(777) coffee

Let me bring you across time and boundaries to a few thoughts about coffee:-

1. My cousin Yvette only consumes Fair Trade coffee, after she read about the exploitation of dirt-poor coffee share-croppers in certain third world countries. I must confess that I am an ex-coffee addict. Since I kicked the habit twenty four years ago, I have honestly bought coffee only twice, both times for my fellowship group in the capacity as a treasurer.

2. If you think I don't touch coffee, then you are wrong. I allow myself one cup a week, usually I take it in my mother's house. She would leave half a pack of three-in-one for me. On the rare occasion that a friend willing to buy me an expensive mug in Starbucks, I make sure it would be consumed before 2 pm. Otherwise it would be an all nighter that very night - just like my many nights of completing my programing projects, that was the period I was drinking seven cups  a day just to survive and function.

3. It was interesting watching my son having some withdrawal symptoms yesterday. I allow my children free choice as far as coffee is concerned. Kenneth chose to drink outside of our house, but he is not a daily drinker. Day before he was treated to a French buffet in a hotel, he drank two cups of very thick coffee. All night long he was up, not by choice. He was up for thirty six hours. Then the up lift given by caffeine was gone and he felt neither awake nor asleep. He was in the alternate state of zombie like existence until he finally could sleep for nine hours the second night.

4. My neighbour during my childhood would brew a mean pot of black coffee and serve it whole day long to all and sundry. I would be given a cup with a few crackers should mum take me to visit. My neighbor herself drank coffee whole day long and she lives a long and productive life. She is ninety two this year, a little frail but other wise reasonably healthy for her age group.

5. I recall reading an article about an expensive type of coffee in an inflight magazine. People who live near the hills collect some animal dung, wash out the undesired part. Then they clean the coffee beans that are undigested, dry it in the sun. The dried beans become the most expensive coffee on earth sold to real coffee lovers who are willing to pay an arm and a leg for it.

I love coffee, yet I strive to maintain a control over how much and how often I take it.