C-o-f-f-e-e

In 5th grade chorus Mrs. Schoenlein made us sing Coffee Canon: (sung to the youtube melody below)

C-O-F-F-E-E!

Coffee is not for me.  

It's a drink some people wake up with.

That it makes them nervous is no myth.

Slaves to a coffee cup,

they can't give coffee up.  

I loved this song; it made me giggle 27 years ago, and I have carried the lyrics (not surprisingly) in my mental lexicon for a quarter of a century (holy shit, I'm old!).  I've taught the boys the song and we teasingly sing it to Mark when he's pining for his coffee.

Now, something you should know about me - if you don't already - is that I'm not a coffee drinker.  I'm one of the very few people that walk the face of our beautiful planet who does not consume the nectar of the coffee bean.  As a tea drinker I still crave my morning cup of Earl Grey with honey and milk as much as the next person craves their latte.  In the afternoons I usually enjoy green tea and depending on the weather an iced tea.  I tried to like coffee my senior year of high school, but I drank crap coffee and loaded it with sugar and milk - yuck.  In my first year of college my dear friend and roommate Caitlin worked at the coffee cart, therefore I got free mochas.  I enjoyed my chocolatey treat and loved the jolt it sent through my body, but wasn't keen on the nervousness I felt, or the loopy stomach it gave me.  Therefore, I gave it up in 1993 and haven't looked back.  

I've always respected everyone's coffee addiction, but at the same time I found myself prideful that I didn't carry the same dependence.  In fact, I've always been somewhat jealous of the coffee drinker.  There is something ritualistic and comforting about stopping for your daily cup of joe.  Stopping for tea is NOT the same, believe me, I've tried.  First of all, no one respects tea, unless you live in England and they have an entire hour designated to the classy ritual.  Secondly, you can't just grab your tea and go, you need to let it seep for at least 5 minutes before you can flavor it with cream and sugar.  Lastly, if you order green tea they put boiling water in your cup which scorches and destroys the delicate tea leaves, not to mention your tongue because cream and sugar, which acts as a cooling agent, doesn't mesh with green tea.  See what I mean, you don't care either, tea isn't respected.  Sigh.  

Anyway, I've been jealous.  Mark walks into his local coffee shop and it's like Cheers, they know his name and his poison without a word from him, which I'm sure is beneficial for Mark since he doesn't communicate well until he has his coffee (love you sweetie!).  

Six weeks ago my life changed.  Mark has been raving about Aussie coffee since we moved to Australia.  He's been ordering something called a "flat white," which apparently they don't make in the US.  One morning while out and about with the family we stopped for Mark's coffee.  I rolled my eyes like I usually do at the pit stop, but when the take-away cup was handed his way I asked for a sip.  Surprisingly, shockingly actually, I REALLY liked it.  It wasn't bitter like I remembered coffee to be, and it wasn't foamy, but warm, strong, and soothing.  I thought, hmm, maybe I should start drinking coffee?  Mark looked at me with a questioningly, sideways glance.  

Then on September 26th the boys and I took the ferry into the city to tour the Opera House.  On our way to meet Mark for lunch I stopped at a cafe and ordered a take-away, regular flat white.  I was nervous as I approached the counter.  What if I ordered wrong, or what if they asked me a question about my coffee choice and I didn't know the answer - like how many shots of espresso, or what kind of milk?  I felt like an underage kid trying to order a cocktail at a bar - they were going to see right through me!  Luckily they made my coffee and handed it over without incident.  I took my first swig and exhaled - damn that was good!  I was a born-again coffee drinker!      

   

Enjoying my first cup of coffee

Shortly after the picture on the left was taken we met Mark for lunch.  I had slurped down my coffee and I felt energized, like my eyes were popping a bit, and I noticed I was speaking more quickly than my brain was able to produce the words, and in general, I felt happy.  Again, Mark looked at me with a sideways glance.  But the bottom line was I felt awesome!  This was a rush!  I felt like Huey Lewis - I found a new drug!

It's just so pretty!

Since then I've been enjoying a flat white nearly everyday.  I don't feel the same jolt as I did the first few times, obviously, but I'm enjoying it tremendously.  I still wake-up to my morning cup of Earl Grey, but go for the coffee in the afternoon.  I also let Parker order for me now, since he knows, "Mommy likes regular flat whites, and Daddy likes skinny flat whites.

Australia wins in the coffee department, I'm told.  The jury will remain out on whether I will continue my love affair with coffee once returning to the US.  Will I be able to find a flat white anywhere but in Australia?!  We might just need to live here forever for the flat whites alone.