Week 7

As we have been studying in class, coffee is an important commodity not only for the Costa Rican people but for the country as well. When I asked my Tica Mom why coffee was important to Costa Rica she answered two ways. The first was in regards to economics and how coffee has brought so much money into the country. Her next response was that coffee is an important aspect of the Costa Rican social life. It is a custom "muy fuerte" as my Tica Mom said. When I asked her about how coffee is connected to politics my mom struggled to find an answer. She said that historically coffee was controlled by a few strong and wealth families that had power over the growing and selling of coffee. I believe that my tica mom not really knowing the answer to this question shows that for her, she drinks coffee because it is important to her and her everyday life. I gathered that it was her personal connection to coffee as the reason for consuming it, and not because it helps the Costa Rican economy.

I took this picture on my walk home from school. I noticed about this particular cafe that there were people inside drinking coffee and eating pastries. There were there to have a cup of coffee and socialize. It was a small cafe with tables for two and intimate lighting. It created an atmosphere for conversation.

Normally, if I want to have some coffee I go with everyone to our favorite place-Kaldi, which is another place where socializing over a cup of coffee is done. It is a larger restaurant that serves food, pastries, and coffee. There are couches for a more relaxed visit and then there are tables for larger groups.

These places serve to provide a location for people to meet at and enjoy their time together. However, coffee isn't the main focus of the cafes/restaurants. That is the reason why we go to Kaldi for coffee. While it's a restaurant, it's a place that can provide up a large table, really good cinnamon buns, and even better coffee. But at the same time we've all been there to have meals as well. When I was in downtown San Jose a few weeks ago me and the girls I was with wanted some coffee. We had to find a small cafe because there are no places that mainly serve coffee.

Coffee culture in Cosa Rica is very different from that of the United States. Here in Costa Rica people take the time to go to a restaurant, sit down, drink their coffee and enjoy the company of another person. To me, when I see people getting coffee together in Costa Rica, I picture coffeehouses in my head but in a smaller scale. Because, while there aren't bunches of people from different classes all in the same building together, the same idea can occur between a few people.
In the United States the coffee culture is more of a grab and go mentality. It's more common to see people go into a Starbucks and order a drink to go than to sit down and talk with a friend. At Elon, I personally was one of those girls who took the to go coffee mug to class to ensure I got my caffeine fix for the day. But at the same time, there have been many instances where I've met friends at Acorn or Irazu to get coffee and catch up. So for coffee culture in the United States I believe it depends on the person and the situation they are in at the moment they are getting the coffee.