A few days back, my friends and I were discussing Descartes’ cogito, ergo, sum (I think, therefore I am) in our philosophy club when we decided to keep our next meeting in a coffee house. Meeting in coffee houses and associated coffee culture has been around since the 18th century when intellectuals, writers, philosophers and many other people met in such coffee houses and had extensive, elaborate discussions.
The idea was well received by the club members, and, we were very excited as it gave us a Dead Poets Society feel. It would be exciting for us to experience some of the literary and cultural trends of the 18th century that we had so fondly read in our English literature classes.
Can you imagine going to a complete stranger and discussing a comparative study between Descartes and Kant or ranting about your dislike for BJP’s propaganda over a steaming cup of coffee?
This, precisely, was the trend 300 years ago, when coffee houses were the hub of such stimulating discussions and debates; a meeting point for intellectuals, playwrights, philosophers, scientists, etc. (of the like of Sir Isaac Newton, Samuel Pepys and several others). As strange as this concept might seem now, conversations were the lifeblood of coffee houses which thrived on people and their opinions. Hearing unknown people talk for hours was the underlying principle in the construction of coffee houses.
Since I was coordinating the meeting, I went there earlier than others to book us a table and plan everything. Upon entering the café, I was greeted by the loud chattering and babbling of the college crowd. I could see some people clicking selfies, others uploading food pictures on Instagram and Snapchat with hashtags like #FoodPorn #FoodLover #FoodGoneCold #Oops!
I also saw book lovers comfortably nestled in the plush and comfortable couches with their perfectly arranged John Green novel, the coffee mug and an oversized, nerdy but cute pair of glasses.
Although I realised that it would be difficult for us to organise a philosophy discussion here in the middle of a loud crowd, the excitement and the thrill was far too overpowering. I found the perfect spot in one such corner of the café which had a large table and was fairly secluded. Though, I must admit that being the excluded section also made it a couple-friendly section. Tinder dates are common in coffee houses.
As per the agenda, we began the meeting with a steaming cup of perfectly brewed coffee and even better-roasted ideas. Once the discussion was in full swing, we didn’t realise when we completely forgot about our surroundings and the server came up to take our orders along with a polite request of toning our voices down.
This came as a harsh realisation as it dawned upon me that discussions like these are no longer the lifeblood of cafes; instead, they have merely become hubs for people with endless time and money to spend on overpriced frappes and lattes, fries and pies. What was even more amazing was that the newly entered group and probably the chirpiest one was that of a kitty party.
Conversations like “Hey! Did you know XYZ’s son got a promotion the other day! His parents are so proud!” mixed with those like “Kant focuses more on feeling and interpretation of the empirical data with a reason whereas Descartes focuses on logic-” gave us a sense of the Biblical babble!
We decided to order some food and give a break to our Dead Poets Society for the time being. Though the babble had now reduced just to gossip, a friend in the group suddenly had a deja-vu about Alexander Pope, who in his most famous work ‘The Rape of the Lock,’ describes coffee as:
“Coffee, (which makes the Politician wise,
And see thro’ all things with his half shut Eyes)
Sent up in Vapours to the Baron’s Brain
New Stratagems, the radiant Lock to gain.”
It is said that certain elements of the poem were inspired by the gossip that he overheard at local coffee houses.
This made us realize that coffee houses and cafés weren’t just a meeting place but also a place that inspired different types of art. Surprisingly, coffee houses became such an important part of society that they began appearing in different art forms. Thomas Jordan composed a song called Triumphs of London that illustrates the manners of the times and the type of conversations that could be found within a coffee house.
“You that delight in wit and mirth, And love to hear such news
That come from all parts of the earth, Turks, Dutch, and Danes, and Jews:
I’ll send ye to the rendezvous, where it is smoking new;
Go hear it at a coffee-house, It cannot but be true.”
Literature has always captured the elite class’ love for coffee. Even today, coffee is connected with fashionable sophistication.
What these coffee houses did was provide a space for communities. They provided a place for society to engage in wonderful discussions. The initial purpose of coffee houses and cafés was to maximize sociability, critical judgement and debate and discussions which led to the blossoming of creative and political ideas among people. Although the flavours of coffee have become better and grander today, the possibilities of intellectual and mental growth have vanished, making our coffee era and stories very superficial in themselves.
Thus with filled stomachs, fulfilled minds and somewhat empty wallets, we ended our discussion, making our coffee experience a different kind than the rest.