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Addicted!!

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by AkilaMani, Mar 7, 2012.

  1. AkilaMani

    AkilaMani Local Champion Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    I admit I am a coffee person…. So much so that I hardly utter a single word before I have downed my piping hot coffee, preferably filtered one, first thing in the morning. I love the whole process of making it, enjoying the strong sweet aroma of the coffee in the kitchen early in the morning. And yes, before you get the idea that I gulp down 20 cups a day, no I am not THAT addicted! I just have a cup twice a day. It is more of a habit from childhood…. Yeah, I am from the generation and class where coffee was given to children along with everyone in the family and moms never had to fuss with asking if you want Horlicks, Complan, or Boost today?

    In the mornings, it would be right after we had woken up, finished our morning routines and sat down with our books for studying, my mom would bring a steaming joduthalai (a tall vessel) of coffee to the hall where we would all sit around while she poured out a tumbler each and did the typical thing of pouring it from one tumbler to the other and making it a bit frothy. She would do it a little longer for my younger brother to get it to the right temperature for him. We would all be chatting about lord knows what for a while until all finished up coffee. It was the same in the evenings also, we would sit around talking about our day, friends, school during coffee-time until one of our friends showed up for play. I would help mom collect all tumblers and deposit them in the kitchen sink before I went out to play. This continued well into my teen years and adult life. It is a ritual I have always enjoyed. Coffee is an excuse to chat with family. Since I started working, I missed having coffee at home during the evening, but I found lovely friends at every place I worked who too like me enjoyed stepping out for a few minutes for coffee and chat.

    As a kid, I loved going to the shop to buy freshly ground coffee powder because of the strong smell of coffee there. The name was MK Coffee and I would go there with my dad and later I started going alone to buy coffee power every month. The shopkeeper, a good friend of dad’s, would let me sit inside the shop while he ground it with the right amount of chicory in the machine. There would be the radio singing softly in the background and of course the sweet smell of coffee and chicory. Strange how vividly I can recall the smell after decades!

    Now coming to the recent past, I had to let go of adding sugar to my favourite drink during my second pregnancy. I was so uncomfortable with the idea of coffee without sugar and for a while just drank milk, but I somehow did not like it. I just wanted coffee!! So I bravely tried it without sugar and boy it was so bitter that I did not want to have more than a sip, but since my mom who is a diabetic was also sitting next to me, I did not want to make a face in front of her and bravely drank the whole cup. Surprisingly, somehow I liked it by the end (don’t ask me how… but I did!) Since then my coffee has been sugarless and I have come to enjoy is as such.

    Recently, when the coffee machine (it made coffee with fresh milk ) in our office broke down and I was faced with the grim option of taking the 3-in-1 coffee mix or trying an assortment of dip teas, I resorted to the coffee mix, but was sourly disappointed. I endured it for a few days (why is the machine not yet fixed ) but then gave up and braved the tea sampling. In the first instant itself I hit gold. I tried the earl grey tea without sugar and it was good. I wouldn’t say I was blown away, but I liked it enough to come back to it evening after evening. Even after the machine got fix, I kept going for the tea. I did try out other teas but somehow kept coming back to this particular one. When I realized how much I have come to like it that I preferred it over the cappuccino and macchiato that I so enjoyed regularly in my office, I felt like I had betrayed my best friend. I did not really want to admit that I was enjoying a tea (sans milk or sugar…. am I even the same person anymore !) It was as if I was preferring to spend time with a new acquaintance over being with my childhood friend!!

    One weekend evening, when I was preparing coffee for the family, I thought that it might be a good idea to have a pack of earl grey at home too and immediately felt ashamed of having had such a thought. It felt like having thoughts of infidelity!! How could I be so insensitive towards my childhood friend who had become my soul mate by considering another partner!! It was so ridiculous to be comparing coffee to once soul mate and yes I did smile at the thought, but I guess you get the idea.

    It took a while for me to admit to my DH that I did enjoy this little evil in office and the same evening I got a box of the little evil when he returned home!! Well now that he approves of it, I can openly continue my tango with the devil!! It’s not infidelity, but like having two children, you can love both without being partial towards one or the other.

    Yes, I do have it at home, but no, not in the mornings, it is definitely my coffee time with my DH, but I do indulge on some weekend evenings and he doesn’t mind me having tea when he has coffee.
     
