Food Drink

The world of today has many problems indeed. However, one indisputable fact to the contrary remains: we are living in an age of unprecedented access to quality food and drink. Only 25 years ago, such things as affordable gourmet food, coffee, and champagne were unthinkable. Today, even those with the most modest incomes can afford to routinely buy pure, bottled spring water at the neighborhood convenience store. Food has undergone an inverse price-and-quality revolution in the last few decades. Generations past paid more for food that was less fresh, wine of wildly varying quality, and flat, acrid coffee that little resembled the flavorful, gourmet brews we enjoy today. Champagne was an extreme luxury reserved for only the most special occasions. Water was something you drank from the tap, which was why many people developed bad habits of constant soft drink consumption. Gourmet Wine, Water, and CoffeeDrinking water has undergone a revolution in the last two decades, however, with more people than ever choosing bottled spring water over water from the tap. Not surprisingly, this has given rise to a new breed of water connoisseur, with gourmet spring waters to match the demand. Coffee is another beverage that has undergone a gourmet revolution, with higher standards and expertise translating into a cottage industry of superior roasts. In short, thanks to the past decades of steadily climbing standards, fresh and even organically grown food and quality beverages are readily available to today's consumers. What's more, these products don't discriminate according to location. Even those who don't live near organic or gourmet markets can easily access these products through mail order, special delivery or the Web.