Wednesday, April 13, 2011

My first cup of coffee... ever


When I was fourteen, I lived with a Dutch family near the boarding school I attended.

{Note: My parents are Christian missionaries in France, and I went to an American boarding school in Germany for high school. It was about a five hour drive from home. And yes, I LOVED it!}


They spoke English and had kids that were my age. One of their family traditions was that on Sundays after church, they would eat sandwiches and finger foods for lunch and drink a half mug of coffee.

The sandwiches were good, but the coffee? I had never tasted coffee before. But with my French manners rooted deeply inside of me, I accepted anything they gave me. I couldn't refuse.

And that first Sunday of my ninth grade year is when my coffee addiction started.

What I realize in hindsight was that this was Dutch family living in Germany: they made their coffee STRONG and BLACK. So I got used to drinking it STRONG. I drank it all through high school and college STRONG.  I was making it it so strong that I had to increase the amount of food I was eating at breakfast or else it would make me dizzy.

But the strength of your coffee is all relative. My best friend from that same boarding school grew up in Yemen (her parents were missionaries there at the time). She thought my coffee was weak. She told me that unless it had the consistency of MUD, then it wasn't real coffee.

How do you take your coffee?
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15 comments:

  1. anaApril 13, 2011 at 7:23 AM

    Oh wow. you started quite young. :D love that print too.

    I prefer an espresso with a shot of soy milk...or just plain black iced coffee...or a cappuccino. sometimes. i just love caffeine. i drink a ton of green tea too.

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  2. LittleGreenThreadApril 13, 2011 at 7:46 AM

    When my sister and I were younger (like starting at 5 years old), we would spend the night with our grandparents on the weekends & grandma would let us have a small cup of coffee with breakfast. I guess it's really no wonder I'm addicted since I've been drinking it for 26 years! :)

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  3. MeelingApril 13, 2011 at 8:41 AM

    Wow...that's early to start drinking coffee. I didn't really start liking it till I was in my 30's...always liked the smell but never the taste.

    Now...STRONG...love it and very little cream/sugar. Love espresso too and cappuccino. I really got hooked when we were in Italy...the best cappuccinos ever!!!

    I'm convinced I need an espresso machine! ;-) (Now I just have to convince my pocketbook)

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  4. Beth @ The Goad AbodeApril 13, 2011 at 8:53 AM

    I just love that print!
    My grandparents make seriously strong coffee and I love it! Mine isn't as strong since I drink it more often, but I'm pretty sure I have been drinking coffee daily since my senior year of college so I'm definitely addicted :)

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  5. MeganApril 13, 2011 at 9:34 AM

    I had my first taste of coffee young too, but I could just never find the right consistency that I liked. I don not like it black, I need cream and sugar but it is really hard to find a cup of joe I like. I think the vanilla thing at Starbucks is pretty delicious, but I think i will just stick to tea + hot chocolate!! :)

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  6. so many memoriesApril 13, 2011 at 10:44 AM

    I have tried and tried to like coffee but I just haven't acquired the taste for it! However I love the smell of coffee and don't understand why it can't taste as good as it smells!!

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  7. jacquiApril 13, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    strong & black! i started drinking it in high school & used to add cream & sugar but when i started working at a coffee shop in college i started drinking it straight and strong! at that time i could also drink straight espresso shots...not anymore! :)

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  8. KellyApril 13, 2011 at 11:37 AM

    AMEN SISTER!!!
    i love that print. that's what my house runs on.
    what a cool upbringing you had!
    xxO

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  9. KellyApril 13, 2011 at 11:39 AM

    have you had greek coffee. it. is. mud.
    i'm not a fan!
    my hubby is. however, it smells delightful!

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  10. Lisa @ all things * janeApril 13, 2011 at 1:13 PM

    My Dutch and Norwegian family heritage implies that I *must* like coffee. And, I do. The Norwegian bunch makes it weaker, perhaps so they can drink more?

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  11. AshleyApril 13, 2011 at 2:09 PM

    I like mine super strong and full of all kinds of cream, sugar of flavoring so that it basically becomes a sludgy dessert in a cup. Mmmmmm.

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  12. AshleyApril 13, 2011 at 2:10 PM

    I do wish that I just liked it strong and black, I think I would feel cooler if I liked it that way. :)

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  13. Sandy a la ModeApril 13, 2011 at 2:36 PM

    haha what a perfect little quote!!

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  14. My Life Under the BusApril 14, 2011 at 8:42 AM

    Oh I didn't start really until I moved almost across the street from a Dunkin Donuts and they would pump that smell in the air like crack!!! LOL I like both Dunkin And Starbucks but sometimes Starbucks is too acidic.

    I used to work for a boss that was from Louisiana and he would make Chickory Coffee EEEEKKK talk about growing hair on your chest!!!

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  15. stephanieApril 14, 2011 at 10:39 AM

    mud? seriously? that is crazy! i am coffee free today {hallelujah} but i had a small addiction that started right out of high school and lasted about 5 years. but i was the coffee drinker you probably make fun of. tall, skim, sugar free, vanilla latte from starbucks. i'm sure this is the weakest of weak coffee. haha

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