Morning coffee. Lukewarm already. The taste of coffee throughout my life. Black Nescafé in France. Mediocre instant coffee in India, but then, they had the delicious Madrasi coffee, whipped with cream and sugar, drunk very hot outside dusty road stalls. Too sweet, but strong and potent.
I cried once, on returning to the U.S in the middle of the night. We’d stopped in a diner where I was served a 10¢ cup of coffee in a paper cup. Does anyone remember what coffee tasted like before Starbucks and the coffee culture that raised the bar for all coffee?
I remember how bitter restaurant coffee was — and where I live now it’s not all that much better. But in general, yes — overall coffee has gotten much better (but I hate all those single-use plastic cups Keurig has now caused to fill up our landfills). What I also miss here is real French bread! Light and flaky crust, airy on the inside. Sigh … P.S. Love the 35 cent dowry and looking forward to Mango Blood!