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| LEGEND OF THE DANCING GOAT SOCIETY |
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It was a winter morning in Ethiopia, some 1200 years ago. Khaldi, a goat herder well known for his laid back manner, awoke to find his flock behaving extraordinarily.
To his amazement the beasts were dancing a dervish, standing on hind legs and bleating a Dionysian rhapsody as if accompanied by the goat-god Pan. When Khaldi noticed some of them munching on branches of bright red berries he decided enlightenment was at hand. The berries tasted bitter, but soon Khaldi found himself exhilarated, clear-thinking and abnormally joyful.
After considerable experimentation the monks ground what was left of the coffee and soaked it in water "so the goodness may flow through the liquid." A splendid time was had by all and "the bean" became part of monastic and religious tradition. Centuries later, when secular demand grew for coffee, qahveh khaneh -- better known to us as coffee houses -- began to spring up in metropolitan centers in the Middle East.
Khaldi's wife, accustomed to a man much less aroused, (but more than willing to adjust to a new lifestyle) convinced her husband that he visit the nearest monastery and share these miraculous berries with the world. But when Khaldi approached the elder monk with his discovery, the monk became infuriated. Like most men of the cloth, he was distrustful of any mysterious power outside of his control -- especially power held inside a bean.
The most famous of these "coffee meccas" later became known simply as the city of Mecca. As you might have guessed, the music and free-wheeling social, political and religious discussions that were part of the coffee house scene threatened the elite and powerful of the day. Soon, kings and priests attempted to shut these meeting places down. It was during this dark period of bean history that the Dancing Goat Society was formed.
In a literal fit of anger, fire-and brimstone, the elder monk threw the berries into a monastic bonfire that others at the monastery had gathered around for meditation. However, even though he lacked a rudimentary knowledge of the roasting process, the elder monk had, by uniting the coffee berry with heat, created a heavenly aroma. His fellow monks leapt to their feet in the midst of this caffeinated incense and proclaimed the berry a gift of God.
So it was. The Society provided a "speakeasy" drinking atmosphere, moving secretly from house to house in the city. Coffee house persecution eventually failed, but the Society remained.
Today the spirit of the Dancing Goat Society is alive at Blackwater Coffee & Tea Co. Come and enjoy "so the goodness may flow through the liquid." |
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