Confessions of A Caffeine Addict

In Defense of Coffee

Circa 2009. A time of quarks, uranium, satellite universities, steel, skyscrapers, instant messaging, online social networking, global collaboration, and multitasking. And caffeine.

Or Coffee, if you will.

Coffee is more than just a beverage. In times such as these, where we are all trying to be super human, perfect and accomplished, Coffee is a lifeline. It is the blood that runs in our veins. It is the green dough that sits in Starbucks' vaults. It is also a propagandist tool, for we all know how noble Starbucks is, and by drinking their coffee, you are helping them help the needy in Africa who they cheated out of the fair price of beans in the first place.

It is a cruel mistress and an impudent servant who knows it is much needed. It is a disease and a cure. It is a much loved and hated flavor. It is a color and a culture. It is the identity and pride of nations. It is a harvest and a celebration for the farmer, the plantation worker, the mother who gives their day and night just to see those magical beans on precious branches. Tea's got all its royal patronage, but its coffee that has all us masses rooting for it. It is a reticent, subtle activist, making you feel good when you drink Fair Trade coffee from your local coffee shop.

Coffee is the illusionist emperor of a kingdom of over-achievers, a Pope of a religion of caffeine addiction. And I am here to spread its gospel. I believe in Coffee.

It is my addiction, my lifestyle, my social tool, my midnight-oil burner, and my stress reliever. Coffee is to me as make-up is to an actress. Coffee is a part of identity. When I walk to my lab and classes with a cup of Coffee in my hand, I feel like all those working people crowding the subways and roads every morning at 8 a.m. with cups of coffee in their hands, their car cup-holders. I feel like I have a purpose too. Without Coffee, I would not have my friends. Without Coffee, I would not have my boyfriend and many of our subsequent dates. If you think I sound like some sort of an eccentric artist, with Coffee as its muse, you are right. Coffee is my Mona Lisa, whose cryptic charm I like to contemplate and savor with all my senses. Just contemplating Coffee, in all its elegance and fragrance gives me calm. And energy. And thoughts. Ideas. All at once. My brain is on fire and my body at ease. If I sell my life away for something, it would be Coffee. If I invest in anything before the world economy crashes, it would be Coffee.

If you say you don't like Coffee, then you have never loved, never lived, never taken a risk. Find your nearest local, Fair Trade Coffee shop before the world ends.

[Post begun: 7/22/08, finished: 10/03/09]