Nothing like a good coffee for a fresh start.

I am sure most of us coffee lovers will agree that nothing is better to start your journey than an aromatic cup of coffee; seems that Sara Piccolo Paci, our Cultural Aspects teacher at Polimoda MBA Program is a true believer of this theory.  We started this new Italian journey with a first class based on coffee, tea and chocolate and how these fragrant drinks have captivated our senses all across the history up to date.  

Now, how is coffee related with cultural aspects?  Surprisingly a lot! Coming from El Salvador, a country where coffee has always being very much appreciated at the point that no one can call it a breakfast unless it is accompanied by the sweet-smelling cup of coffee, and honestly I don’t even remember when was the first time I tried coffee. Yes! Coffee is accepted even for kids… the sensual drink is hidden in the vast amount of milk that is poured for the little ones, but no one can deny coffee is still there flirting with their palates at a very young age.

But before I get lost reminiscing about my childhood and my “champion’s breakfast” which did not include Tony the Tiger but rather coffee and "semita" (traditional sweet bread), let me get to the point of how coffee can be a cultural difference indicator.

Yes, I was born in El Salvador, though my career path brought me out of the country to different regions where coffee has always been present.  I have gone from tropical El Salvador to the beautiful French Canadian countryside in the Laurentides, Quebec; then to the cosmopolitan English Canadian City of Toronto then to the Far East in Seoul, South Korea; back to Guatemala (also well known for its coffee plantations); then Shanghai, People's Republic of China and currently Florence in Italy.  

In every single place I have been, except for China, coffee has a very important place in people’s drinking preferences.  But as much as coffee is generic for everybody, the way each one of the mentioned cities enjoy the aromatic drink is different, and I am not talking about the differences between an Americano, Espresso or Cappuccino but rather on the actual behavior while drinking a good cup of coffee.

When shopping or doing errands out with my mom at my early years, no matter how many tasks we had to accomplish during the day, the stop for coffee was mandatory.  It could had been only five minutes to sit and drink a coffee and some pastry and keep on going with the journey, but the key point is “TO SIT”.  Thinking of walking with a cup of coffee was unthinkable for my mom; and there I was, years later, walking in Toronto going to work with my Café Latté on one of those white paper cups with the green logo!?  When did that happen?  A simple task such as sipping  your coffee can tell you a lot about a culture and how life has changed.  For El Salvador, it is more of a common ritual, a time for indulgence even if you are in a hurry.  This approach is somehow shared for the Quebecers in Canada, probably due to the similarities about the “enjoying life” philosophy.  For Toronto, the so-called New York of Canada, the rush of the people is shown in sipping while on the go while in South Korea, coffee is the perfect ending of lunch time.

Koreans will eat their lunches at the speed of light, 10 minutes and the hot “jiggae” is gone.  Everybody comes in and out of restaurants at lunch time with an average sitting time of 15 minutes (including ordering, eating and paying).  But you can always have a break in Seoul, one of the most fast paced cities in Asia; after “swallowing” their lunches, the rush goes to the coffee shops (which I am not afraid to say that Yeouido, the traditional financial district in Seoul has an average of 4 coffee shops per block).  That is where the real break and enjoyment takes place.  At the coffee shop those hard working people gather to gossip about the journey and relax, some groups will prefer to take it on the go, but no one really rushes with a coffee cup on the street, the cup on the go is an invitation to quietly stroll the streets while enjoying the preferred “iced coffee” even for winter! That is the real break that helps finishing the 10 – 12 hour working journey.

So a simple cup of coffee can tell you a lot about a society, their life style, the way they approach life, it can be a media to spot out cultural differences and it can also be a fun way to spend a couple of minutes catching up with your friends, reading a book, checking emails or, even just looking at other’s people behaviors.   

No matter how busy our journey is, there is always time for a coffee!

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Roger Artiga