“Widespread caffeine use explains a lot about the twentieth century.” – Greg Egan
In honor of national espresso day -yes it’s a real thing- I thought I’d talk a bit about my relationship with caffeine.
Both of my parents are coffee lovers. I know if I wake up later than them I will wake up to the smell of freshly brewed high-quality coffee in the air. If I don’t it’s likely that I’m already at work. I work at Panera and am surrounded by coffee there all day. You would think that having such good coffee so readily available that I’d be all over it. The funny thing is I honestly don’t remember the last time I had a cup of coffee.
I have this thing where I don’t like to depend on things. My friend once told me that I have too much self-control. Call it stubborn. Call it smart. It is what it is. Me having this means that I rarely drink caffeine if I do it is most likely green tea. I do this because I see my coworkers, friends, family members and most of society at this point fully addicted to caffeine. Whether that be through energy drinks, coffee, soda, or five-hour energy. It’s everywhere.
I don’t dislike the taste of coffee either. I actually enjoy it. In my mind, it isn’t worth it though. If I do need caffeine I take a double shot of espresso, a doppio. I used to put a little bit of whipped cream on top of it, a doppio campana but I am lactose intolerant so I had to stop it.
You may read this and think that it is one of the weirdest things you have ever head. Why would one purposefully bring down their quality of life? Here’s the thing though. Is my quality of life truly that much lower than those that drink coffee? Personally, I don’t think so. Now, would it be possible for me to know if it was or not? In reality no. So, for now, I’ll just be here. Me doing me, and you doing you.