Are you a coffee addict?
Are you denying the coffee addict in you?
I don’t remember what my first tip-off was. Perhaps it was when I chose coffee-flavored hard candies over fruit flavoured candies. Or was it when I downed the mocha chip ice cream instead of my usual mint-chocolate chip? Perhaps it was when I started salivating every time I drove by an unaffordable-on-a-student-budget Starbucks shop. Actually, I must have clued in when I started having headaches if I hadn’t had a cup-o-joe by noon.
So, it’s true. I am addicted.
I always said that I just drank coffee for the ‘warmth’ and ‘flavor’ of it. It was the experience of coffee I said I kept returning too, not the black liquid itself. You know the scene: snuggling into a comfy coffee-shop seat with a large, foaming cup of coffee in hand. It’s always over coffee you talk to friends about life, love, philosophy and politics. Sigh. A day in the life of a coffee-lover. Okay, by addicted, I don’t mean obsessed. But is enjoying the experience of a cup of coffee obsessed? Nah. There are worse things in life.
But I would argue, for all the students who do not drink coffee, and quite proudly so – you are missing part of the student life. Perhaps I’m not addicted to it, but ‘enhanced’ by it. Let me explain.
Here are 10 reasons why I enjoy my java that will convert any coffee-hater into a coffee-addict that each one of you actually desires to become. I have numerous arguments to appeal to different kinds of students and individuals out there. (And no, I do not, and have never worked at a coffee shop. This is not some sort of marketing ploy! I write this just for the personal satisfaction of seeing some of the adamant coffee-haters become coffee-lovers out there).
1. To all students: Alcohol makes you silly. Drugs make you out of it. Both are expensive. But coffee, the cheaper alternative, makes you more aware. Heightened senses means better listening skills in class, more open eyes to see the board, a greater awareness of falling objects, and just general heightened senses.
2. To all students looking for a new university personality and identity: Out here on the west coast, coffee drinking is an art. Those who drink coffee come across as cultured. Downtown Vancouver you see it all over: unique coffee personalities. I am convinced that these personalities began in university and were perfected with the addition of coffee:
Business and economics students
The business associate coffee drinkers: You see these personalities walking beside the high rise buildings with their newspaper, briefcase, and business attire. If you can’t drink coffee after university, how will you ever make it in the business world? Meetings, clients, proposals, and three year plans all have one thing in common: coffee.
Arts students
The artsy coffee drinkers: These are the ones who are connoisseurs. Funky eye-glasses and artistically clashing clothing mark this individual. In theatres at intermission, in parks, and painting outside, they have coffee in their hands to complete their image.
Fashion-conscious-female
The modern woman coffee drinkers: High class fashion, high heeled shoes, faux-fur, and a cup of coffee. You see these women sitting in coffee shops chatting with friends and ‘sipping.’ They carry coffee in one hand and shopping bags in another while wearing a suit. They are the epitome of ‘chic’ and are established working women.
Athletic and healthy type
The ‘still looking good at 40’ coffee drinkers: joggers, cyclers, rollerbladers…the general health nuts show up at coffee shops in their exercise attire. These are the ones who run with their kids in a stroller and bike the distance to work. They stay fit and healthy even later in life. To survive work after an early work-out, how else could they stay awake without coffee?
The list goes on. It’s more than the coffee, it’s the personality.
3. For those who want autonomy and independence: You get to decide what you want and how you want it, and from an endless variety! There are whole shops and restaurants based around the enjoyment of coffee. This means that you can discover yourself and what you really like. Did you have smothering parents? When you drink coffee you get to choose what you want. You can have small sizes or big sizes. You can have it warm or cold, hot or slushy. You can buy it in mugs to stay or cups to go. In fact, you can just linger in the shop and enjoy your coffee as long as you want. It doesn’t even look bad to be alone in a coffee shop! There is no hurry either. You can just enjoy your quiet corner, or share a table. Really, want a step towards independence- figure out what you like in a java!
