Whether it’s a drip, a latte or a cappuccino, Americans are addicted to their coffee. According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America, specialty coffee was an $11 billion industry in 2005, up from $9.6 billion in 2004. But some historians theorize that what Americans are really looking for in their cup of joe is a sense of belonging. “We spent so much of the post [World War II] period in this country retreating inside suburban houses [with] fenced-in back-yards,” says Bryant Simon, a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia who spent a year studying Starbucks. “Coffeehouses play to [the] desire [to be] out, even if you don’t talk to anyone.”
Photo by julianrod.
danakeith on May 21st, 2008 at 10:57 pm
I agree, there’s something in coffee which I can’t explain that makes someone comfortable to just sit and sip some.
I enjoy having some with my friends.