By Alex Belloli
Spring 2018 Intern
I am only a morning person by one
means: coffee. Until I take my first sips, I’m basically a corpse. Growing up,
I always heard adults rave about coffee, but it was a phenomenon I never understood
until I experienced it. Most people know why coffee boosts our energy, but not
how it came to be one of humanity’s favorite drinks.
There are many legends about the
first discovery of coffee, but one in
particular has become the most popular. Long ago in Egypt, a goatherd
called Kaldi noticed his goats became very energetic after eating certain
berries. Curious, Kaldi ate some himself and experienced a similar boost in
energy. He went to a nearby monastery and told the abbot of the phenomenon, who
then turned the berries into a drink. He found it allowed the monks to stay
awake during nightly religious services, and thereafter, this proto-coffee was
quickly adopted by many monasteries and became an important part of prayer
sessions.
What began as a crude concoction is
now one of the most popular crafted beverages on Earth—in 1999 it was reported
that 2.25 billion cups were consumed in the world every day. I have proudly contributed
to today’s daily statistics and, so long as I need to wake, will continue to
consume cup after cup.
No comments:
Post a Comment