TIL the 500-year-old tradition of Turkish coffee reading (kahve falı) started in the Ottoman harem not just as magic, but as a clever social loophole. Women used the “fortunes” in the cups as a safe excuse to gossip, vent, and talk about taboo subjects without getting in trouble.
It also says that coffee drinking is a means to socialize, but not with any context around fortunes or a backchannel to avoid patriarchy – maybe a misunderstanding?