So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

tonyb · Dec 1, 2015

I was weaned on the stuff.

I followed my cardiologist's advice to drop the smokes and the hooch. He didn't mention coffee, so neither did I.

LizzieMaine · Dec 1, 2015

We have a coffee roastery here in town, and when it's belching out smoke the smell is like someone set fire to a huge stack of old, greasy pencils. Not appealing in the least.

p51 · Dec 1, 2015

I'm also not a fan of alcohol. At least that can be made to taste good, but I never liked the feeling of being out of control. I've done my share of drinking, make no mistake. I guess I'm the opposite of an alcoholic in that I really don't like alcohol very much and would go out of my way to avoid drinking.

Stearmen · Dec 2, 2015

LizzieMaine said:
We have a coffee roastery here in town, and when it's belching out smoke the smell is like someone set fire to a huge stack of old, greasy pencils. Not appealing in the least.

Plus, the odder, sticks to your cloths like cigarette smoke!

Zombie_61 · Dec 2, 2015

p51 said:
I'll go to my grave wondering while coffee has such an appeal other than waking you up when you need it...

I can't recall ever drinking coffee until I started dating the woman who would become my wife; that was in 1980, and I was 19 years old. I don't know why, but her mother put a mixture of coffee and milk in my wife's bottle when she was still an infant, so my wife has been drinking coffee almost her entire life. Since, from that point on, I knew it was always going to be around, I decided to give it a try. Now I usually have at least one or two cups a day, and there aren't many things that are like a good cup of coffee to finish off a good meal. That being said, I completely understand why some people don't like it.

p51 said:
I'm also not a fan of alcohol. At least that can be made to taste good, but I never liked the feeling of being out of control. I've done my share of drinking, make no mistake. I guess I'm the opposite of an alcoholic in that I really don't like alcohol very much and would go out of my way to avoid drinking.

I wouldn't say I avoid alcohol, but I rarely drink it. Aside from the fact that I never really developed a taste for it, I've known a number of people whose abuse of alcohol caused any number of problems in their lives. On those rare occasions when I do imbibe, I'm a "one and done" type--I'm in the mood for a drink, I have one, it satisfies me, and I don't feel the desire to have another. Fortunately, my wife is the same way.

HudsonHawk · Dec 2, 2015

Stearmen said:
Plus, the odder, sticks to your cloths like cigarette smoke!

You act like that's a bad thing. My dad worked for Maxwell House for years, and would come home with his work clothes smelling like freshly roasted coffee. We all loved it, especially the cat, who would sleep on his shirts.

On a side note, I still drink Maxwell House because in addition to being good to the last drop, Folger's was manufactured by Communists and drank by the devil.

LizzieMaine · Dec 2, 2015

p51 said:
I'm also not a fan of alcohol. At least that can be made to taste good, but I never liked the feeling of being out of control. I've done my share of drinking, make no mistake. I guess I'm the opposite of an alcoholic in that I really don't like alcohol very much and would go out of my way to avoid drinking.

I agree. I was raised a grape-juice Methodist, as in genuine Prohibitionists, and alcohol simply wasn't ever in the house. My grandfather did like to drink, but he wasn't permitted to do so in the house, so he had to do it up at the gas station, out of the sight of us kids. So not only wasn't alcohol in the house, we never even saw people drinking it except in movies or on television. It wasn't part of our world at all.

I never touched a drop until I was 21, and I didn't like it. I've gotten to where I can stand a glass of beer once in a while, or better yet, a Guinness, but I can't stomach wine -- it makes me sick -- and as far as hard alcohol goes, I've had a Vodka Collins and it would have tasted better if they'd left out the vodka.

I've never been drunk, but I have been violently sick. I can't think of any reason why I'd want to induce that deliberately.

Fading Fast · Dec 2, 2015

I know there are no simple answer to alcohol. I was raised in a home with two very moderate drinkers - my mom had a glass of wine about two or three times a month, my dad had a drink every other night or so (whiskey and soda or similar) and on holidays or special occasions that number might double or - rarely - triple, but that was it. The few other relatives I had, either didn't drink or drank like my parents. And we had one family friend who drank beer (we always had it in the house for him), but he had a couple of cans a night or during a ballgame and that was that. I never saw my mom drunk and saw my dad drunk, but not falling-down drunk, on maybe three or so occasions. And all he got was a bit silly, laughed a little loud, that was it, no stories, etc.

I was given half a glass of wine or beer on holidays as a kid and, in general, alcohol was not treated as a big thing - to have or avoid - in my house. Now, I usually have a glass or two of beer or wine four to five nights a week - not more as that will then impact my sleep. A big night is three or (once or twice a year) four drinks. But I don't like going over three as I will have a slight head ache in the morning. That said, I really enjoy the drinks I have. Wine, beer or cocktails, there are so many varieties that the taste nuances are really fun to experience and it does take the edge off the day for me. That said, I consider myself very lucky as I don't have any inclination to drink more and don't have to engage any will power to resist and I know - via some very close friends - that alcohol can get a grip on people in a terrible way.

