Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Insanity, coffee and pedantry

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been concerned about going mad. Every pen, fork or sock I can’t find feels like a harbinger of the inevitable. So in an effort to stave off madness (be it insanity or dementia), I try hard to shelter my brain from chemicals. Thus for me it’s no recreational drugs, no smoking, no alcohol, and only one cup of a hot caffeinated drink per day (and decaf for the others). When I’m here in Mole Creek alone, my caffeinated drink’s almost invariably instant coffee. So Sweetheart Vivienne thinks I’m a coffee heathen. Guilty as charged, your honour. Which is not to say I don’t enjoy good coffee. Whenever we’re out together drinking coffee, Sweetheart Vivienne and I rate its quality on a scale from 1 (Devonport Airport) to 10 (which for me is Pellegrini's [1], but I think she’s moved on from there though I’m unsure where to). Her coffee’s always a latte [2]. I drink cappuccino [3] before midday and latte after midday – because I read somewhere that’s what they do in Italy; and I’m ever the pedantic purist. Though today’s not List Friday, numbers 2 and 10 in the ‘Ten Commandments of Il Culto del Caffe’ in this Age article last week [4], are relevant to my coffee ritual. I’ve been wrong for years. But it’s never too late to repent. Ho hum.

P.S. If both latte and cappuccino are morning drinks only, what does one drink after midday?

1 comment:

Chris Burrows said...

I can see worrying about dementia or Alzheimers might be a possibilty for us older ones, but I think it is highly unlikely you would fall prey to other sorts of madness, as they usually show up much earlier.
You seem enormously sensible and sane,from a bloggers point of view.
I too fear mental decay and would like a quick and fatal end!