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  2. strangerrr

    strangerrr Gold IL'ite

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    (m worried this comment may go lengthy for two reasons)

    First thing first,

    The first blog i read after signing up in IL is 'Strange message' unsure if i have to trust my little brain which saying that blog was best blog of that week; (i thought one day mine also will be the same then. Just today i realized it was written by you) Unfortunately i could not read much of yours after then.

    next,
    coffee! coffee! coffee!

    this is how exactly my brain used to rung, every 30 minutes; when i started blogging here "kaapI" was one of the topic i thought of writing for long; in fact with the same title as yours. may be i should defer or drop it now. (anyhow i am going to write almost a blog here)

    i was just a normal kaapI drinker until i started to work, it was after then the coffee addiction begun, my office boy used to bring it even before me asking for it each 30 min; one day he informed that i drunk 27 coffees (proud moment)

    my specification with coffee is double strong, less milk no sugar; at cafes and vending machine espresso double shot. Later gave up for more than 3 years & restarted last month. As my brain of late, demanding caffeine to hit it to handle the pressures & evoke it from hibernation.

    I wonder if you could still call your "habit" as addiction.

    By writing too much, let me not take away the credit of this blog. It was a nice read & happy knowing about your HABIT! Please do write often

    :)

    p.s. The place holding is a honor for the one, who was the trend-setter of place holding.

     
  3. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Thank you for your wonderful blog. I know many people who are emotionally attached to coffee and continue to take more of them each day to show their love. But this is the first time, I have seen someone writing a blog on coffee. Your continuing friendship with a childhood friend is admirable.

    I have lived 58 years without drinking much of coffee or tea and certainly not the best to comment on this blog. However, I understand the emotions involved in it as I have a business partner and a son who are very deep lovers of coffee. My business partner being an American born in Italy, he would tremble in the morning, if he does not take coffee. I always wonder at my son who takes a cup of coffee like a baby with a smile and keep drinking it for a long period of time. He is now 23 years old but he remained the same from his childhood with his attachment to coffee.

    I feel sorry for the tea that is the distant second in your family. I can relate to that feeling because I feel the same way now as Strangerrr reserved the space for first feedback following your footsteps.

    Viswa
     
  4. tuffyshri

    tuffyshri Gold IL'ite

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    touch wood.. I was sipping a cup of home made filter coffee few hours back after returning from office - which is very unusual. Was thinking of writing about it and then remembered that I had already done that. Kaapi!! - Blogs - IndusLadies
    (Viswa - I had written about coffee long back itself.. so am the first one!! :) ) and also remembered IyerViji's comment there about 'dabara tumbler'. and LOL here we go on another episode on coffee!! then remembered "Coffeelover" IL member.. oo!! great.. give me a hi-fi!

    Tea - is something that is introduced by my 'puguntha veedu'. I am the only coffee paithiyam here.. so slowly got rid of having multiple cups of coffee. just the morning one only. but of late i like the strong Tea only and only if is prepared my DH. Love the second doze Teas on sunday noons! :)
     
  5. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Tuffyshri,

    My apologies and being a recent IL member, did not go through all of the previous blogs. I formally transfer the title for being the first one to write about coffee, to you. Dabara tumbler coffee triggers a lot of people. I know farmers who travel a long distance to go to Mayavaram to taste a cup of coffee and come back to their village. I feel like a fly in the blacksmith's place among the coffee lovers. I will let you discuss more about coffee as my knowledge is very limited on the subject.

    Viswa
     
  6. vijaya1982

    vijaya1982 Bronze IL'ite

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    Enjoyed your blog! I am also a coffee addicted person :)
    One cup of a coffee @morning is my routine

    vijaya
     
  7. AkilaMani

    AkilaMani Local Champion Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Ah bro u r a quick learner, keeping placeholders like me :)but that certainly is flattering to know :)

    nice to know that you are a coffee lover like me, but my my... 27 cups is kinda too much:hide:

    I like your coffee specifications... mine is also similar but with no sugar. Nice to know that you liked the blog, will try to write often.

    Thanks for being the first to comment dear.

    Akila

     
  8. nihasvin

    nihasvin Platinum IL'ite

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    Interesting blog on coffee. I felt like i was sitting along with ur family during ur coffee time.Ur words have got lots of feel :)
    I had coffee when i was in standard two.That was both my first and last time.Somehow i dont like anything with coffee taste :)
    I have learnt making good coffee since last month and feel happy to see my DH enjoying his cup of coffee..Waiting to show my coffee skills to my parents in law :)
     
  9. AkilaMani

    AkilaMani Local Champion Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    awww, that was really sweet of you to say viswa sir and thank you for stepping in with such a lovely fb.

    Yes, I have know many who have no feeling of coffee, neither strong like or dislike for it, and i kinda understand it. There was one friend of mine who would come for coffee breaks but would refrain from taking anything most of the times, but would take coffee or tea sometimes with no real interest in the drink.

    Thanks again sir.

    Akila
     
  10. AkilaMani

    AkilaMani Local Champion Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear tuffy,

    So glad to know you too are a coffee lover like me who has developed a taste for tea :)


    There is no contesting this, a cup of tea made to perfection by ones spouse with a large dose of love is the ultimate.... glad to see you enjoy that :)

    Akila
     

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