Daily Cascade

On Coffee

Prompt: Coffee
"Why, yes, I could start my day without coffee. But I like being able to remember things like how to say words and put on pants."
Nanea Hoffman
How important is coffee in your daily life?

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Coffee isn't supposed to be important at all in my daily life because my doctors have cruelly banned it. Banned or not, I like coffee. There is no denying that. I found out, however, despite the ban, I can put on my pants just fine. I don't know about words, though. That question is for the people who hear me talk. On the other hand, after the ban, I tend to forget the names of a few things, like places and people that I haven't made contact for some time.

It isn't only me missing the coffee, however. It may just be that coffee is missing me, too. It must be missing my deep dive into geography and flavor. After all, during the times when I was allowed to drink coffee, I knew the taste difference between the naturally processed coffee from Brazil and the washed out Ethiopian one.

Instead of my friendly interest, nowadays, the baristas have elevated making coffee to an art form, as if the coffee-drinkers are seeing beauty instead of comfort and taste when they are stressed. These new methods of making coffee, even in the middle of our local mall, suggest an new layer of importance: identity formation, turning coffee into a social lubricant.

But I mustn't blame the new methods. Originally, the coffee houses were the places for social gatherings, too, and there is no denying that. It was where writers, inventors, and adventurers shared their ideas and stories. A coffee house, then, was something like a pub, but without the booze. Even today, nobody ever says to an old friend they meet on the street, "Let's grab a glass of water. " They say, "Let's grab a cup of coffee and talk."

In short, coffee is not just a beverage; it is a catalyst, an anchor, and a daily benediction, and I miss it. And between us, I cheat the doctors once in a while, like right now, while I sip from my cup.