Feb 21, 2007

waterhole 2.0

It's weird to me how meeting for coffee is no longer a trend. It is now just what people do when they meet. It is faster and cheaper than breakfast, lunch, dinner or adult only type drinks. It is no longer just for adults either. I take high school and junior high students our for coffee at Starbucks or their preferred local coffee shop. My boss has almost all of his off site meetings at places that specialize in caffeinated beverages. My uncle has started a tradition with his three year old niece that revolves around Starbucks. Fortunately she's drinking coffee...yet (she gets hot chocolate and a doughnut). But she's already familiar with this strange social behavior we've established. Perhaps Starbucks, Peet's, Tully's, Seattle's Best, Mr. Toot's, Coffeetopia, NPCC, the North Point, and all the other tens of thousands of coffee shops, independent and otherwise, are simply our modern, evolved version of the watering hole I see featured on almost every Animal Planet show I've watched. It is no longer acceptable, and more importantly convenient, for us to meet at the watering hole. It goes without saying that most of us wouldn't have the faintest idea how to get to the water source that provides our drinking and bathing water. So we've come up with a sophisticated and cultured alternative to the water hole. And unlike the old fashioned, less evolved water hole you can find this modern version on almost every street corner.