4. To the guys looking for girls: It can be summarized in one phrase, “Wanna go for coffee?” Guys – it’s a way to woo women! It’s a first date invitation or a way to reconcile after a fight. If she is angry at you and she hears those words, she will feel as though you care to listen to her share her heart. If she is sad and needs comfort it says you want to console. Those four words can say that you have time for her, that you want to talk without any other distractions, and that you want to get to know her better. Try it men! Women scream for communication and this phrase is dripping with it. It is guaranteed to work! Especially amidst a busy university schedule, time spent chatting over coffee is the best gift.
5. To the over-achievers and academic whizzes: This is obvious – coffee keeps you awake or wakes you up. That commercial about Folgers- hits the nail on the head. “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup” (sung to a little ditty). The smell of brewing coffee in the morning opens your eyes just a bit faster and palpitates your heart getting your blood moving faster to your limbs than otherwise. The smell alone gives you a fresh start to a day of essay writing. Late at night, chugging back coffee then keeps you working on that paper a bit longer than you could without it. Many study groups survive long hours with a pot of coffee on. Without it, how do you sit through a 2 ½ hour lecture anyways?
6. To outgoing and sociable students (or psychology and social work students): Coffee is all about the conversation. Coffee is an ideal conversation starter (or the ideal thing to have while conversing). There is an instantly mutual understanding of another when a coffee-addiction is shared by both of you. The bridge from stranger to friend- whether in class or in a coffee shop line-up, can be crossed with a conversation about coffee. As students, most drink it. What better way to get to know someone by discussing favorite drinks, or buying a cup for the person beside you in class? You can also get to know someone by the type of coffee they choose to drink. For example, if someone orders an organic coffee, they are concerned about world affairs and equality of workers. Coffee says a lot about someone.
7. To the kid in you: Whipped cream. Need I say more? Without the calories of a full sized dessert, you can have a drink complimented with a dollup, a great big dollup of whipped cream. Not just that, but sprinkled with things. Oh, but that’s not all! Not just sprinkled, but with sauces poured on it. Remember the ice cream sundae and how much fun that was as a kid? This is the adult version! You can sprinkle coffee with chocolate chunks, pour chocolate and caramel over it….the coffee syrups and flavors are up to you. Not just that, but you have a straw! Remember blowing bubbles in your cups as a child? You can use the straw as a spoon, lick it, chew on it, blow bubbles through it, bend it, poke people with it, and spit things through it. Oh the options! (I know the kid in you is loving this).
8. To penny-pinching students: Coffee shops are renowned for free stuff. Want to bake but can’t afford tons of sugar? No problem! Stock up on mini-sugar packages at your local coffee shop. Out of milk for cereal? Don’t worry! Coffee shops have little packages of cream (or 2% milks for more health-conscious students). Having guests in your dorm room and want to be a good host? Get some nicely folded and crisp napkins ‘from your local coffee shop. What if you want to brew your own coffee, but you don’t want to buy the fixings? Fill up your pockets the next time you’re in a shop! But, the trick is that the employees usually frown on this practice without the purchase of a drink. Once you purchase a coffee, then you can grab whatever you want! Plastic spoons, brown-sugars, and stir sticks ‘oh-my’!
9. To the young ‘adult’ in you: University is a transition stage to adulthood. Adults drink coffee. Basically, you better get used to it now. When at other people’s houses they will offer you coffee. In the morning when you have to get your kids ready for school, you’ll need it to be awake. Business meetings, student-teacher conferences, job orientations and in-laws offer it. Dare you say no to what may be frowned upon by the person offering it?
You’re going to have to face it at some point. The reality is, you want to be a coffee drinker, its part of aging and becoming a more mature and established ‘you.’ All of us start thinking that we won’t like it. We don’t start off by drinking it black. Instead we start with the fun frothy and sugary ones. Don’t be intimidated by the various kinds and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Get a coffee buddy and get your feet wet! You won’t regret it.
Coffee is a gift from the gods like beer and wine. But as with any such gift it must be revered and appreciated and one must not give in to gluttony and unconscious consumption. Like the slow-food movement one can take the time to brew coffee, smell it and appreciate the taste and the enlivening effects. All these factors make coffee an aid to contemplation and enjoyment. Here’s to you all coffee drinkers!
i know, we must prevent to this addiction or we will regret it…
I agree pretty much with all of these topics, now since I study at night am having cups-o-joe and it really helps me concentrate. There’s really not even a single reason not to consume coffee.