starbucks

Why Coffee Culture Continues to Evolve

Beth Kaiserman

Drip coffee. French press. Espresso. Double espresso. Cold brew. Latte on draft. There are very few things people are as loyal to as they are to their favorite coffee - from bean to brew method to barista. We consume 12 billion pounds of coffee per year worldwide. About 83 percent of adults in the U.S. consume coffee. Ninety percent of coffee production takes place in developing countries, with Brazil at the number one spot.

 

Seattle: The Myths & Reality of the Emerald City

Snapper S. Ploen

Rising like vertical lines of steel against a backdrop of evergreen mountains and dark water, Seattle has a popular reputation for being a high-tech city with some very granola roots. Hosting the headquarters of a number of powerful, global corporations such as Starbuck’s and Amazon.com, Seattle and its vast metropolitan area – which runs mostly along the edges of Puget Sound and Lake Washington – is the largest urban center in the Pacific Northwest and it single-handedly sways the politics of the entire region. While most people think of grungy hipsters, delicious coffee or overcast skies when the name ‘Seattle’ is mentioned, one may wonder: How much of this is accurate and how much is exaggeration? 

Rebel Without a Cause: The Eventual Demise of the Hipster

Gabriella Tutino

The hipster is dying. Or rather, the culture of the hipster is dying. As its dogma is being absorbed into the mainstream, what options are left for the originals but to fade and maybe reincarnate as a new subculture. The hipster has never been completely defined. Websites such as UrbanDictionary and the comedy site Cracked state characteristics of today’s hipster: an appreciation for Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, the tendency to wear thrift-store and vintage threads, having obscure music tastes and being obsessed with being different from the mainstream. Hipsters operate under irony.

Popularity of American Fast Food Leads to Rise of Obesity in Asia

Andrew Lam

Besides the tasty draw of fatty foods and sweet sodas, there’s another reason why such establishments are making inroads in countries that are otherwise known for their excellent culinary traditions. Unlike in the U.S., where fast food is perceived as time saving and cheap and often the preferred meal of the working poor, in Asia places like Burger King and Pizza Hut are the fare of choice for those with dispensable incomes. 

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