U9O.net: You and I Know.

I’ve been avoiding coffee for awhile. I’m more of a pop a can of coke type of guy (I switched to diet coke 2 years ago as I got older and my metabolism slowed down), and it really suited my college type atmosphere.

But loe and behold I discovered the joy of coffee today. On the whole, it makes a lot of sense as to why my blood in my veins seem to flow better, the haze of the morning gone, and my heart bumping with energy– coffee contains over 3x the caffeine as coca cola, ounce for ounce.

And coffee itself is a bit more healthy than your average can of coke. And choices abound! Depending on how you want it, it can be an extremely low-carb proposition. You can pick and choose the type of sweetener you want, and if you are lactose intolerant, a non-dairy creamer. An alcoholic? Add some whiskey. Got migraines? Caffeine can help!

Coffee by itself is intrinsically individualistic. Black or brown, sweetened or non-sweetened, sugar or nutrasweet or sucralose? In all, coffeee is American and if not American, certainly Freedom-living! No wonder our founders dumped tea into the boston harbor and swiched to the joy of coffee. Well, at least their descendants.

Even if you aren’t a Lockian, but perhaps a collectivist, you would still love coffee: “Ah, that is a perfume in which I delight; when they roast coffee near my house, I hasten to open the door to take in all the aroma.” said Jean Jacques Rousseau as he was writing the last pages to his philosophical works. Or so I would imagine.

No wonder you can find coffee everywhere. The French have made a lifestyle of the outdoor cafe.

It gives a certain sense of understanding as to why when starbucks raised the price of their coffee by a few cents, contraray to most companies, their stock prices increased. In makes sense as to why coffee beans are the 2nd largest commododity (after oil I believe) in the world. In short, it gives the 3rd world coffee producers of the world a large amount of leverage in the affairs of postmodernity.

Caffeine is a special substance, with little of the side affects of stronger amphetamines– but one with a lot of positives. It is banned in most Olympic sports for providing a temporary boost to both mental and physical activities.

It was a tad bit embarassing to ask the secretary on how to make coffee, but I’m glad I learned– because today and perhaps for the next few hours, I will be productive.

And perhaps one day, instead of laughing at the people standing at the starbucks line, I too, will be standing in line, cringing and frowning until I can sip that frothy brew of coffee, when the sun becomes brighter, the day becomes quicker, and the company of others, more joyful.

- An ode to coffee, by David Oh