By Rym Ghazal
“Please, sir,” pleaded Oliver Twist, “I want some more.”
—Charles Dickens.
Dickens’ hero simply wanted more to eat, but today most people are no longer satisfied with quantity; these days we demand more choice – to the point where it’s spoiling our appetite to enjoy life itself.
From picking personalized ring tones on a cell phone, to searching through countless bridal magazines for the perfect wedding dress, to simply contemplating what’s wanted on a submarine sandwich, almost every decision made today is complicated by a myriad of options.
But options are always good, consumer market advocates might argue.
Are they always good or do all these choices needlessly complicate our lives?
Even the seemingly simple task of ordering coffee has become an elaborate ritual for many. It now requires interpreting trendy and romantic foreign names which are displayed on cinemascopic menus.
The simple choice of regular or decaf is a thing of the past.
Now, there are coffee blends, flavoured coffees, specialty coffees, European coffees, exotic coffees from Africa and Arabia, decaffeinated, and iced coffees for the daring in winter and the sweaty in summer.
Take the story of espresso, a style borrowed from the Italians who wanted to brew strong coffee quickly. But now coffee drinkers seem to be bored with this simple blend and are demanding more choices. So espresso got several make-overs and became more complicated to prepare, and to pronounce.
Now, espresso can be transformed into cappuccino, caffe latte, mocha, caffe Americano, cafe-au-lait or espresso macchiato.
But that’s not all. There’s a choice between two-per-cent milk, one-per-cent milk, soy milk, lactose-free milk or skim milk.
And for those with a sweet tooth, there’s a choice between white sugar, raw sugar, and various artificial sweeteners.
The consumer is expected to understand how the roast of a coffee will affect its taste. Contrary to most people’s expectations, darker roasts have less caffeine than lighter roasts. Those who want to perk up after a late night should opt for the light roast option.
Before ordering coffee these days, one almost needs to look at a coffee manual or take a course in Coffee 101, in order to avoid confusion and holding up the line.
It’s remarkable how radically coffee drinkers’ habits have changed, given coffee’s humble beginnings.
It is said that a goat herder in what is now Ethiopia discovered coffee in about 500 BC, when he noticed his goats getting friskier after eating red berries from a wild coffee bush.
The herder would be amazed if he could see the impact his chance discovery has had all over the world.
Canadians alone consume over 15 billion cups of coffee a year. It is one of Canada’s favourite beverages, second only to tap water, according to the Coffee Association of Canada.
It’s also part of a conspiracy.
“Everything today is conspiring to make life more complicated,” says Sian Reid, professor of sociology at Carleton University.
“We live in a society that is increasingly organized around consumerism,” says Reid. “And a coffee shop is an interesting example of that.”
She explains that shopping is the most universal social act.
“So, what choices people make and what they finally buy can tell you a lot about where the society is heading,” says Reid.
In studying simple acts, such as ordering coffee, it is possible to discern emerging social patterns.
“I want a tall latte with skimmed milk, no foam and extra hot,” demands one executive-looking woman in her late 30s, observed in a local coffee shop.
“I want a tall cappuccino with lactose milk, more foam and warm,” instructs another important-looking man in his early 40s, observed in the same coffee shop.
Why are people ordering such complicated coffee drinks?
Because they can, says Reid.
“They want to personalize their items,” explains Reid. “The younger and the more successful group can afford choices and hence want to make the most out of them.”
Then there are those that struggle because of choices.
A man in his late 60s, wearing a black hat and a green jacket decorated with a poppy enters the coffee shop. He reaches the coffee counter and stops. He looks up at the menu. After a few moments of silence, a coffee server prompts him gently for his order: “Can I help you, sir?”
After a few more minutes pass, he finally says: “I just want coffee.”
The scene repeats itself every time a person of the 50-plus age group enters the coffee shop.
“Proliferation of choices has an effect of widening the generation gaps,” explains Reid.
“The elderly are not familiar with the choices offered nowadays.”
Reid says the world is changing so fast that the elderly have no chance of catching up.
But there is still hope for simplicity.
“There is a voluntary simplicity movement on its way,” says Reid. “People are slowly realizing that things are just too complicated. They will slow things down themselves.”