Reflection: Coffee

" The earliest credible evidence of coffee drinking appears in the middle of the 15th century, in the Sufi shrines of Yemen in southern Arabia"


People talk about drinking milk being weird, "Who's the guy who looked at a cow's udder, think, I'm going to squeeze this and drink whatever comes out." I'll tell you who. A calf.  If animals drink it or eat it, we generally can too.  Now coffee on the other hand... Who on earth would take cherry pits from coffee cherries, hold them over a fire, grind them up, pour water through it, and drink it? That's a much more complicated process. And when they tasted it, did they actually like it?  I remember the first time trying coffee could pass more as torture than a nice morning beverage.  Why add that torture on the torture of early mornings?  I just wonder about the stuff that they tried that DIDN'T make it as a mainstream product.


I began thinking about this after having to go to the washroom at least five times in a day.  I never have that problem except at work, and to be frank I find it a bit embarrassing.  Then I got to thinking about why I got on the bandwagon drinking such a bitter drink anyways.


Ontario Pioneer Camp, July 2005: Energy
Waking up at 6:57 to be in the kitchen at 7 to help prepare breakfast. Even my taste buds were still asleep, and I figured some caffeine might help.  When I realized what I was tasting, then I had enough caffeine to face the day.  Thank you coffee, but you're still gross. Eventually my mom told me I was using it like a drug.  It didn't make me stop using it as a drug, but I admitted I had a problem and began the 12 step process.


Peel Region Waste Facility, February 2011: Heat
So bloody cold.  Every day.  Sorting garbage in a large shed type building with a small space heater pointed at my feet that I couldn't even feel.  Nothing could keep my fingers moving.  They were pretty much swollen constantly because the blood in them had frozen.  Then I borrowed a thermos that I filled with instant coffee. Instant!? Yeah.  People say it's gross.  I'd gotten over the taste of coffee for the most part, enough sugar and cream and most of it was bearable.  Then I had instant coffee.  I didn't notice it was that gross, I was just relieved to be able to hold a warm cup, sip hot liquid, and feel the steam thaw my face every once in a while.
A convenient side effect was that the more coffee I drank, the more often I would get to take a break to go to the bathroom, which was in a heated building.


Fergus, March 2011: Prizes
Undeniably Tim Horton's best promotion. Every morning we would stop and pick up coffee.  I wouldn't have minded a hot chocolate or even a cappuccino, but this went back to the "Energy" thing.  Plus I had a reputation to uphold


Lynden, September 2011: Social
I've heard numerous people complain about church coffee.  I drink it every Sunday and I couldn't tell you the difference.  Granted I'm not a coffee connoisseur, but I find I can never take a big enough sip to tell.  I'm too shy to go up to anyone and start talking, so I found just standing in line for coffee, or even standing with a coffee, changed "awkwardly standing here" to "just drinking my coffee".  Coincidentally, people tend to come by and talk so much that it takes you about 20 minutes to drink half a cup of coffee, and by that time it's pretty cold anyways.


Lynden, October 2011: Habit
This is what got me today.  Coffee is there, coffee is free, and coffee is abundant.  I felt the need for both energy and warmth today, and usually don't have much to say so I was "just drinking my coffee" on every break.  Then I started thinking that I'm not crazy about the taste and I wouldn't call myself an addict, but somehow if it's there, I'm gonna drink it.  I will never need coffee, but this black beverage will likely follow me for the rest of my life, and my bladder will be wondering why the heck I'm still "just drinking my coffee"