caffeine vs Alcohol?

" Let's catch up over beer"
" BYOB (booze)"
" Ill take you for a drink tonight"
"let's discuss the issue and sort things at peco's"

When was the last time you heard the once famous phrase " let's meet for a coffee" ?
So the underlying ( or maybe the obvious!) question here is- WHAT ever on earth happened to the good ol cuppa?
Is it symbolic of the times we live in ? or have we just grown older? Looks like the "HIMYM" gang chilling out , pouring out their life stories and picking women at McLarens' has taken over our Monica , Chandler and co. sitting on the epic orange couch for hours together over mugs and mugs of coffee !

I don't remember the last time I went to one of the gazillion ubiquitous Coffee Days in town sitting on the cane chairs with the pink and purple cushions and paying ridiculous amounts for a vial of milk poured into a jar of ice mixed with filter coffee! What I do remember ( or do I?hic) is hitting the many pubs/bars the city is dotted with ( and the fact that I live within a half km radius of 5 places that serve alcohol helps) almost every other day and gulping ridiculous amounts of beer or other forms of alcohol on a (ladies' night or otherwise) with friends and generally having a good time. Either that , or having friends over at home, happily bringing along with them a bottle or two of the old ale or the monk, subject to personal preference.

Another angle I can think from is that , I'm surrounded with people from work, social life in Hyderabad is half restricted to Google and Googlers and when you have a choice of choicest coffees at your disposal for FREE at work, why would you want to spend a fortune BUYING it outside of work? And who are we kidding anyway....How can the plain "refreshment" that caffeine is famous for inducing, replace the happy high that a couple of pints later brings one to sing and dance away to glory apart from other sweet after-effects of the inebriated state?

So while somebody comes with a verdict, I'd say RIP coffee. You were over-rated to begin with. When I am craving for a non-alcoholic beverage, I'd happily make the good old cup of chaai .

Bring on them beers and the awesomeness! ( thanks Barney) . While the coffee can wait for my rendevouz with that nerd from school I'm meeting after years or that last-minute scramming in my student days, if it ever happens again.

As a parting shot, err, mug : a few interesting quotes on drinking that i remember off the top of my head

" If drinking is interfering with your work, you're probably a heavy drinker. If work is interfering with your drinking, you're probably an alcoholic. ~Author Unknown"

"Here's to a long life and a merry one
A quick death and an easy one
A pretty girl and an honest one
A cold beer and another one!