My characters drink too much coffee. It’s noticeable. They make it, buy cups of it, discuss plot points over it. They consume it in mass quantities, to the point where one might think the author does the same. One would be correct.
When I was a kid, I hated even the smell of coffee. The worst part of shopping at A&P with my dad was lining up to pay, because there was a coffee grinder at the end of each check-out line. Most shoppers considered it a perk (sorry) to bring home freshly ground beans. I just wanted to hold my nose and bolt for the door as quickly as possible.
My coffee aversion lasted until sometime during college, when I started drinking instant with sugar and fake creamer. I’m not sure this even counts as real coffee. Thankfully, that phase was over in a hot minute, and I’ve been making up for lost time ever since. I’m not exactly an addict, but I can see it from here.
I used to attribute the change to taste buds, because I totally believed the line that taste buds change every seven years. It turns out this isn’t true. We’re born with approximately ten thousand taste buds which are replaced every two weeks or so — approximately 10% of the cells inside them actually turn over each day. Over time, the number of taste buds we have starts to decrease. This means that many of the flavors that seem too strong when we’re kids become easier to tolerate as we age, leading to an acceptance of more sophisticated flavors as we reach our twenties.
This supports my college-era coffee-awakening but does not explain how I drank the sweet California swill that got passed off as Chablis in the late 1970s. Science says my taste buds were old enough to know better.
Of course, liking certain foods/drink is attached to more than science. My love for coffee dovetailed with the new experiences and camaraderie that came after I left home and began to navigate the world on my own. Even a poor student could afford the bottomless pot of fresh coffee that appeared magically on the table through late-night exam cram sessions at HoJo’s. The boring survival job where staying awake was hard even if sleep happened the night before was fun when accompanied by coffee and co-workers who quickly became friends. Long conversations with new acquaintances ran deeper when bolstered by caffeine.
This is the subtext I pass on to my characters when they’re doing that drinking-making-buying thing. Coffee in my books is more than a prop. It helps set a mood, provides insight into a character’s state of mind and comfort level. Even non-coffee-drinkers recognize the social significance of coffee-fueled gatherings in our culture (I’m looking at you, Central Perk). When my characters share a cup of coffee, they’re usually lowering their defenses and letting someone in.
And if coffee doesn’t do the trick, there’s always wine.
This felt so real to me. “Even a poor student could afford the bottomless pot of fresh coffee that appeared magically on the table through late-night exam cram sessions at HoJo’s.”
I first started on coffee when I was a college kid, covering the MSU Board of Trustees for my student paper, in my cheap skirt-suit and Payless shoes, trying to look like a grown-up. The meetings were all-day affairs and they had free coffee that journalists and attendees were free to enjoy. It helped me feel like an adult, and gave me something to do other than sit around twirling my pen. It was stage business, it was a way to eavesdrop and mingle, it was something to hold in my hand.
Also, given that I was the last of my friends to turn 21, I couldn’t go to the cool bars with them, but we could all go get a coffee at Espresso Royale.
My older kid was just saying he wished he liked coffee, because it’s a relatively cheap social thing to do. He’s tried just about every coffee drink there is, because he works at a cafe and gets to sample. (He does dishes.) But he just doesn’t like any of it….at least not yet.
Coffee as a social lubricant? Naturellement! And it has been forever (or so it seems). As a kid I remember a pot of Maxwell House percolating on the stove when company was on the way (they’d bring the coffee cake). I am left behind (that could make a good book title!) in the Maxwell House world of long past yesterdays. Oh well; here’s to a good cup of Joe!
What a fun read!
This brings back so many memories of pulling all-nighters studying for exams fueled by the black gold. My Modus Operandi for those all-nighters was to have over a small group of my classmates from that class. I would essentially reteach the curriculum and my friends would pepper me with questions about the subject matter. Thus, I forced myself to be able to explain all the ins & outs of the syllabus. Worked for them as it worked for me.
Thanks for the memories.
I never saw my defection to gallons of English Breakfast (almost my sole tipple these days, apart from the odd latte when I’m out) coming, except as part of the big psychological impacts I was told commonly accompany bypass surgery. Not just taste-bud attrition! Other events can rewire tastes and habits that had seemed locked in for life. And I remember those A&P checkout grinders (a kind of pre- eftpos analogue, maybe 🤔 swipe your beans here?). But I always loved the smell.
Kristina, I feel this soooo much. And I almost included “stage business” in my post. Because, yeah, that’s part of what coffee is … the prop that gives you something to do with your hands while effortlessly defining you as a belonging adult. Most of us have been there.
I wonder what will tip your kid to the dark-liquid side? Some people are never lured by the siren call of coffee, but embarking on life/identity transitions has a way of making us re-assess. I’m sure he’ll find his people with or without caffeine!
Joe, what a lovely touch of nostalgia in your comment! I remember percolators, too. I think the percolator only came out for parties, because it was too large for everyday use (as if there’s actually such a thing). I can’t remember what my parents used for everyday cups of sustenance…
It seems we can add “warm memories” to the list of coffee’s attributes!
TomTom, isn’t coffee supposed to sharpen thought? Or is that just marketing … I either forget or don’t want to know. Fun memory toggle either way! (I’m gonna guess the study sessions wouldn’t have been nearly as effective had beer been the beverage of choice!)
Thanks for sharing this.
Bpb, you’re right – tastes and habits can be rewired by all sorts of events! Cultural norms also play a part. Depending where you live or have grown up, tea can play the same role coffee plays in my neck of the woods. (For the record, I love an afternoon cup of English or Scottish Breakfast tea in the wintertime; nothing wards off chilly dampness better!)
I notice you’re still caffeinated. Get back to me when you switch entirely to herbal, and I will send you formal condolences.
Reading this on vacation watching the sunrise with the coffee on the second pot! Wish you were to enjoy it here with me!
Michelle, sounds wonderful!