Blog post #8

Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates these, six of them have had a surprisingly persuasive influence on the course of history. So far in "A History of the World in 6 Glasses" we have gotten through beer, wine, and coffee.  That means that there are 3 more significant beverages that we need to taste left in the book: tea, spirits, and cola!

  

In the last blog post, we left off on coffee and how it was made. As we continue, we will get further into what and how coffee has conducted a major form of societies "communication" (153).  What I mean by this could be shown in a coffeehouse.  When a seventeenth century European businessman wanted to hear the latest business news, follow low prices, keep up with politics, or find out what other people thought of a new book, all he had to do was walk into a coffeehouse. There, for the price of a cup of coffee or "a dish" he could read the "latest" newsletters and pamphlets and chat with friends (153-154). 

Europe's coffeehouses held many writers, politicians, scientists, and businessman (unlike today where they hold preppy girls who discuss the latest gossip).  Sometime around the "Royal exchange" coffeehouses were packed with businessman.  Even many books were sold and a guys coffee shop in "Chancery Lane"(155).  Goods of every kind were sold in many coffeeshops that "doubled" as auction rooms(155).  

Still, not only great ideas were discussed in these coffeehouses but so was gossip, rumors, and news.  

The first coffeehouse in "western Europe" opened in the university city of Oxford, where a Lebanese man named Jacob set up a small shop in 1650(160).  When coffee became popular in Oxford and the coffee houses selling it began to expand in number, the university "authorities" tried to shut it down (161). They were worried that coffee houses "promoted idleness" and distracted the members of the university from their studies (163). They could not be more wrong. In the coffee houses, many intellectual discussions were conversed.  It was up to you to choose what conversations to be engaged in.

Coffeehouses began to evolve and develop in many other countries. Today, we call many "Starbucks".