The Cup of Life

I have been a confirmed coffee addict since my childhood. The moment I had my first sip of coffee from amma's cup , I was hooked. Amma recounts tales where I would insist for "Taapi" in toddle tongue! There is even a small cup back home, which was exclusively meant for my coffee and I remember sitting, cradling my cuppa, slurping away happily. :D

Over the years, the only thing that changed was the cup size and the number of servings. I grew from being a small coffee addict to a big one [pun fully intended :D]. During my II PU exams, I was going steady at nearly 8 cups a day and, I am sure, if anyone made a study of the stuff flowing through my veins [though I can't say why they might want to do it :D], they would most likely find it to be coffee !

Amma is a firm follower of "too much is too bad". So apart from using minimal oil while cooking (which is good), she also believes in adding minimal powder while making coffee (which a'int :D). Annu, on the other hand, shares my love for strong coffee. The coffee he made for me, in the mornings on which I managed to wake up real early, was the best I have ever had. Nearly black, with minimal milk and a pellet of Sweetex, its aroma was enough to drive out the last wisps of sleep from my eyes and get me out of bed! Those early morning coffees with Annu, sitting at the dining table, planning out the study schedule for the day and winding up with washing and putting away the cups... it is a memory I'll always treasure..........

Being from a strictly coffee-brewing family, I never ever had tea till I was in my 10th class. Friendship with Prati started off a spree of new experiences, one of which was the introduction to tea. We had most of our discussions (which ranged from topics like Saankhya philosophy to the latest fad in dieting :D) over hot cups of tea that she prepared.

That initiation was a real boon, for I soon moved out of the 'coffee lovers' paradise'. Hostel life has its own sets of plusses and minuses [like everything else :)], but adding to my cup of woes here, is the lack of a real good Cuppa ! The people here believe in running through the day with tea sloshing away within them.. elaichi-waali chai, adrak-waali chai, masala chai.. and what not! But, none of this can substitute my beloved Cuppa and, I never miss a chance of going to the Shack and filling in on my dose of caffeine for the day.

Exam times still see me going faithfully to the canteen to have a cup of the sweet, milky stuff called 'Coffee' by the vendor. While I insist that the caffeine helps me stay awake, Rash says it is purely psychological, and tell you what, I agree with her. That vile machine-brewed liquid probably contains a speck of caffeine, just enough to keep a fly awake for a few seconds!! Most of the times, it seems to have a soporific, rather than a stimulating effect on me and I sleep much better after a cup of coffee from the canteen than after a cup of milk :D But we, humans, are creatures of habit and coffee is one such habit I haven't been able to shrug off. Bliss, still, is a cup of coffee - black, strong and totally life-giving :D