Comfort Food: Coffee?
Food is key to survival for anything or anyone on this planet, but can it always give us that comfort and security that people need in a stressful situation? Comfort doesn't always have to mean food it could be anything, I, personally, don't really have any comfort foods, but I do have a comfort drink, coffee. As a child I detested anything coffee flavored, but with age my taste buds have changed and now it has become vital to my survival. The essence of coffee in the morning is almost like a religious experience I have almost every morning. It could be any kind of roast, even hot or cold, coffee gives me a comfort to take on the world.
Growing up I was always fascinated with the idea of people making this brown liquid called coffee. For a weird reason I always found it to be an adult only drink that kids weren't suppose to drink, because it was bad for them. I didn't understand how people would make it out to be this scary substance, but still continue to drink it almost everyday. When I first tried coffee, it was the most disgusting thing I have had in my life and I didn't see the appeal these people on the drink.
Much later in my life, I found my love for coffee when I was visiting my family in Mexico. The time change of where my family lived was three hours ahead of normal California time, so there was a major struggle of waking up early and on time. I noticed that almost all of my family members were drinking coffee, so I decided to have a cup myself. That cup of Nescafe, a brand of instant coffee, with a little bit of milk and sugar was the start with my adventure of coffee. What no one told me was the affects that coffee would have on me and how addicting it was, but I wish someone had, because I began to consider it to be a bit of curse on how I live my life today. Although coffee is a very addicting substance, it has served as a comfort drink for me.
From that point on I would slowly start to increase the coffee intake on a daily basis. Of course, it started as a very small amount, like four cups in a week, then grew to about three cups a day. It really didn't occur to me as much that too much caffeine could have some effects on your daily habits, until I got to high school. At this point in time I would have made the coffee using a French press or this really expensive latte maker my mother had just bought, but when I was learning how to drive I was introduced to the world of Starbucks. Starbucks was right down the corner of my high school, so it made it really convenient for me to wake up and drive there before class. At first getting Starbucks before class wasn't a daily thing, it was only once and awhile, due to the fact that I was a broke high school student, but like most addictions my habits grew for the worst.
By the time I started to become heavily addict to any cup of coffee, I knew it was time to stop, and that's what happened. It worked for a couple of days, but before I knew it I was back to my old habits. So I tried a new approach, which was try drinking smaller portions of coffee, rather than getting medium sized coffees. The control that I had over my coffee consumption gave me a sense of accomplishment and allowed me to learn more about my own habits and myself.
The smell of just walking by any coffee shop at all would give me this heavenly feeling that would instantly change my mood to this ecstatic feeling, as if I were a little girl getting a present on Christmas. Coffee gives me comfort and security, because it didn't matter what happened the day before, what mattered was starting a new day fresh to face new obstacles. Allowing myself to start to the day on a positive note allowed me to be more optimistic, that's not to say every day of my life has been perfect.
Most coffee shops have this environment where it almost feels like an oasis for conversations about profound to be discussed amongst company. It could be the smell of the coffee that allows this chemical process to spark in one's brain to allow it to come to life, or it is something else, but when I go a coffee shop with a friend most memorable conversations begin. When I'm in a long line I like to hear what people order, because it allows me to hear how others like there coffee and it serves as new drinks to try, to branch out with the same regular coffee.
Coffee, a very versatile substance from all over the world, serves as a type of comfort and joyous experience for me. It might have it's downfall on what society believes is healthy for a person, but not for me. Coffee can be pleasurable in any company; also it can help strength a bond between people and allow them to further their friendship. It may be a little pricey at times, but each cup of coffee can be worth more than what money can provide, which is experience and connections.
Food is key to survival for anything or anyone on this planet, but can it always give us that comfort and security that people need in a stressful situation? Comfort doesn't always have to mean food it could be anything, I, personally, don't really have any comfort foods, but I do have a comfort drink, coffee. As a child I detested anything coffee flavored, but with age my taste buds have changed and now it has become vital to my survival. The essence of coffee in the morning is almost like a religious experience I have almost every morning. It could be any kind of roast, even hot or cold, coffee gives me a comfort to take on the world.
Growing up I was always fascinated with the idea of people making this brown liquid called coffee. For a weird reason I always found it to be an adult only drink that kids weren't suppose to drink, because it was bad for them. I didn't understand how people would make it out to be this scary substance, but still continue to drink it almost everyday. When I first tried coffee, it was the most disgusting thing I have had in my life and I didn't see the appeal these people on the drink.
Much later in my life, I found my love for coffee when I was visiting my family in Mexico. The time change of where my family lived was three hours ahead of normal California time, so there was a major struggle of waking up early and on time. I noticed that almost all of my family members were drinking coffee, so I decided to have a cup myself. That cup of Nescafe, a brand of instant coffee, with a little bit of milk and sugar was the start with my adventure of coffee. What no one told me was the affects that coffee would have on me and how addicting it was, but I wish someone had, because I began to consider it to be a bit of curse on how I live my life today. Although coffee is a very addicting substance, it has served as a comfort drink for me.
From that point on I would slowly start to increase the coffee intake on a daily basis. Of course, it started as a very small amount, like four cups in a week, then grew to about three cups a day. It really didn't occur to me as much that too much caffeine could have some effects on your daily habits, until I got to high school. At this point in time I would have made the coffee using a French press or this really expensive latte maker my mother had just bought, but when I was learning how to drive I was introduced to the world of Starbucks. Starbucks was right down the corner of my high school, so it made it really convenient for me to wake up and drive there before class. At first getting Starbucks before class wasn't a daily thing, it was only once and awhile, due to the fact that I was a broke high school student, but like most addictions my habits grew for the worst.
By the time I started to become heavily addict to any cup of coffee, I knew it was time to stop, and that's what happened. It worked for a couple of days, but before I knew it I was back to my old habits. So I tried a new approach, which was try drinking smaller portions of coffee, rather than getting medium sized coffees. The control that I had over my coffee consumption gave me a sense of accomplishment and allowed me to learn more about my own habits and myself.
The smell of just walking by any coffee shop at all would give me this heavenly feeling that would instantly change my mood to this ecstatic feeling, as if I were a little girl getting a present on Christmas. Coffee gives me comfort and security, because it didn't matter what happened the day before, what mattered was starting a new day fresh to face new obstacles. Allowing myself to start to the day on a positive note allowed me to be more optimistic, that's not to say every day of my life has been perfect.
Most coffee shops have this environment where it almost feels like an oasis for conversations about profound to be discussed amongst company. It could be the smell of the coffee that allows this chemical process to spark in one's brain to allow it to come to life, or it is something else, but when I go a coffee shop with a friend most memorable conversations begin. When I'm in a long line I like to hear what people order, because it allows me to hear how others like there coffee and it serves as new drinks to try, to branch out with the same regular coffee.
Coffee, a very versatile substance from all over the world, serves as a type of comfort and joyous experience for me. It might have it's downfall on what society believes is healthy for a person, but not for me. Coffee can be pleasurable in any company; also it can help strength a bond between people and allow them to further their friendship. It may be a little pricey at times, but each cup of coffee can be worth more than what money can provide, which is experience and connections.