Coffee, Your Identity

-Coffee Culture, A Reflection of Who We Are

 

By Choi Hye-sun, Student Editor
Um So-min, Tribune Reporter
Lim Seon-hye, Tribune Reporter 

Where Are You Drinking Coffee?

 
 Coffee is the most popular beverage in Korea. Many people drink over 2 cups a day on average at a variety of places, depending on their situation. Some enjoy drinking coffee in indoor places; their home, office and coffee shops. Others drink their coffee on their way somewhere. But they may not realize that the places where they consume coffee reflect their identity and lifestyle.

 Where do you usually enjoy drinking coffee? And what do you do there? Do you have any special reasons for going there? A coffee shop is a popular place for chats, meetings and hanging out with friends. It ranks just after home, school and workplace as the most common place for social gatherings. This is not a new story. Coffeehouses have been a hub of social activity for centuries because coffee naturally accompanies talking and social networking. Of course, their look and function have changed with time.

 Currently, coffeehouses are more than just commercial places operated for dispensing coffee. They mean different things to different people. For some, they are quiet places for negotiating a new contract or using wireless internet to work or study. For others, they are a good place for talking about various subjects, chatting with friends, or just enjoying their favorite cup of coffee. Coffeehouses are also special places that have a unique look and feel and provide special service. The typical examples are theme cafés such as book-cafés where customers can read while having a cup of coffee and dog-cafés for pet lovers. Besides, most coffeehouses provide a neat, luxurious and comfortable atmosphere for customers so that they can enjoy spending time there. Now, coffee shops are a cultural place to enjoy various types of entertainment not just a place to drink coffee.

Coffeehouse, or on the Street

 Coffee and cafés are not just a drink and a store. Unlike cafés of old,, today’s cafés are decorated with bright lights, comfortable chairs, and have an open atmosphere. They are the perfect place for modern-day people who live complicated and busy lives and want to spend some time on their own. Look around in any coffeehouse, and you’ll quickly spot people sitting alone, reading, writing, studying or just relaxing. Free wireless internet access is a big part of coffee culture and many customers bring their laptops to do business or just surf the internet for hours. They’ll grab a cup of coffee, work for a bit, then head off when they feel the need to move on. The number of people using wireless internet at cafés is increasing. The new term “COFFICE”, a compound word made by combining ‘coffee’ and ‘office’ has been created to describe them.

 However, people who choose take-out coffee and people who stay in coffeehouses are not that different. Many like to enjoy the café’s space and atmosphere but also buy take-out coffee from time to time when they are busy. Take-out coffee not only reflects modern society’s tendency towards efficiency but it also meets the need of people on the go. With internet and mobile instruments disseminated throughout the country, more and more people are opting to move freely from place to place. This is why modern-day people are called ‘digital nomads’, Theses ‘nomads’ are highly efficient and constantly on the move. This naturally affects the way they drink their coffee. They take their coffee and set off, rinking it on the run instead of sitting down for a quiet cup. Take-out coffee and fast coffee like vending-machine coffee fit their lifestyle perfectly. People step into convenience stores or up to a vending-machine, choose a type of coffee or press a button. And within seconds they have their coffee, all ready to be carried off with them, wherever they wish to go, a fast, easy, mobile coffee break.

Are You Settlers or Nomads?

 CNUians, are you the coffeehouse-enjoying type or the nomad type? From Aug. 20th to 21st, Chonnam Tribune conducted a simple survey and discovered that more than 72 percent of CNU students prefer to drink their coffee in a café. Most said they go there on dates or to chat and meet with friends. The second largest number of students said they went there to relax. Only a few students go to cafés “just for a cup of coffee.” Kim Jin-ah (Sophomore, Dept. of Anthropology) said, “I prefer to go to cafés because of its facilities such as convenient seats and internet service. Occasionally, the mood of the café attracts me. A café near CNU’s back gate has wide windows with such a charming view that I often go there on rainy days.” She also said, “To me, cafés function as a meeting place, but whenever I have to meet someone I usually arrive early for my appointment and do a few other things.”

 It’s also easy to find nomads on campus, students walking around holding a cup of coffee. They drink coffee everywhere, in lounges and on benches and even lecture rooms. They buy take-out coffee, can coffee, or convenience store coffee for two major reasons. First, they are often pressed for time and can only spare a few minutes for a quick coffee break, so they get their coffee to go and bring it along to their lecture. Second, they do not want to sit indoors so they get their coffee and go for a walk or sit down near Yongji and Bongji. Kim hyun-woo (Sophomore, Dept. of Korean Lang. & Lit.), a student who prefers take-out coffee said, “I like take-out coffee because I can move about and go wherever I feel like going.” ‘Café Inven’, one of the campus coffeehouses located in front of College of Humanities Buildings, reflects this tendency very well. It e only offers take-out coffee, for students on the go. Three coffee shops including ‘Café Inven’ have many customers at lunch time, when take-out coffee is ordered with high frequency.