That's it - just wanted to share.

p51 · Dec 2, 2015

Alcohol wasn't avoided in my home growing up, Dad had a beer every now and then and they had a big jar of Moonshine one of my Mom's uncles had made (all her uncles, WW1 vets, were moonshiners at one point or another). Dad let me take a sip of the 'shine once as a kid (to make sure my curiosity was satisfied in his presence, I guess), it tasted like what kerosene probably tastes like. They never had to worry about me guzzling it behind their back.
Nothing traumatic about alcohol in my family, it was just something nobody made a big deal about either way and didn't drink much of. I have a feeling my folks didn't like the feeling, either, as I never saw either of my parents even remotely buzzed at any point in my life.
I grew up in a college town where the eternal goal growing up was to get booze before you turned 21. I drank like everyone else I knew did, because that's just how it went in rural Florida when I was that age.
My wife likes mixed 'girly' drinks and I like the taste of a good mudslide or ying/yang martini, but I would sip one for the taste, not the effect. Most of the time, I drove to wherever we were if she gets a drink, so it's a moot point anyway.
Not dinging anyone who drinks, even to excess, I'm just saying I don't enjoy the feeling of being out of control.

swanson_eyes · Dec 2, 2015

tonyb said:
I followed my cardiologist's advice to drop the smokes and the hooch. He didn't mention coffee, so neither did I.

My doctor supports my coffee drinking, but that's because I now have a slightly increased risk of dementia and it's supposed to fight that, according to some studies he's looked at. I usually do a caffeinated double shot in the morning and decaf the rest of the day. Decaf is still a slight stimulant so it's helpful when I'm sleep-deprived, which is a frequent state, given I work crazy hours.

ChiTownScion · Dec 2, 2015

I never liked coffee until I was about a year out of law school. When I was a student, I used to drink hot tea to stay awake. Bigelow used to make a really strong Irish Breakfast Tea: I'd put 3-5 bags in a cup and add boiling water, letting it steep for a full five minutes. The caffeine buzz was good for at least 60 pages of Federal Income Tax case law reading.

I like coffee a lot... we usually blend regular and decaf French Roast beans (Trader Joe's) and brew a pot each AM. I really love it when I'm at my cabin or out camping. I limit myself to two cups usually.

As far as alcohol.. beer used to make me everyone's pal, wine (esp. true Champagne) made me the last of the red hot lovers (at least in my own mind after 4-5 glasses), and whisky...well, I always felt that it made me belligerent. I haven't had any alcohol to drink for over 21 years: I noticed that at about age 40 that the sugar in it was turning me into Crisco ("fat in the can"... old vaudeville joke, I'm told) and that was that.

My dear wife nags me about drinking too much diet cola- says it will make my bones weak in old age. My own thought is that since I have never smoked, I don't eat, and that enjoying a medium rare steak or prime rib occurs less frequently in a year as most politicians saying something intelligent.. that is one vice that I'll live with and make no apologies for it.

LizzieMaine · Dec 2, 2015

The first time I ever tried coffee was at an aunt's house when I was about six. We never had coffee at home -- Red Rose tea was the only hot beverage on the premises, and the only coffee I'd ever seen was the Instant Sanka my grandfather liked. So I had no idea there was any other form of coffee than the kind you mixed up in a cup. This particular afternoon I was at this aunt's house more or less by myself, and I saw a can of Hills Brothers coffee in her pantry. I was intrigued by the picture on the label of the Arabic-looking guy in the yellow nightgown slurping coffee out of a bowl, and thought I'd give it a try. So I took a bowl out of the cupboard, ran some hot water into it, and stirred a couple teaspoons full of the coffee into it. This, of course, was ground coffee, not instant, and the experiment was enough to put me off coffee altogether for a very long time.

I never developed an adult taste for it, and I find "coffee culture" even more annoying and pretentious than "wine culture." I do have a jar of Sanka in the cupboard, though, to offer to anyone who insists.

ChiTownScion · Dec 2, 2015

LizzieMaine said:
... I find "coffee culture" even more annoying and pretentious than "wine culture." I do have a jar of Sanka in the cupboard, though, to offer to anyone who insists.

I suppose there are several "coffee cultures," and I certainly agree with you as to much of the Starbucks experience. Self- important 20-somethings insisting that the barrista make their grandes "just so," etc. And then taking up residence on the premises for hours with their laptops, not buying anything else so that other paying customers can't sit down.. don't get me started!

