Brief and Scandalous

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ef and scandalous history of coffee and coffeehouses http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-18/lifestyle/a-brief-and-

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A brief and scandalous history of coffee andcoffeehouses

By Bryna Kranzler, SDNN

Monday, May 18, 2009 4 comments | read comments | post a comment

Since the discovery of the coffee bean by an Abyssian goatherd (who found his goatsdancing after

nibbling the berries from a particular bush), the dark beverage made from it has been both venerated

and vilified. The first consumers were members of the Sufi sect (thewhirling dervishes) who drankcoffee to stay awake for late night prayers. But once the beverages popularity spread and

coffeehouses opened, it quickly earned its reputation a troublemaking social brew.

In 1511, upon learning that humorous rhymes about him were being composed in coffeehouses, the governor of

Mecca proclaimed coffee forbidden under the laws of Islam and forced all coffeehouses in Mecca to close. In

what may be the first example of coffees addictive nature, the governor was overruled by the sultan of Cairo

who was a coffee lover.

In 1675, King Charles II of England felt threatened by False, Malicious and Scandalous Reports . . . to the

Defamation of His Majesties [sic] Government and issued a proclamation banning all coffeehouses Kingdom.


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The resulting uproar, however, proved a greater threat to the monarchy than the chatter therein, and the King

was forced to reverse the ban before it was effected.

Political leaders werent the only ones affected by the popularity of coffeehouses. In 1674, women in launched

a protest for keeping their husbands away from them every evening. The Womens Petition Against Coffee,

contending that their husbands came home from the coffeehousewith nothing stiffe [sic] but their Joints, nor

standing but their Ears. The Mens Answer to the Womens Petition against Coffee, however, claimed that

women should be grateful for coffee because it was an aphrodisiac.

At the Palais Royal in Paris, the seeds of discontent with the French aristocracy were sown, resulting directly in

the storming of the Bastille and the French revolution. Similarly, The Green Dragon Tavern (a coffeehouse) inBoston was where groups of patriots met secretly to plan The Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution

But coffeehouses also served a higher purpose as the official meeting places for scientific, literary and

commercial conversations. Sir Isaac Newton and other members of the British royal society once dissected a

dolphin in a coffeehouse, while Alexander Pope is said to have writtenThe Rape of the Lock based on

overhead coffeehouse gossip. Doctors also saw patients in private rooms in coffeehouses as well as consulted

with pharmacists who dispensed medication.

Serious business was also conducted in this environment. In London, a coffeehouse opened by Edward Lloyd

became a maritime meeting place where shipowners and the underwriters who insured them exchanged news of

ships, their cargos and auctions. So many underwriters rented booths at the coffeehouse that the business had to

move to larger quarters at which time it became known as Lloyds of London.

The London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange also took shape in coffeehouses wheremerchants and brokers gathered for public auctions and to negotiate deals. The building that housed Tontines

coffeehouse that gave birth to the NYSE still stands at the corner of Wall and Water Streets.

Last year the U.S. Senate began holding bi-partisan, brainstorming legislative sessions in Washington, D.C.s

Caf Karma. It was a great opportunity for us to . . . start thinking outside the legislative box, Vice President

Joe Biden had said. Senators credited the cafs fresher coffee, artistic atmosphere, and youthful staff and

clientele with helping them overcome old obstacles and come up with, among other ideas, a new proposal for

stem-cell research.

Tags: SDNN

This entry was posted on Monday, May 18th, 2009 at 9:04 am and is filed under Arts & Entertainment, Food Toolbox, Lifestyle. You can

follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, ortrackbackfrom your own site.

READER COMMENTScomment rules | moderation | privacy

Comment by: Sue Ebner Posted: May 19, 2009, 9:49 am

It is so interesting to read the cultural transformation that has occurred at coffee houses. My first experience of a


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coffee house was Pannikins in La Jolla in the mid 70s. I had just returned from a year of school in Florence,

where I was introduced to a cappuccino and an espresso. How delighted I was to be able to drink those delights

in San Diego when I returned. At that time, my Pannikin was a hangout to enjoy a coffee and socialize -

doing/conducting work was not a thought in anyones mind. Here we are today who would have thought the

one of the fast food restaurants would be selling their ownMc versionsEnjoyed the article!

Comment by: bennie Posted: May 19, 2009, 11:34 am

Posted on the Internet 10,000 times before, I suppose we needed 10,001?

Comment by: Siraj al-Haqq Posted: May 20, 2009, 12:50 am

It seems that in order to keep this storybrief a few words were left out here and there. Or perhaps the author

and/or editor should have imbibed a few more cups of coffee so as to stay more alert and catch these errors of

omission.

This from a non coffee drinker who is walking the Sufi path towards self-embodied wakefulness in the One. . .

Comment by: Michael MantellPosted: May 21, 2009, 7:56 am

Want more on coffee culturean inside understanding of the mind of the coffee community? Is there a

psychology to coffee?

Check out sandiegomagazine.com

DR. SAN DIEGO

A Morning Without Coffee Is Like Sleep

May 15: The virtues of coffee consumption

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