Sounds ridiculous, right? Like, how is a goat herder responsible for creating the first cup of coffee in the world? I tell the story in this episode and I'm sure you'll get a real kick out of that...
Coffee has a very interesting backstory. Historically, it's been consumed for centuries, all over the world. It only made its debut in America in the 1700's, after the Boston Tea Party when American's essentially gave Brits the "one finger salute" and stopped drinking tea in favor of coffee because it was unpatriotic. Can you imagine?
I thought that was hilarious. A phenomenal execution of the economic power of a few principled people who refused to be controlled by the aristocracy. Anyhoo....
Coffee is also responsible for the rise of Capitalism. I know that's a bold statement, but it is also true. The story goes like this...
Some guy in Colorado was running a company that made beautiful silk ties and when WWII started, he lost his labor force to the war effort. Then he was forced to hire some old ladies (probably old ladies like me who, enjoy making beautiful art, are good with their hands, and need some money while their husbands are out fighting the good fight). These ladies did good work, but guess what?
They got tired by mid morning and productivity plummeted. Yeah...a "siesta" at 11am sounds about right....especially without coffee...
Long story short, the coffee break was born and it catapulted the world through the industrial revolution - while buzzed on caffeine. That's the good news...
But (of course) there is a darker side of coffee history. One that is exploitative and abusive and contaminated and really, really rich. And I don't mean in dark roast flavor...I mean in billions.
And I'll give you a little heads up. There's slave labor and glyphosate lurking in the historic and present-day halls of this one...but not to worry. If either of those things have inadvertently found their way into your cup of Joe like they did mine, there's hope. Because the truth is, it would be a complete disaster if we all stopped drinking coffee, at what could possibly be the worst time in history to have a billion addicts suddenly going through withdrawal, simultaneously. Am I right?
I really appreciate you listening to this week's episode and sharing it with someone you love! Until next time, remember to eat clean, liberate yourself and dig deeper into your food supply chain. Chow! |
