Coffee for thousands of years has been a mood altering substance. From what I've heard, the drink was first discovered in the plateaus of Ethiopia and was used by herders needing to stay alert in order to tend their flock. Makes sense.
What coffee has evolved to be for many is a mood altering substance that makes the consumer tolerable - not alert. As I work away in a coffee shop, I observe many different coffee drinkers. First, there is me. I drink coffee because I like it, it's warm (in MN in January), and it does keep me alert as I'm working (or blogging as the case may be). On occasion I use this beverage to wake me up in the morning when it's still dark outside and I need to be able to safely drive to work. Once in awhile it is a mood altering substance in that I do need it to bring an air of civility to my conversations with...say...UHaul reservation clerks who give my truck away on the morning I need to load it in order to move to another state. I find these situations to be rare, and exceptional. Second, there is the regular. This person is like Norm from the TV series, "Cheers." Walking up to the counter to order the latte, cafe Americano, herbal tea, etc. is a ritual for this person and for the barista. There is a certain familiarity for each of the people involved in the transaction and each takes comfort in the predictability of the situation. This is a very friendly, yet nearly anonymous relationship that is safe for both parties. It's a ritual they each look forward to without the risk of a commitment. Lastly, there exists a complainer. This person has very high expectations of the beverage he or she will purchase, high expectations of the service, and very low expectations of price. Voluntarily approaching the counter and perusing the menu, this individual is dissatisfied with the choices offered and the outrageous expense of each of them. "A dollar 85 for a small coffee? I could brew it myself for $.47" What this person doesn't realize is the basic economic structure of a business offering a good or service. Yes, brewing a cup o' joe at home could realistically cost $.47, but what is the time spent doing this worth? Has this customer considered the cost of electricity, the salary and benefits for the employee, the paper receptacle holding the beverage, the cardboard heat insulator or the plastic sipping cover? There is value-added in purchasing these warm beverages and the complainer misses this point.
I wonder if coffee shops were populated this way 50, 60, even 80 years ago. Did my grandparents make observations about those people surrounding them at "venda-mats" (grandma's term for the coin-operated self-service sandwich and coffee stations in rail terminals during the 30s and 40s)? When others are at coffee shops today, do they notice each other, do they notice me? Or they able to better focus on their novel, their crossword, their work? Do they watch the bubbles on the perimeter of the java crowd and pop as they nestle against the inside surface of the ceramic or paper cup. Does the steam curling up from the coffee with cream serve as a surrogate for the fireplace they'd rather have on a frigid afternoon in January? I would imagine it warms the mood.
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