COMMODITY CULTURE: THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCE Flashcards
What are the three main commodities?
1.Sugar (and sugar-derivatives like rum, molasses, etc.)
*Asian commodity
*Brought to Europe over the silk road
*Brought to the Americas by Europeans
2.Tobacco
*American commodity
*Brought to Europe during the “Columbian exchange”
3.Coffee
*African commodity
*Brought to Europe via the Ottoman Empire
*Brought to the Americas by European
What is the columbian exchange?
contact between Europe and America leads to an exchange of commodities, agricultural products, and disease
is made more complex with the introduction of the trans-Atlantic slave trade
*Some American commodities like cassava become popular in Africa rather than Europe
the widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the New World (the Americas) in the Western Hemisphere, and the Old World (Afro-Eurasia)
What are the four Europeanized commodities?
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Corn
- Squash
Where is Sugar originally from?
originally from Polynesia, introduced by Polynesian traders to the Indian subcontinent, first written records of sugarcane appear in Bengal
*Arrives in Europe from India via Muslim trade
What puts and end to sugar being grown in Portugal and Sicily?
The Little Ice Age puts an end to this = Europeans import sugar to tropical colonies, including the America
What did Columbus take to Carribean to grow?
Sugarcane
How is sugarcane processed?
Sugarcane syrup needs to be milled or refined into brown sugar, white sugar, molasses and other products
*This is done in several steps, but includes heating the sugarcane syrup until it crystallize
What are the uses of sugar?
- delicious and a source of energy (addictive and ppl demanding this)
- Different kinds of sugar uses for each pocketbook (recipe pamphlet)
- Sugar is a preservative = jams, pickles, and preserves made with added sugar last longer
How did sugar get more affordable?
The increasing number of sugarcane plantations in the Americas decreased the price of sugar in Europe, especially brown sugar and molasses
*Also increases the availability of sugar
Who is consuming sugar?
All classes
How is rum made?
fermenting distilling molasses
When / what is the sugar boom?
Sugar boom in the 18th century, coinciding with the tea and coffee house
*1700: most sugar goes into tea and coffee
Why is tobacco widespread?
Nicotine = the highly addictive compound in tobacco
How was tobacco harvested?
In early modernity, the whole plant was harvested and dried before the leaves were picked off (this is still pretty common)
*The leaves then need to be cured, either by air-drying or smoke-curing them = this is what gives it its signature flavour
How was tobacco used in Americas?
- Currency
- Medical uses
-Ceremonial uses
How was tobacco used in Europe?
What is a Cigar?
introduced very early, but used mostly by sailors
*Usually just a bundle of dried tobacco leaves, without a wrapper or filter
*Becomes more refined and popular in the 18th century
How was tobacco used in Europe?
What is a cigarette?
introduced to Spain c. 1600
*Does not catch on in France until 1830
How was tobacco used in Europe?
What is a Snuff?
fine ground tobacco, snorted up the nose
*This is how the well-to-do take tobacco until the mid-18th century
*The rise of the snuffbox as a luxury item
How was tobacco used in Europe?
What is Pipe smoking?
This is the most common way to take tobacco
How was tobacco used in Europe?
What is Chewing?
Exactly what u think it is
How was tobacco used in Europe?
What is a Smoke enema?
used for resuscitation of the dead or dying
Who are the four groups using tobacco?
- The rogueish
*Tobacco is introduced by traders, sailors, and other adventure-seekers - The rich (seen as prized)
- The religious (just not allowed in church)
- rabble (becomes middle class activity)
Was opposing tobacco effective?
Nah
James I & VI authors A Counterblaste to Tobacco in 1604
*Converts all tobacco to a royal monopoly in 1624 to help Virginia’s economy
Sultan Murad IV bans tobacco in 1633 from Ottoman lands
*Ibrahim the Mad reinstates it in the 1640s with a tax
Feodor III bans Russians from smoking in 1634
*Reinstated by Peter the Great, granting the Muscovy Company a monopoly and taking a portion of the profits for the crow
Each time it’s banned someone reinstates it!
Did men and women consume tobacco?
Yes, both did
Women thought snuff was more classy and ladylike
What did smoking signify?
a, smoking tobacco was a way to identify yourself with the goals of the colony
*Smoking supports the economy
*This intensifies in the American Revolution
Where is coffee from, and how did it get to europe?
Originating in the Horn of Africa and present-day Yemen, coffee became popular in the Arab world and the Ottoman Empire = reaches Europe via travelers to the Ottoman Empire, who describe and import the drink
How was coffee in Ottoman empire?
Coffee was somewhat controversial in Islam during the 16th century = is it intoxicating like alcohol and therefore haram?
*Despite the controversy, coffee shops become increasingly popular in Ottoman territory = It also becomes a key economic drive
How did Christian Europe get introduced to coffee?
*C. 1520s: Europeans become more exposed to coffee via military conflict with the Ottoman Empire
*1600: Pope Clement VII declares that coffee is acceptable for Christians
*1683: Defeated Ottoman army after the Battle of Vienna abandons coffee, at which point the drink becomes more popular in Austria and Poland
Who is drinking at coffeehouses?
Men
Decor not “feminine”
Historians disagree on whether women were officially discouraged or just made to feel unwelcome
*Aspired to homosociality: a semi-private space for men to talk about masculine concerns with other men
Who starts off coffee consumption?
Elite
ho can afford to hang out at a coffee house all day? Gentlemen.
*Coffee becomes a topic of fascination for gentlemen scientists, scholars, and internationally-minded folks
As coffee becomes more available, this shifts but there are different coffee houses frequented by the wealthy and poor
*The wealthier you are, the better the coffee = worse shops make grittier brews
What is the coffee house a place of?
social mixing and exchange
Unlike when you visit your friends in their homes, you can meet all kinds of people here
Venue for exchanging and performing new writing (poetry, polemic, etc.)
- Kinda library (had print materials and newspaper)
- Scientific demonstration / discussion happened here
How are coffee shops political?
Different coffee houses cater to different types: some cater to more conservative politics, others to more radical politics
*Because you can be a stranger at the coffee house, you can go test out radical ideas and see what response you get
In major banking centres, coffee becomes more popular than _______ for meetings
Beer
