21 Jun How you drink your coffee…and how this affects your happiness!
I love my coffee.
And I love enjoying and savouring my coffee…often in the presence of others.
Coffee for me can be taste, stimulation, relaxation, connection and (among other things) … connection.
Which is why I believe this article on coffee fits perfectly in my blog on happiness…
by Yara Zgheib via the Huffington Post
There are two broad philosophies on how to have one's coffee, and two broad philosophies on how to live one's life. Both questions are inextricably linked.
One can order one's coffee large, in a leak-proof Styrofoam cup with extra room for hydrogenated cream, syrup, and sugar, to be hastily gulped in between destinations, reminders, and crossed-off checklist items. Coffee on the go, an invention we owe to at least three historical events:
In 1906, a certain George Washington invented mass-produced 'instant' coffee. One year later, a certain Lawrence Luellen invented the first disposable paper cup, and in a much later 1971, a certain Starbucks combined the two into a $70.9 billion industry.
Life on the go was invented much earlier, in 1517, by a certain Martin Luther: theologian, seminal founder of the Protestant Church, and great fan of hard work and frugality. Max Weber applied his ideas to economics, and coined the term "Protestant work ethic" as the driving force behind the rise of capitalism, social success and wealth in northern Europe.
Today, this double-pronged philosophy dominates our society, economy, and personal lives. Much work, much productivity, fueled by much, much more coffee.
But there is another, lesser-known way to have one's coffee.
Monday morning. Quit your job, move to Rome. Tuesday. Find the euro buried deep in your pocket, walk down the street and into the bar on the corner. Step up to the counter, order a caffè. Sip, savor. Be still.
Il dolce far niente.
A life of some work, much pleasure, and rich shots of coffee ristretto, macchiato or lungo. The philosophy of delicious idleness…
…keep reading for more on the links between coffee and happiness HERE