But rolling out of a sleeping bag in the mountain cold air at Glacier National Park, and taking that first taste of hot joe as you're trying to come to life.... it's about as Anti- Starbucks as it gets. That's a coffee culture I embrace.

Harp · Dec 2, 2015

ChiTownScion said:
I suppose there are several "coffee cultures," and I certainly agree with you as to much of the Starbucks experience...

I catch the 06:20 Rock Island express for LaSalle Street Station out of Starbucks every morning fortified by a cup of Pike's Roast and an hour of "music."
Cops, firemen, lawyers, execs for the most part.
The kids must still be asleep.

p51 · Dec 2, 2015

Growing up in the deep south, I was convinced that coffee would be dead by the time I was in my 40s or 50s. Nobody I knew under the age of 30 when I was a kid drank the stuff. I often wonder if trendy, overpriced coffee didn't become a big thing if indeed coffee would be dead in parts of the US today...

GHT · Dec 2, 2015

p51 said:
I'll go to my grave wondering while coffee has such an appeal other than waking you up when you need it.
I've never once encountered any type of coffee that didn't make me gag from the smell...

If you can find it, perhaps on the internet, buy yourself a small quantity, say a quarter pound bag, of Kenyan Peaberry. have it ground to number seven. Put two teaspoons full into a French Press, pour absolutely boiling water over the ground beans, no more than enough to fill your cup, pour out through a filter and savour the aroma.
It might sound like it, but I'm not trying to convert you, not really, for a Brit like me, it's total heresy to admit, I hate tea. Now there's a beverage that would have me gagging.
As for alcohol, a glass or three of Merlot, real merlot from the Merlot Valley in France, slides down a treat.

p51 · Dec 2, 2015

Trust me, the coffee snobs around me have suggested almost every type of coffee there is out there. I drew the line at the panda poop blend, but I was literally forced to chug countless sips of various coffees over the years. They all tasted like what I would assume used sewer water tastes like. The last person who demanded I try just one more type almost got the cup inserted deep into where the sun don't shine.
There's no chance in hades you'll get another drop of coffee in me without a loaded gun to my head or the promise of an insane amount of money as a reward.

HoosierDaddy · Dec 3, 2015

I like the flavor of Cracker Barrel coffee. So much so that I've stopped drinking my regular brand of many years and now exclusively purchase coffee at their country store and went from drinking one cup in the morning to several. Good stuff.

HD

Trenchfriend · Dec 3, 2015

Haha!!

Germany:

Until 80's >>> old pipe-smoking-snobs
90's >>> scarf-wearer-snobs
2000's >>> wine-expert-snobs
From 2010's >>> coffee-expert-snobs

What will be next??

Zombie_61 · Dec 3, 2015

ChiTownScion said:
...As far as alcohol.. beer used to make me everyone's pal, wine (esp. true Champagne) made me the last of the red hot lovers (at least in my own mind after 4-5 glasses), and whisky...well, I always felt that it made me belligerent...

I believe your observations are probably accurate. Let me explain.

When my wife and I were still newlyweds we frequented a local "hot spot", a restaurant with a bar and a dance floor. We were regulars and got to be fairly good friends with the DJ, but at one point we noticed something about his behavior. If he drank Kamikaze shots (vodka, triple sec, and lime juice) he was the life of the party--laughing, telling jokes, and dancing with customers. But if he drank Jack Daniel's shots (whiskey) he would argue and pick fights with customers, and occasionally throw things at his girlfriend if he thought she was getting too friendly with another guy on the dance floor. That's when it occurred to me that the types of alcohol that people drink affect their behavior in different ways because of the chemical reaction between said alcohol and the individual's body chemistry.

To confirm my theory, I examined my dad's drinking habits and came to the same conclusion. He was an alcoholic, and drank almost daily. If he drank beer, his personality didn't change much. But if he drank Seagram's 7 or VO (both whiskey) he would get ill-tempered and fight with mom. The amounts he drank were irrelevant, it was what he drank that made the difference.

So if you ("you" in the general sense, that is, not you specifically ChiTown) want to be a "happy drunk", figure out which types of alcohol put you in a good mood, and which types put you in a bad mood. Drink the "good", avoid the "bad". And, of course, drink in moderation.

So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

tonyb

LizzieMaine

p51

One Too Many

Stearmen

I'll Lock Up

Zombie_61

HudsonHawk

I'll Lock Up

LizzieMaine

Fading Fast

p51

One Too Many

swanson_eyes

Practically Family

ChiTownScion

Call Me a Cab

LizzieMaine

ChiTownScion

Call Me a Cab

Harp

I'll Lock Up

p51

One Too Many

GHT

I'll Lock Up

p51

One Too Many

HoosierDaddy

Trenchfriend

Zombie_61

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