Percolator Story
Matthew Ryan Fischer
Adam thought about the coffee he was drinking
and thought about the people standing in line at the coffee shop across the
street. Adam had no appreciation for specialty coffee, he had no taste for
beans or blends or different ways to brew or boil his beverage of choice.
Unless a cup was especially bad, coffee basically tasted like coffee to him and
it served one main purpose – to jack his body up on caffeine to the point of
nearly crashing it. Adam knew this wasn’t the best system or use of caffeine,
but he had drunk so much so often that he had acclimated his body to nothing
less. Basically he was an addict and he knew it. The point to him wasn’t his
consumption, but the consumer habits of everyone else around him.
“That’s a helluva scam.”
“What is?”
Adam pointed across the street towards the national brand retail
outlet across the street from them. Eddie’s eyes followed Adam’s indication.
“Thriving.”
“It’s out the door.”
Adam had bought his coffee at the gas station on the corner and it
had taken him all of forty-five seconds from walking in the place, to pouring,
to getting to the counter to pay. He had been watching the line across the
street and it hadn’t moved in the last five minutes.
“Those people are out the door. And they have been the entire time
we’ve been here and they will be after we’ve left. And they all just accept it
as if that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
“They’re willing to wait for something they want.”
“They don’t even know what they want. They’re told to want it.
They’re told it tastes great and it’s worth the extra money so they sit there
and wait. Trained like ants or sheep or… or… sheep.”
“You thought you’d have a third thing, didn’t you?”
“Shut up. You know what I
mean.”
“Maybe it really is better. You’d drink just about anything short
of tar or soot.”
“No entirely untrue. But they’re just drones. See I had a third
thing. Drones. Advertise, aim, brainwash and presto – captive customers who do
what they’re told. Coffee was something that was cheap and easy and they made
it complex and expensive.”
“You’re a coffee elitist.”
“Coffee purist. And I believe in the equalization of the brew.”
“That’s just democracy in action. The market voted. Expensive
coffee won.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. People are suckers.
Studies show it. They always buy the name brand, the most expensive option, not
because it is better, but because it is perceived as better. People pay extra
to feel like they are right.”
“And you’re going to change it?”
“Change it? I want to take advantage of it. I should start an
ironic coffee shop and call it ‘It’s only coffee’ or ‘It’s not that special.’”
“I’m sure you’d free the masses with your quick wit.”
“It could remind them that it’s only coffee and that they’re being
ripped off.”
“No one will go for it. No one wants to know they’re a fool. Call it ‘Expensive Coffee.’”
“‘The Expensive Cup.’”
“‘Billion dollar blend.’”
“‘Bad but expensive.’”
“‘Tastes Terrible but You’ll Really Hate the Price.’”
“That one’s not bad. That could be the slogan.”
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