Procaffinating: the tendency to postpone anything until you have had a cup of coffee.
And a lot of people suffer from this debilitating syndrome.
When it was first introduced in Europe (around 1680), coffee was an exotic novelty served with great chichi in small cups.
Now, thanks to Mr. Howard Schultz the black stuff is poured in extra large cups to keep you going -they say- all day (and probably all night).
The reason for the ridiculous large cups is obvious: the larger the cup, the more Starbucks thinks it can (without blushing) charge you for it.
“Starbucks says they are going to start putting religious quotes on cups. The very first one will say, ‘Jesus! This cup is expensive!’”
In my book, bigger never meant better.
Coffee, like beer or cigarettes is an acquired taste. At first it tastes awful, and later on you don’t mind as much.
In my house, my cat has the most discriminating palate and I can tell you that she would not touch the stuff with a ten-foot pole.
But very often, as a result of peer pressure, you force yourself to accept some unpleasant tastes and you finally surrender.
When I initially tried beer, I felt like a baby sucking for the first time on a slice of lemon. Yuck! But after a while, my body relented and finally didn’t protest at all. Same goes for coffee. Mind over matter.
There are plenty of reasons to avoid, or at least reduce the amount of Black Gold (for Schultz) that you drink.
Among other things, coffee will make you nervous, irritable. Everybody knows that.
It will also cause insomnia and restlessness.
Caffeine will boost your blood pressure and cause blood sugar swings.
It will dehydrate your body and cause wrinkles.
It will raise your LDL cholesterol levels.
It is also notoriously bad for pregnant women.
So before ordering your nth cup of Joe, be aware of what it does to you.
Or even better, drink water. It is still (maybe not for long) cheap.
Many people though don’t come to Starbucks merely for coffee. They come because they need to temporarily escape from their tedious routine.
If somebody could come up with an alternative to coffee (yes it is possible), and sell it (in small cups) in a pleasant venue, we might be able to get rid of the black stuff and send Howard Schultz and his pontificating packing.
I (and probably legions of people) am waiting for this benefactor like believers are waiting for the Messiah.
Alain
Talking about the Messiah…
“The trouble with born-again Christians is that they are an even bigger pain the second time around.”
Herb Caen