What Coffee Type Do You Prefer?

 Today’s coffee culture reflects a highly individuated society in which each member has a strong personality and also respects others’ individuality. At any café, we can choose our favorite coffee from a very long menu filled with a variety of coffee blends. If that weren’t enough, customers can even modify their orders to their taste. They can order the type of coffee, and how they’ll have it: single or double shot, black, with milk or cream with or without extra syrup, sugar or honey. Making such detailed orders takes time and could be considered a little fastidious or annoying, but they are willing to wait to get what they want. In this case, what matters to them most is the taste. Today’s customers like to have their coffee the way they want it and they can find many places to satisfy their needs.

 Conversely, though instant coffee is the same everywhere, its market never dwindles and people keep enjoying it. Prepackaged coffees are also in high demand. Now in stores you can buy not only typical can coffee but also various types of cup coffee including dripped coffee, and a variety of espresso based coffees. “Cup coffee” which is packaged like a coffeehouse’s take-out coffee cup, is especially popular. People enjoy drinking instant coffee and vending-machine coffee, which can be found almost everywhere, because they are cheap and convenient. Compared to coffeehouses’ can coffee, cup coffee, vending-machine coffee and instant coffee mix all have limits in satisfying individual tastes. In addition, popular franchise cafés like Starbucks are now working with distribution companies to put their coffee on market shelves and provide consumers with even more choice.

 Considering modern society’s members are highly individuated, isn’t it that ironic? People who enjoy instant coffee generally drink coffee for a quick burst of energy when they get sleepy or tired. However, the actual benefit is not derived from the coffee, but from the opportunity to relax provided by the coffee break. Experts claim that when people want to take a break from heavy work or study, they are often averse to making even simple choices, even when it comes to coffee. They do not want to think or make decisions. Instant coffee is ideal for them. Though it may not appeal to everyone, there is virtue in guaranteeing the customer the same taste no matter where or when they buy it. Its homogeneity and ease of access gives people a certain comfort and safety. It’s an easy stress-free choice. As mentioned above, to modern-day coffee consumers, mass market coffee and coffeehouse’s coffee are not in competition. They are alternatives, not substitutes for each other. People go to a café to enjoy coffee and satisfy their individual tastes, but they also go to a vending-machine for a quick, simple coffee and a short break. We can see that though many people like to express their individuality they also enjoy the benefits of homogeneity, speed and economic efficiency. These social aspects are also reflected in our modern-day lifestyles.

What Is Your Favorite Coffee?

 CNUians also have a two-sided coffee culture. Regular, Americano, macchiato, latte, cappuccino, frappuccino. Students can order coffee to their taste in coffeehouses by choosing from various blends on a menu then modifying them and selecting from an option of sizes. Students go to coffeehouses to express their style and characteristics through this choice, even if they are not aware of it. In contrast, though instant coffee cannot be tailored to a person’s taste, a large number of students still go to vending machines and convenience stores for that quick coffee fix.

 The survey found that around 43 percent of respondents went to vending machines and convenient stores to drink coffee. They said convenience is one of the strong points of instant coffee. There are a lot of vending machines in almost every campus building, so it is easy for students to drink coffee. And perhaps most importantly, most respondents said the best thing about instant coffee was its cheap price. Lee Jung-eun (Sophomore, Dept. of Ethics Education) said, “Above all, the best advantage of instant coffee is its low price and convenience. When I’m really busy, its quick and easy to decide what to drink.”

Coffee More than Just a Drink

 Coffee is universal; it’s the world’s most popular l drink and a part of our everyday life. And it reflects significant cultural aspects of our society. Coffee culture shows the double-sided social and cultural aspects of our times: customization and standardization, individuality and homogeneity, all of these concepts are present in the coffee culture at CNU. Like everywhere else, coffee culture here is not limited to customized coffee sold in cafés but includes the homogenous instant coffee offered by vending-machines and convenience stores around campus. Consequently, it can be said that a cup of delicious coffee provides a window on society. Far more than a simple beverage, far more than a social lubricant or an excuse for a relaxing break, coffee is medium reflecting the social culture of our age.