Coffee

I would say that about 90% of the people I know drink coffee on a regular basis.  It seems that in today's society, coffee is the new ice cream and Starbucks is Ben & Jerry's.  Coffee isn't just coffee any more.  Nowadays, a person walks into a place like Starbucks and has choices of various flavors and sizes and types.  One could even get it cold or frozen!  Every coffee drinker can tell you what flavors they like best and what they order nearly every morning.  Some flavors are seasonal, like pumpkin spiced coffee and it seems that several of my friends look forward to the day it is back in season.

I am not a coffee drinker.  My parents are not coffee drinkers.  My grandma is.  She always ordered a coffee at restaurants and "having coffee" was her social gathering of friends on Saturday mornings.  To me, only old people drank coffee.  A person would either get decaf or regular, and can add cream or sugar if he or she wished.  That was all that coffee was.  I remember once when my older sister came home from college, she had herself a cup of coffee.  We all stared at her like she was from another planet.  Why on earth would she have coffee?  I was very boggled by her that day.

However, I found myself drinking coffee in college, too.  I don't like the taste of coffee but there were those nights when I had to stay up late, or even stay up all night.  I got myself some coffee and added hot chocolate, hoping the double caffeine would work better than just hot chocolate.  I was not a habitual drinker nor did I drink it for pleasure.  It was business only.

I will never forget the first time I went to Starbucks.  I was on tour with my college choir on the East coast.  My roommate for the tour suddenly became ecstatic when she saw a Starbucks in the town in which we were staying.  I, of course, had never heard of Starbucks and had no clue what it was.  After finding out it was a coffee shop, I was less than thrilled.  Somehow, my friend had made it known to our hosts for the night that she wanted to go to Starbucks.  I believe their daughters took us out for some coffee at Starbucks.  We walked in and I was confused by all the choices.  I was hoping to get a hot chocolate, but they didn't sell any just plain hot chocolate.  I settled for a mocha.  We sat down and the other 3 knew I had never been to Starbucks before and didn't like coffee.  They were curious to find out what I thought.  It tasted like coffee.  I was not impressed.  I was hoping for a little more chocolatey flavor.  One of the girls started laughing, "You don't like coffee, but you got a mocha."  I drank as much as I could but I don't think I was able to finish it.  Oh well.  My friend got her beloved Starbucks and we headed back to our hosts' home for the night.

Well, as coffee as become full of varieties, I have broadened my own horizons and started drinking a little coffee here and there.  I'm still not a fan, nor a regular coffee drinker by any means.  I guess my weekly Sunday morning coffee at church could put me as a regular drinker, but I can certainly live without it.  One of my younger sisters is one of those Starbucks drinkers.  She knows her drink and takes me to Starbucks whenever she's in town...or if I'm visiting her and we travel to a location with a Starbucks.  I must say, it is rather tasty when I get the right flavors.  I've ordered some mistakes here and there, but it's really not that bad.  My youngest sister has her own cappuccino machine and occassionally makes me some when I'm at her house.  Or she brings it to me.  :)  I have also, on my own, purchased my own coffee-type drink from Walmart or QuickTrip.  So, I'm not totally against drinking coffee any more and it certainly isn't just an old person's drink.

Now, my daughter is a coffee drinker.  Whenever my in-laws visit, she gets her morning cup with them.  Otherwise, she has to wait until Sunday and drink at church.  There are a few times she'll get herself a frappuccino at Walmart or QuickTrip when I get one.  But, if I made coffee every morning at home, I'm sure she would have a cup herself every morning.

With all of my non-coffee-drinking habits, I was surprised to find myself wanting coffee the other morning when I got up.  Me?  Have a cup of coffee in the morning?  This was very unusual indeed.  I knew I had instant coffee in my cupboard, only for the purpose of making my family's famous birthday pudding cake, but I wasn't sure if I had any cream.  I checked, and no cream.  Hmmm, what to do?  Then I remembered my late nights in college.  I asked my kids if they wanted any and all 3 very enthusiastically said yes.  (Do you think I may be depriving them of today's most beloved legalized addictive drink?)  So, I got out 4 cups, made coffee and added a half a packet of hot chocolate to each cup.  I heated mine up in the microwave.  My older 2 and myself decided we needed to add some sugar.  My youngest didn't even touch hers.  K, the coffee drinker, wasn't too fond of it.  I guess she's going to be a picky coffee drinker!  I loved mine.  I thoroughly enjoyed every sip, every swallow.  Am I becoming a regular morning coffee drinker like most of my friends?  Nah.  I had no desire to have one this morning, even though my kids asked.

So, my coffee loving friends, enjoy your coffee of whatever kind, flavor, or size.  It is your personal identity.  I will keep my identity in ice cream.  A pint of chocolate brownie chunk will do just fine, thank you!