Nkenguruke 1 Melissa Nkenguruke Professor Jessica Camargo ENGL 1102-047 April, 23rd 2014 EIP Essay Draft 3 Thirty

years ago, my father used to run a coffee company. He is not director anymore but he always has shinning eyes when he is talking about that experience. Further, at home, we constantly have packs of coffee in our kitchen. Plus, nobody is a real coffee drinker but those packs are usually replaced for new ones after a certain period; phenomenon that I could not quite get when I was a kid. But over time, I figured that that stock of coffee in our kitchen represented my fathers souvenir of his former achievements, they were his trophies. Thus, my fathers image of coffee had put on the table this question: what are other meanings people can grant to coffee? Its signification, surely, vary through cultures, countries or communities. And to grasp its social impact we have to analyze the historical side of coffee. In the 15th century, a Yemen community, first brewed coffee berries. According to Ralph S. Hattoxs book, Coffee And Coffeehouses, they served it during feasts or Islamic practices. It was established in their culture. However, in most sources, the introduction of coffee consumption is granted to Ethiopia. The latter is renowned for its tale of a shepherd who once discovered a mysterious plant that seemed to cause an energetic attitude amidst his cattle (Zachi). Since then, his whole tribe acquired the custom of consuming it and it became a part of their identity. As its consumption extended in the Middle East, it encountered some contestations within the elite circle. In fact, people such as doctors or scientists were anti-coffee (Hattox). They associated it with religious practices and their disagreement with the adherents about what they believed made

Nkenguruke 2 them hostile towards that new commodity. Thus, those tiny beans represented the invisible line between the illiterate fanatic and literate elite. Nevertheless, its spread continued by Arab traders throughout the world. In the 17th century, Germany opened its first coffeehouses called Kaffeklatsch which means coffee and gossip (Roden). Coffeehouses were already present in the Ottoman Empire where coffee mostly came from. Therefore through commodities, nations also trade cultural habits that imprint in the whole society. In fact, coffeehouses were the spot of latest business or literary news and crispy political scandals. Even though, there were salons for the upper class, coffee places attracted people from different social crusts in a cheerful atmosphere. But the more discussions in there were focused on politics the more coffee drinkers were associated with democratic activists (Roden). People usually met over a cup of coffee for intellectual or networking purposes and yet that warm drink became the label of insurgents, a sign of trouble. Moreover, on the other side of the world, in Taiwan, coffee houses were only opened for the upper class, as it is explained in The Sweet and the Bitter of Drips: Modernity, Postcoloniality, and Coffee Culture in Taiwan. Local people viewed that item as a barrier between the civilized and the uncivilized. However, whether you were lord or slave, their opinion about coffee represented their common trait. Thus, according to the continent, cultural background or social standing, coffee drinking could evolve as a tool of gather people or split them. But in either case, it had a clear social impact.

Nkenguruke 3

In the late 20th century, Starbucks appeared with its conception of Coffee experience (Pendergrast). Although the coffee market was in depression, that company instituted a new era for coffee amateurs. As said in Constance M. Ruzichs work, For the Love of Joe: The Language of Starbucks, the company made a point in refreshing coffeehouses image. In fact, baristas learned to build a relationship with customers through a warm behavior. It was a brand that is defined as much by attitude as by products. Coffeehouses became the third place after home and work; they were genuine component of peoples lives. Starbucks also associated coffee with

Nkenguruke 4 romance and made its places more relaxed with Jazz music (Pendergrast). In fact, it was no longer about drinking a simple cup of java, but identifying the right coffee for you. The firm made each caffeinated beverage a personal aspect of oneself. Thus, a cup of coffee can reflect a personality by the way it is preferred. However, drinking at Starbucks had been labeled, in the last decade, to be for rich people. That assumption emerged when Starbucks began to increase their prices in order to help famers in the Third World (Ruzich). And therefore, what seemed to be a charitable gesture turned into being boastful. Obviously, regardless how coffee is progressing in the environment it is always part of our identity.

