Hospitality in the home with coffee
Looking back, coffee was a sophisticated drink to have in our house. Not everyone had it nor did everyone like it. However, every time guests would arrive at our house the first thing my parents would offer them is something to drink. It would start with the option of a glass of Cola, water or a nice cup of hot coffee. And, if coffee became the beverage of choice, my parents would then share the varieties available: Café au lait (coffee with milk), Café noire or Café amé (plain black coffee), or Café deuce/sucré (sweet black coffee).
The coolness of coffee is that it’s a great conversation starter. It was always so interesting to hear people’s preferences when it came to coffee and therefore it would become the first topic of discussion. I’ve seen it received and recognized with delight or disgust. If someone didn’t care for coffee I would think they were missing out on something. Although, I thought that way with everything I liked. It was also what my dad thought. It makes me laugh just thinking about it.
There’s beauty in hearing, “Ahhh, coffee. Yes I would like some.” I could talk about the caffeine but that another discussion at a later time. Here, I thought as a beverage coffee was safe to some degree. It’s all about the taste, complexity and unification all in one.