All Froth and Even More Substance

    The best part of waking up, is thinking about how you are going to drink some coffee shortly after. I think that most good people drink coffee because it is sort of a gateway to happiness. The taste and smell of coffee swarms your senses, leaving your body and mind in a balanced ecstasy. I think God invented coffee just to help people feel a little less grumpy or depressed in the morning, especially during the winter when they leave for work at dark and get home as the sun is setting. 

    It can be a challenge to have any motivation to do certain things without coffee, so, it is with great pleasure that I strongly suggest to this blog's fanbase, "treat yoself," to something savory. By savory, I mean coffee and only coffee, and nothing but coffee. You will feel loved and warm and know that all things are going to be okay, because tomorrow you can have another cup of God's golden goodness to help you feel alive and alert.

    It's also with great pleasure, that I reveal the true motive of this post, how coffee shapes culture. I think you'll find the coming information to be interesting, especially if you are a coffee history buff.

    Our first point of interest, on the larger side of culture shaping influence, is from the Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Anthropology. Daniel R. Reichman's article, "Big Coffee in Brazil: Historical Origins and Implications for Anthropological Political Economy," shows the effects of coffee on Brazilian culture through mass production. According to Reichman, "...Brazilian history books refer to the period between the end of slavery and the Great Depression as the era of “café com leite” politics, in which an alliance between coffee and dairy farmers controlled national policy through the manipulation of exchange rates, trade policy, labor policy, and public investment". 

    Another source by Phil Withington in the Journal of Modern History, titled, "Where Was the Coffee in Early Modern England?" leads a similar escapade on England's culture, but maybe more towards what it could be taking away from the culture instead of giving to it. With the introduction of coffee into England's culture, the tradition of teatime had seen a gradual decline or change, because of people's choice to drink coffee instead. Its gradually shaping the social norms of England's society, to where tea time isn't as widespread as it used to be. This makes me wonder about the other effects of coffee, but with a more localized focus to America's culture. Let's start by taking a look at a small town in southern Ohio.

    The village of Peebles holds a midwestern gem, the Greene Beanery. It is this fantastic little spot on the southside of town, where people from all over come to get some of the best in-house, roasted coffee. From the regular cup of joe, to my personal favorite, the snickers white chocolate mocha, everything in this coffee shop taste like pure warming bliss. Even the food tastes like mana from heaven. A good ole' Cranberry nut muffin, or even a piece of coffee cake that makes you want to smack your momma, can really leave you feeling satisfied. But how does this homestyle roastery fit into the shaping of culture? I'm glad you asked.

    Upon the initial appearance of the shop, you can find that the local High School is right next door. Over my last several visits, in the afternoons on weekdays, I noticed that there was a fair amount of teenagers hanging around on the front porch, or even inside by the fireplace. It was really nice to be able to sit down and enjoy something warm while others around you are loving life and enjoying the company of friends. It made me think about how cool it would have been to have had a place like this when I went to the very same school years before. I grew up in Peebles, so I know firsthand how the lack of something as simple as a coffee house can alter one's afterschool experience. Some kids are not as privileged as others, and may not have a good place to go home to after school is over. And with an increase of desire for coffee in pop-culture, what better place to have right beside a school than a relaxed and calming coffee house, where all can come and sit, enjoying the time alone, or with others, to think, work, or even relax.

    Now I know that not every school is in a place where a coffee shop is a good idea, but I still wanted to share how this small coffee shop helped in a different way to shape the culture of the town around it. By being in the location they chose, and allowing students to come hang out, the Greene Beanery has altered the experience of the teenagers and gave them a spot where they can enjoy life a little bit more, instead of being stuck at school after hours or even depressed because they have nowhere else to go, to get away from home for a bit. This is culture shaping at its best. Small scale, big impact movements that are the cause of better futures and even better present times.

    It's hard to think about the relativity of impact between the Brazilian Coffee industry and a single shop like the Greene Beanery, but it's active and prevalent to watching how the world progresses and changes for the better. Without the Coffee industry, Brazil most definitely would not be the country it is today, and I would think that same goes for the economy of the surrounding countries, and even the world. There wouldn't be Starbucks or small town shops. So what would have taken their place instead? I'm glad we never have to find that out, because I love coffee and the world that has been shaped by it.