Saturday, November 11, 2023
Coffee?
Sophia,
As you’re getting older, I wonder if you drink coffee. I think Morey started drinking coffee when she was your age. As far as I know, she just drank black coffee and that was it. But then again, I haven’t talked to her in a long time. Based on what I know about the USA, I thought it was standard for white suburban teenage girls to have a love for Starbucks. When she was your age, I figured Morey would have a favorite drink from there, such as cappuccino or latte or a flat white or a mocha or a cold Nitro. My personal default is a cafè latte with hazelnut flavoring. A latte is just espresso and steamed milk.
I was in Brazil last year. There, they have café com leite, which basically translates to “coffee with milk”, but it’s made with very strong espresso. They were wonderful, especially from the street vendors. In Asia, they sweeten it with condensed milk. It smells amazing.
Anyway, many years ago, I gave Morey a gift card to Starbucks. She told me she had no idea what to get, so she ordered plain hot tea. I was really surprised. I guess my understanding of white suburban teenage girls is somewhat lacking.
Feeding an addiction to Starbucks is not entirely a good idea. It’s a nice treat once in a while, but some people go every day. It gets expensive. Plus, some of the coffee drinks practically become warm milkshakes when you add lots of cream and sugar. It destroys whatever health benefits coffee has. It’s far cheaper to learn to make their drinks at home.
I like a little sweetener in my coffee. But it’s great to drink black coffee sometimes. Coffee has an actual taste. Most people drown it with sugar. And the idea of drowning coffee in sugar and flavorings is not for everyone. About 25 years ago, one my favorite comedians angrily complained that it was getting more and more difficult to find what he called “coffee-flavored” coffee. Give it a listen. It’s pretty funny.
 The best place to have coffee in Paris: La Favorite Café at Hôtel Émile on Rue Malher |
Kid, I’m looking forward to sipping espresso with you someday at some little cafe in Paris or Abu Dhabi and laughing about coffee-flavored coffee.
Dad