Just as Obama's smoking habit, Bristol Palin and the Situation are the cultural icons the chattering classes use to define themselves, so too has coffee become a means for social dialog and interaction and yes, defining one's place in society.
I am aware how clichéd this sounds, but think about it – we define ourselves by the clothes we wear (Dolce & Gabbana or thrift store?), the food we eat (Trader Joe's or Safeway?) and the shows we watch (Lost or Newshour with Jim Lehrer?) - and the coffee we drink, or the places we drink it.
Exempli gratia: Rednecks drink 88 oz. 5-sugars-deep truck-stop coffee; the vast majority of Europeans drink tiny cups of bad espresso from giant automated machines; Filipinos and most developing countries drink Nescafe (such shit, not real coffee); hipsters outside of NYC and SF drink Dunkin' Donuts coffee; American's love venti sugar-free non-fat-vanilla-soy-double-shot-decaf-no-foam-extra-hot peppermint white chocolate mocha with light whip and extra syrup.
Where and how you take your coffee says a lot about you. You go to McCafe? I know you and your ilk.
We've taken this to the next level in San Franciso. Coffee culture, much like a sexually active middle-schooler, has risen to new heights of coolness. Walk into the cathedral of coffee on Mint Street or the writer's liar that is Coffeebar and you'll know what I'm talking about. Fixie and a mustache? Meet at Ritual.
I'm not slamming this situation; it is what it is. It even says something about our great city. New York is defined by fashion and finance - hence the exclusive clubs and restaurants no one should be able to afford. LA is defined by the "industry" - hence the $100 haircuts and drive-through plastic surgeries. San Francisco is defined by its left-wing politics and healthy work/life balance - which manifests itself in the best coffeehouses in the US.
