Coffee, pix, and pits

To the editor:
    As I write this the delicate scents of freshly brewed coffee are filling the room. Coffee has had a presence in my life for as long as I can remember. Probably my love for the beverage grew from trying to imitate my dad’s mannerisms. Every morning he had his bacon, eggs, and coffee. Dad was particularly fond of the Chicory flavors in coffee and I can remember the excitement when he found a can of Luzianne coffee down at Graves. A coffee habit does not happen overnight. It takes years of sipping and inhaling the vapors before one can truly be a fiend of caffeine.    When I was working on Picker’s Special I made it a point to arrive early. This way I could make the coffee for the rest of the crew. While they were scowling into the dregs and trying to pop their eyeballs open at the unearthly hour of 4 in the morning, I could set up the studio and cameras so that the show was ready when 4:30 came. Those who worked “Picker’s” really knew how to consume coffee by the bucket.
    Our cups were more often barrels than true mugs. Deep in their draft and warm in the handle. Toss in lots of creamer and sugar and by the end of the show you were wired. Heaven help you if there was no coffee when the director arrived!
    The Chinese are only now getting around to contemplating the power of coffee. This is a tea country. If your understanding of tea is the pallid form found in Red Rose or Lipton bags; know this: tea is a varied drink. There are teas so strong they can rival coffee for floating an iron wedge. There are some that are nothing more than a faint smudge of color in water. Flower petals, leaves, and other parts of plants are dried, chopped, and mixed to form a seemingly endless variety of flavorings.
    A visit to a tea shop can often mean a long afternoon sampling a variety of mixtures and styles of serving the beverage. Mysterious jars of leaves and buds are opened and sniffed. A whiff of one scent, a pinch of another and soon you have your own particular flavored tea. They may have lots of caffeine or none at all. You will often see people toting their tea jars with them. All sorts of leaves and twigs are floating inside. To drink this you learn to use your teeth to filter the leaves allowing the water to slip through. While the Chinese know and revere tea, they have yet to really comprehend the culture of coffee.
    We are accustomed to having coffee bars and coffee almost everywhere we go in the U.S. Pull up to a disreputable corner store and there will be a coffee pot and some relatively clean cups for a few ounces of brew. Most of us are on the five- to six-cup investment plan. Some of us are even the proud owners of multi-purchase cards at our favorite watering hole.
    In coming here I gave up my habit of morning coffee, Noon day coffee, the snack coffee and the little extra before heading home. It was not easy. But like most changes you get used to the idea. However, as my recent visits back to the States told me I missed my coffee! It’s not so much the drink as it is the scent. There is nothing like fresh-brewed java to wake one up in the morning. Even the sound of making coffee becomes a part of everyday ritual. Wake up, Wash the face, turn on the coffee pot, grind the beans, shave the face, and drink the coffee. Yech, I forgot, I put the soapsuds on top as I would cream! Yikes! As I know others will attest to; coffee is a bit dangerous.
    Now though, I have the coffee pot and things seem a little more at ease. So it’s off to inhale the vapors of another fresh pot of coffee and remember times past and friends who stopped and shared a cup or two.