We can change society in the (sociological) blink of an eye. Unfortunately, it is usually in service of making a buck. Highlights from JSTOR’s public section.
“For caffeine addicts, a morning without a pot of coffee is a no-go. But it hasn’t always been as convenient to make coffee as it is today—and as Rebecca K. Shrum writes, the dawn of coffee machines came along with a massive dose of manly marketing.
Mr. Coffee, the first electric-drip coffee machine for home use, debuted in 1972, forever changing the way Americans made coffee. Before its rise, women used percolators to brew their coffee on the stovetop or on the counter—a method that produced bitter, scorched coffee. Despite the availability of complicated, non-electric drip systems, percolators ruled American kitchens.
[…]
Mr. Coffee looked and worked differently than percolators. It also made better coffee. Since it automated the superior drip coffee technique, it gave even groggy consumers the chance for a good cup. It was also dramatically more expensive than a percolator.
In a bid to get consumers to give up their familiar percolators for this expensive new product, Mr. Coffee included something unexpected in its marketing: men. Not only was it given a masculine name, writes Shrum, but its marketing suggested that it would produce a man’s preferred brew. The company hired Joe DiMaggio to give his masculine endorsement to the product—adding an additional layer of masculine advice to a product that purported to teach women how to make a better brew.
But Mr. Coffee did more than mansplain. It played into stereotypes of men as arbiters of coffee quality, and encouraged men to get into the kitchen themselves. Since it was so easy to use, men no longer had an excuse to cede coffee-making to their wives. This corresponded with women’s increased entry into the workforce and helped men contribute more to their households.
Today, the thought of a man unwilling to brew a pot of coffee (or so upset about his coffee’s quality that he abuses his wife) seems preposterous. Mr. Coffee changed those cultural expectations, even as it played into existing stereotypes about gender and domesticity.”
16 comments
February 18, 2017 at 6:10 am
KIA
I’m one of those guys who still uses a percolator for coffee on the weekends.
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February 18, 2017 at 8:31 am
The Arbourist
@KIA
And does it taste like the burnt offering described in the article? :)
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February 18, 2017 at 8:46 am
KIA
Not at all. It’s the best coffee method around
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February 18, 2017 at 9:22 am
The Arbourist
@KIA
Well, I usually go instant in my house, and most people seem to think that it is the true bottom of the barrel.
I do like the stir and go aspects of it though. :>
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February 18, 2017 at 9:48 am
KIA
My wife got a Keurig for our anniversary in September
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February 18, 2017 at 10:23 am
syrbal-labrys
I still use a percolator for my coffee, every morning. And it does not taste burnt.
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February 18, 2017 at 12:09 pm
The Arbourist
@Syrbal
I may have to go out and find a percolator. :)
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February 18, 2017 at 12:13 pm
syrbal-labrys
LOL! I use an old glass “Fire King” – originally because of frequent power outages making electric pits useless.
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February 18, 2017 at 4:08 pm
donesoverydone
Reblogged this on stop trans chauvinism.
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February 19, 2017 at 1:30 am
makagutu
Don’t bother.
I make instant coffee and it tastes just as good as brewed coffee. 😀
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February 21, 2017 at 6:09 pm
lovetruthcourage
Ah, the memories! I remember that mid-70s commercial of Joltin Joe and his cup of Jo. I remember my maternal grandma’s percolator and of course, my parent’s 1st edition Mr Coffee!
No, to instant. Yuck! Sorry. One must grind their own beans daily and use drip. French press is okay in a pinch.
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February 24, 2017 at 10:05 am
friendpilgrim
I have a finjan. And I regularly add cardamom to my coffee. I also have a pour over system with a steel filter. And a French press system that works with a water bottle for camping. But my everyday coffee is cold brewed in a canning jar, then I filter it through the steel filter. I highly recommend cold brew. Delicious, easy, and lower in acid so easier on the tummy.
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February 24, 2017 at 10:08 am
The Arbourist
@friendpilgrim
I had to look up what a finjan looks like. How does it work, I’m assuming you have to pour through a filter of some sort?
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February 24, 2017 at 10:14 am
friendpilgrim
Nope! It makes coffee that you just let sit for a little bit to let the grounds settle. You don’t drink it out of a mug, but a smaller cup, because it’s hella strong. If you have someone who knows how, they can read your fortune after you drink the coffee by pouring the grounds out and looking at the pattern they leave.
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February 24, 2017 at 10:19 am
friendpilgrim
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_coffee
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February 24, 2017 at 10:26 am
The Arbourist
@FP
Ohhhhhh..thanks for the info. :) New ways to drink the bean are always exciting. :)
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