Additionally, in order to know if I could learn about peoples identity, I swapped a survey during class time. Surprisingly I discovered that people were divided in two types. On one hand, the ones who had drunk coffee since their young age and likely to consider coffee as a simple daily

Nkenguruke 5 boost; on the other hand the ones who had drunk it, roughly since the age of 14 and were more likely to consider coffee as a social interaction drink. Those assumptions suggest that the way you embrace any social and cultural notion determine the way you will interpret it. Ive learned that the meaning of coffee for a community depends on its cultural and history background; coffee has multiple social facets. It can be a vital awakening drink for people who make speeches such as I cannot work efficiently before at least two cups of coffee or my ideas are not clear before my morning coffee. It can represent a controversy for being consumed by a certain religious entity or being at the center of a revolutionaries table. It can also refer to a prestigious beverage or an alleged privilege of a high social standing and therefore the line between social classes. It can also be my fathers award that needs to be displayed in his house. Moreover, it can be the gold of a nation such as my country, Burundi. In fact, coffee export had held an important place in its economy for thirty years. Even though, the trade is not intensive, we are known for our higher quality coffee, as it is explained in an article of The Michigan University. Yet, regardless the way coffee is moving through countries and the obstruction it runs into, it always conquers peoples hearts and etched in their distinctiveness. We all encounter coffee in our path and it has its unique meaning for each one.

Nkenguruke 6

Nkenguruke 7 Works Cited Michigan State University. Burundi Coffee. Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Special Report.Web. http://special.news.msu.edu/burundi/

Hattox, Ralph S. Coffee And Coffeehouse: The Origins of a social Beverage in the Medieval Near East. Washington Press, 1985. Print. Pendergrast, Mark. Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World. New York: Basic Books, 1999. Print Ruzich, Constance M. For the Love Of Joe: The Language of Starbucks. Journal of Popular Culture. Jun 2008. Communication And Mass Media Web. 14 May 2008 https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=uf h&AN=31999976&login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Shih, Yi-Ping, and Cheng-Heng Chang. The Sweet and the Bitter of Drips: Modernity, Postcoloniality, and Coffee Culture in Taiwan. SAGE Publications: Cultural Studies <->Critical Methodologies 10, no. 6 (2010): 445-456. ArticleFirst. Web. 26 Aug 2010. http://uncc.worldcat.org/title/the-sweet-and-the-bitter-of-drips-modernity-postcoloniality-andcoffee-culture-in-taiwan/oclc/1430681912690?referer=brief_results

Zachi. Coffee: a drink or an experience. Livingnosh. Blog at Wordpress.com. May 2011. http://livingnosh.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/coffee-a-drink-or-an-experience/

Nkenguruke 8 My Reflection When I was putting together what Ive collected from my sources I was so confused. I was too excited to tell others what they may not know about coffee that I jumped from one idea to another without making connection. The first problem of my essay was making relation between my thoughts. Fundamentally, I knew what I wanted to say but I didnt have to right structure to convey my opinion. I decided to draw a map of how it progressed through periods of time to show where its current social stand comes from. I explained how it moved from its introduction to our Starbucks era. Then, I found that my piece had an historic voice while I was looking for a social voice. It had become boring while I was trying to get to interesting. I couldnt g et the reason of that because even my sources talked about its historic side but it didnt cover their whole work. But what I needed to do was to expand my contemporary part. Thus, I spent the most part of my work trying to bring a modern voice to my paper. It was my technique for keeping my readers interest. In addition, the other clue for catching readers attention, is to include personal voice. That was the hardest part of composing. In fact, I wrote my first draft adding my own sound in the introduction without coming back again. But, since a writing is a piece you have to maintain your presence to avoid sounding plain and moreover to animate your writing. Further, Ive learned that writing it is circle, you have to recall your thesis in the conclusion. Except that you have to do differently and accurately in order to give your audience something to go home. All of that without being repetitive and if possible without adding any sources. Indeed, the more you are quoting the more your paper looks like a copy-paste work. Besides those struggles, I like the body of my paper, I feel like Ive got the right sources and employed them as I should. But Id like you to take a close look on my introduction and my

Nkenguruke 9 conclusion. They are the most important about any piece and I always not satisfied about them. Besides, I believe writing its a journey full of surprising discovery and unexpected stumble with an unknown or uncertain destination. Therefore, I always need to polish each part.