That is the title of a new book I'm reading. The subtitle is even better: A History of the World According to Coffee.
It is quite interesting. And as a java lover (as the author likes to put it), I totally agree with his take on world history.
What would the world be like without coffee?
He makes the point that up until the start of the industrial revolution, which some argue was ushered in my the widespread availability of coffee, most Europeans - especially in England - drank massive amounts of alcohol because the water was often foul or contaminated.
Of course, alcohol is a depressant but coffee, with hits caffeine, is a stimulant. Thus, instead of muddling one's mind, coffee made one coherent and motivated. Just the type of mind needed for the industrial revolution.
Even more interesting than that is the history of the coffee house or cafe.
There was one in London, I believe, called Lloyd's. The owner noticed many sea captains gathering there to discuss the successes - or failures - of their fleets. Soon a kind of wagering sprung up - the owner would wager with the captains that if a ship returned safely, the captain owed the owner the profit of the ship. If the ship sank, the cafe owner had to pay for it. Thus, the first insurance was formed. You might recognize this "Lloyd's" coffee house as Lloyd's of London today.
The coffee houses also were where some of the first newspaper sprung up, the first political pamphlets, and the first ballot boxes.
There was so much activity that soon coffee houses stopped selling coffee and turned to business. Only they had to drape curtains up around various tables to section them off for privacy and efficiency. They still were based around coffee, though. We might recognize this as the traditional office cubicle today, which are still based around a large coffee percolator.
That reminds me, I need my morning fix . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment