Photo by Homegirl
We love our coffee. Let’s be honest about it. Whether the “we” means “Americans” or “Latinos,” it’s a safe bet that the peppy Ethiopian bean is a well liked staple in your home.
As a recent convert to Pan-American coffee adoration, I set out to find out the reasons why exactly we love our brown friend. Using highly unscientific research that mainly consisted of a morning driving around Queens, New York, I was able to make some generalizations as to why customers at particular establishments drank coffee.
Dunkin’ Donuts: To get a caffeine buzz before work or before doing a bunch of tedious tasks.
Starbucks: See above entry, only with an addition of feigned social consciousness, cosmopolitan thinking, or trendiness. Key word here – feigned.
IHOP: In order to feel that one is eating a traditional American breakfast, or because the local diner was put out of business when the IHOP opened.
In a much more scientific study, our good friends at Nescafé, in celebration of National Coffee Month, were able to make some generalizations about why Latinos drink coffee. (Nescafé is gearing up to make a larger push into the Latino market.) Some of their findings are interesting and differentiate us from non-Latino coffee drinkers.
A survey of 1,001 Latinos showed that we drink coffee because it:
a) Calms us — Large numbers of Latinos associated the terms “relaxation,” “comfort” and “stress release” with coffee. A much smaller group associated it with the term “caffeine buzz.”
b) Gives us a chance to catch up — In Latino households, hearing family news and catching up with friends are activities that often happen over coffee.
You may have your own personal reasons for drinking coffee. Celebrate National Coffee Month by meditating a bit over the drink and thinking about what it actually does for you. If you’re Colombian, you might be welcoming someone into your house. Enjoy it, my friends, because whether as Latinos or Americans, coffee is a tie that truly binds us together as a culture.
And for delicious Latino-themed recipes from Nescafé check out the following:
About Eric J Cortes
This was interesting…thanks for sharing..i enjoyed it. As a latina…i fall into the main bracket where coffee calms and relaxes me.
My family is from Santa Ana, El Salvador, the coffee-growing region of the country (where obviously the best desserts are), so I’ve literally been drinking coffee since I was a baby (coffee in my baby bottle!).
Rarely drink it. Just for flavor. Milk and cereal is my go to breakfast every morning
I am actively celebrating National Coffee Month right now.
There is NOTHING like the taste de una taza que cafe bien hecha a lo BORICUA…I love to savor the flavor. I only drink it once a day now though.
Love coffee!