If you think you've explored every possible aspect of selfies, think again. Just as everyone is starting to embrace the selfie stick, a new trend across the pond makes selfie sticks seem so 2017. If you've never heard of a "Selfieccino," now you can drink your face at a London cafe by combining two of your favorite past times — drinking coffee and taking selfies. Similar to the Greek myth about Narcissus, a man who was so taken by his own reflection when he saw it in a pond that he instantly fell in love, the Selfieccino lets you gaze adoringly at your own face while sipping your favorite warm beverage.
Reuters reported that the The Tea Terrace in London has become Europe’s first location to deliver the "Selfieccino." For $7.50 you can send a selfie via an online messaging app to the barista, and choose either cappuccino or hot chocolate as the background for your portrait, which will appear atop the foam on your drink. From charcoal ice cream to unicorn everything, eateries have done many things to make their food and drinks worthy of social media adoration, but this is by far the most creative. And, it's a huge commentary on our culture, but you can draw your own conclusion.
"Due to social media, the dining experience has completely shifted," The Tea Terrace owner Ehab Salem Shouly told Reuters. "It’s not enough any more to just deliver great food and great service — it’s got to be Instagram worthy." It seems Shouhly is getting his wish. The hashtag #Selfieccino is getting a lot of love (and some disdain) on Twitter and Instagram since the drinkable face beverage debuted Dec. 16.
OK, I'll admit that it might be fun to drink your face, or swap cups with your BAE to give a whole new meaning to the phrase "I love you so much that I want to eat your face," but please, I beg of you, let's keep it to one Selfieccino a week. Because, being too obsessed with selfies is actually a concern. An article in the Onion claiming that Selfitis was a disorder characterized by taking too many selfies spawned an actual investigation into selfie culture, Paper Magazine reported.
The study conducted by researchers at the American Psychiatric Association defined someone to have chronic Selfitis if they spend the majority of their day taking selfies, and post more than six selfies a day to social media. Most people likely have borderline Selfitis, which is defined by taking at least three selfies a day and not posting them. Um, guilty right here. So, don't worry, you're definitely not alone in your selfie obsession, which is clearly evidenced by you now having the option to drink you own face.
The technology that allows you to drink your own face uploads your selfie to a machine while the drink is placed in position. Four minutes later you'll have the coveted Selfieccino in your hot little hands. And, is it really a selfie if it's also a picture of coffee? This is a bit of a gray area, but I don't think it counts against your daily selfie limit. "The picture is then scanned and reproduced onto the froth using a flavorless food coloring," Reuters reported.
While sipping on a selfie latte could be an interesting way to pass an afternoon, it could also be a little dangerous for the self obsessed. If you become so enamored with your own frothy portrait that you simply can't look away, if no one intervenes, you could perish. This is what happened to Narcissus, who was so enthralled with himself that he never left the pond. If this happens, hopefully you have a good friend who will snap you out of it. After all, we've got to look out for each other with this whole Selfitis thing going around.
