Coffee as Social Commentary
Is there a better social measuring stick than these three options of coffee. Same drink but delivered in completely different contexts and with inherently distinctive qualities.
On the whole I will admit that I tend to be more of a Starbucks person than a Dunkin' Donuts or diner person. I have the courage to own up to it and neither option is inherently bad, but for me I guess it's pretty obvious. I own two MAC computers, have wi-fi high speed internet at home, I live in Manhattan, get my haircut by a "stylist," and I can't imagine watching TV without my DVR. As my grandpa says "It only costs twice as much to go first class." Boy is he right.
Here's the thing I don't even like coffee, love the smell hate the taste. You don't have to ever darken the door of a Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or the corner diner to be included in this particular social commentary. In one way or another one of these three options appeals to your social, economic, and quality sensibilities. So which is it for you?
11 comments:
I'm not a fan of coffee either. However, if you put enough sugar in it, it all tastes the same..and thats good!!!
I don't like dunkin donuts b/c the coffee is too dadgum hot. starbucks is too bitter. I'm a fan of the folgers or whatever you can get at the grocery and make it at home. then you put that french vanilla coffeemate stuff in it. And you drink it at home in your own mug of your favorite sports team while watching the morning edition of sportscenter. Now thats good coffee!
Yep - I'm a Starbucks girl myself. I don't do regular coffee there, though - cafe mocha or mocha frappucino. I'm beginning to really enjoy a cup of coffee with my dessert - cake, pie whatever. I guess it means I'm getting old....
I love the idea of buying my coffee at the local diner but since we don't have a whole lot of diners around here.
I've actually decided I prefer Starbucks coffee over almost anything else. I've tasted lots of coffees and I really do think it's one of the best.
The Frothy Monkey ain't bad either. Sorry. It's in Nashville. Guess you'll have to come for a visit soon. Bring your wife and kid too!
Unfortunatley Starbucks, but deep down I want to be a diner coffee drinker...
I hate the taste, love the smell. In fact I brew coffee just for the aroma.
Thanks for the comments, they are always appreciated. But I am not as interested in peoples preferences for coffee as I am in how, or why it is we are motivate to pay $2.00 or $1.50 or $.90 for a product that only warrants that price differentiation because of the store it's purchased in.
How far can that be extrapolated out into other aspects of life? I think it's a fascinating thing to examine about oneself because it can reveal a glimpse of how we are influenced through marketing and our mentality of material consumption.
This is the brilliance of Starbucks right? In the 1980's if you were to have a business plan that had as it's objective to get people to pay $4.50 per day for coffee, you would have found absolutely zero investors. But Starbucks has managed to use coffee and culture to tap into the artery of our society that was BEGGING for a $4.50 cup of coffee. What about our nature compels us to want such things? It's an age old debate that has it's roots as Nature vs. Nurture. Do we want it and just wait for the right entity to provide it for us? Or are we told that we need a $4.50 cup of coffee and we believe it?
All this from a cup of coffee.
I really think it's more than just the the idea that the Starbuck's cup makes you look more discerning. I really believe Starbucks offers a very good product, the stores are always very clean and have a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. I'd pay more to spend an hour of social interaction in a Starbuck's shop as opposed to a Dunkin'Donuts (almost always dirty) or any greasy coffee shop I've ever been to. Starbucks offers more than just branding or coffee, it markets a whole experience that is better than most other places. In Germany thay have long had Konditeri shops where you could go for a dessert and/or a cup of coffee or tea, sit for hours and read or talk to a friend, and never be looked at like you were taking up a space that could be bringing in more money. I have missed that since I lived in Germany, and Starbucks as been as close to that as anything I have found here.
Great blog. I hate coffee too but I am definitely in the minority where I live and work. But to look deeper...we spend millions and billions of money on things that go faster, stronger, make our lives easier, give us faster highs and shorter lows. I love talking with my MawMaw when I get to see her. She has a way of putting things in persepective for me. She tells of her growing up in a Depression and it makes me feel very blessed to live during the time I live. We have so many luxuries in our lives. I too have 2 mac computers, an iPod, a storage drive, Hybrid car, etc. I always look for quality in a product. And I have to admit that I am a sucker for something that makes my life a lot easier (even if it makes me a bit more lazy). Maybe if we went back to growing our own food, building our own houses, etc...nah, let's just continue with progress!!
I personally prefer Bongo Java much more than Starbucks, but neverheles I weigh in on the high side. But my wallet and my sensibilities weigh in on the diner side. So, I compromise. I buy Bonga Java coffee by the pound and prepare it myself in my $5 dollar french press from Target. The coffee is barely higher than the grind your own from Kroger or whoever.
Tony
P.S. I agree w/ The Juice, Starbucks is bitter. Bonga Java is the least bitter, but strong coffee I have found.
Bongo Java Roasting Co.
Tony
It's fairly clear that humans are very susceptible to ideas and impressions of prestige. Generally, prestigious characteristics in this post-modern society in some way relate to: wealth, intellect, education, "in the know"-ness/ being savvy, technology and style. So, Starbucks is successful because one must have expendable income to be a client and be educated enough to be familiar with their services and products, like free-trade coffee and fancy espresso machines (and other things that make you seem environmentally sound or hip, as are so tres chic these days). Their well-designed graphics on their cups can make even the most boring guy wearing a Gap t-shirt look hip carrying one of their cups. Starbucks has sold an image to us. Just like Mac has. Just like McDonald's has. (Ooh, but we don't like McDonald's do we? No, their image is really low class! I mean... their food taste bad, and it's unhealthy! Funny how in the 80's everyone thought it tasted good. Oh right! The 80's was a time of excess. We're smarter now. We know what's good for our bodies! Like drinking 5 cups of $4 coffee each day...) We're living in a sort of marketing Matrix. None of your choices are yours. There are thousands of companies competing for your dollar, and I guarantee that we'll all choose the one that portrays the image we want to have. We aren't making consumer decisions. We're making very predictable choices based upon our income, race, sex, sexual orientation, level of education, hipness, etc. I mean, this is where the whole idea of stereotypes come from.
If you're reading this saying, "Well, that's not me. I go against the grain. I refuse to drink Starbucks!" then you're just another classification: you're a hipster. You've got a whole set of image rules you play by that's much more intricate than that of the average joe walking down the street drinking his not so average cup of joe.
i love coffee. i have it everyday. people can't understand that i don't like chocolate, but i am a coffee person. i love flavored lattes at starbucks, but i'm not crazy about their brewed coffees. french roasts are my favorite, from einstein's bagels or a french bakery here, or la madeleine's. when i was in nyc last year, it seemed like i saw a lot of locals with dunkin donut cups. the one thing, in the summer, i love an irish cream iced latte, and i don't mind paying $4 for it! it's my favorite way to treat myself.
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