Ahhhh....a subject - and a beverage - I know well.
When I get stressed, I drink. Not alcohol though. When I feel overwhelmed and distressed, the beverage I most crave is:
COFFEE!
Now, I used to be pretty much a traditionalist when it comes to coffee. That's before I went to work in a bookstore where we had the obligatory cafe' with all the speciality stuff. From the time I started drinking it (at the age of 1 and 1/2...so, see, it does not stunt ones growth...considering I am a full 5'8 in height and I have drank coffee all of my life) I have been drinking it sweet (whether with sugar or some other sweetener - now I use SPLENDA and highly recommend it) and cream or half and half. The reason my mother started me on coffee at such a young age was not because she had a desire to see her sickly daughter hyper, but because of the sickliness itself. See, I was born with a plethora of health issues and the coffee was something the doctors suggested because it was cheaper than buying the medication that has the same properties that the coffee has....and so, my affair with coffee is something I have always had. Indeed, I don't ever remember a time not liking coffee. And, obviously, it still "medicates" me to a certain degree.
I went to work at the bookstore and, as we were all taught to do, we learned the workings of the cafe'. There were cappuchinos, latte's, breve's, americanos, espresso....there was very rarely "just plain coffee". So, my adventure with the sacred bean began anew. I found cappuchinos too bitter but I liked the idea of espresso containing drinks because they were stronger, more concentrated caffiene....ahh, a good thing. So, I went on discovering. I tried the latte's. Too milky, not rich enough for my taste....but, I liked the fact that there was more drink to it and less foam. Finally, someone told me about the breve's. And, that was it......from the first mocha breve' I had there, it was my drink of choice thereafter. A breve' is a latte' that is made with half and half instead of milk. No foam, just a creamy, rich, decadent, caffiene rich, powerhouse of a beverage.
Obviously, for coffee drinks like these, it takes an espresso machine to make them. And, no matter what continent you are on, they are very expensive!
I've re-learned to like instant coffee since coming to England. And, I've learned to tolerate milk instead of cream. I'm not really picky about it. Truth be told, I am going to put up with
anything and everything just to be with my Jamie. When in the States, I introduced him to all sorts of coffee drinks and he really liked them. He warned me that, when I got here, I was going to find that the coffee here was - and this was his exact word of choice - "crap". But, like I said, I can deal with it. It still has caffiene in it.
