The more history I learn, the more the world fills up with stories. Just the other day, I was in my neighborhood Starbucks, waiting for the post office to open. I was enjoying a chocolatey caffe mocha when it occurred to me that to drink a mocha is the gulp down the entire history of the New World. From the Spanish exportation of Aztec cacao, and the Dutch invention of the chemical process for making cocoa, on down to the capitalist empire of Hershey, PA, and the lifestyle marketing of Seattle's Starbucks, the modern mocha is a bittersweet concoction of imperialism, genocide, invention, and consumerism served with whipped cream on top. No wonder it costs so much.
Sarah Vowel from The Partly Cloudy Patriot (SV is perhaps the perfect subway read - smart enough to make one forget the drudge of commuting, but chaptery enough that my 30 minute ride isn't a waste)
Or, sometimes a caffe mocha is just a caffe mocha - no apologies necessary to Sigmund Freud.
Posted by: Sonja | February 06, 2007 at 01:25 PM