HOT OFF THE (FRENCH) PRESS

A Muse Bouche | Alexandra Forand

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The phrase “let’s get coffee” has many meanings. It can mean “hey, I haven’t seen you in a while and I want to reaffirm our connection,” or it can mean “we do not really have a connection, but I want to get to know you better.” While this phrase has many meanings, it is usually a sign of friendliness, interest, and a desire to bond with another person. So dear readers, I hope my first article is a way for us to get that proverbial cup of coffee and help us get to know each other a little better.
I was interested in how the act of “getting coffee” became the standard for getting to know someone. It occurred to me that drinking coffee in a social sphere is not new, but has a long history. The most notable evidence of this obsession with coffee (and other hot drinks) is a vast amount of ceramics. In Bruno Blondé and Wouter Ryckbosch's chapter entitled “Arriving to a Set Table: The Integration of Hot Drinks in the Urban Consumer Culture of the Eighteenth-Century Southern Low Countries,” the authors assert that the relative abundance of hot caffeinated drinks (such as coffee) led to significant expansion of the retail market. In other words, the love of coffee created an unprecedented desire to show off the fact that you could afford this luxury, thereby spurring the growth of the ceramics industry.

Tea Pots at the Gardiner Museum. Photo courtesy of Alexandra Forand.

With this in mind, I headed down to the Gardiner Museum to check out the 18th century European porcelain collection. According to the exhibit there were three culprits that led to the mass production of ceramics or “porcelain fever” in Europe during the mid 18th century. These refreshments were coffee, tea, and chocolate (while solid chocolate was available, liquid chocolate, similar to a thicker hot chocolate we know today, was popular at this time). These goods were so readily sought after that vast amounts of porcelain were produced for the upper class in the form of full tea sets, so that they could enjoy their liquid luxuries in a way they were accustomed to. I was surprised to find out that another popular way a wealthy person could enjoy their tea, coffee, or chocolate was from their own personal solitaire. A solitaire is a tea set made for a single person with the intention of having tea alone. The thought of having tea alone seems like a dismal affair, especially since I have always seen it as a social situation.

Tea Cups. Photo courtesy of Alexandra Forand.

I noticed the solitaires were intricately designed. In many cases the designs featured on the pieces were unique to that specific article of the set. While these intricate drawings on the ceramics might feel disconnected to food studies, they are very important. Firstly, the pieces themselves are essentially primary sources. They show the availability of tea, coffee, and chocolate, which varies from nation to nation  For instance, “chocolate cups” like the one below were common in Austria, and tea cups were popular in France.

Cups designed for drinking liquid chocolate. Photo courtesy of Alexandra Forand.

Secondly, the pictures engraved on the piece usually depict social scenes. At first glance they might seem like amusing portrayals, representing what the artist was seeing at the time. For instance, the piece below depicts a crowd sharing a meal. Perhaps this is a family or a group of friends. On a different piece from the same solitaire, the scene is perhaps a festival or circus. What caught my attention was the women holding waffles with the two dogs begging nearby (a scene all too common in my house)!

Solitaires. Photo courtesy of Alexandra Forand.

No matter what your beverage of choice, I hope you enjoyed coming along to learn a little about the history of “getting coffee” and think about it next time you invite someone to do the same!