The earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking appeared in Yemen in Southern Arabia in the middle of the 15th Century, but for me it was across the road at Grandma’s kitchen table in the middle of the 20th Century.
Grandma, like my dad, brewed and drank coffee all day long. Dad would not let me drink coffee when I was kid because he said it would stunt my growth. Grandma, on the other hand, would always pour me a cup if I wanted one. I felt so grown up.
She would set a half a cup of coffee in front of me then slide the sugar dish and spoon next to my cup. Then she would fetch a pint of Half & Half from the refrigerator. After three or four tablespoons of sugar and a couple ounces of cream, the cup was full and tolerable to drink. We will visit over a cup of coffee, grandma would say, and she would tell me stories about the Wars, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl and her experiences teaching in a one room school.
At that time Grandma was close to the age I am now and looking back to when we were visiting over a cup of coffee, I see that I have it pretty good compared to her and her stories of a family trying to survive.
I had several sugar filled cups of coffee with grandma that summer and when school started the following fall I was very disappointed when the school nurse said I didn’t grow a single inch from the year before, not one inch. My father was right, coffee stunted my growth and grandma abetted. When I told grandma drinking her coffee made me a runt she giggled and said, “It isn’t the coffee, silly boy, it’s all that sugar you put in it.” I never added sugar to another cup of coffee after that and by golly I grew two inches the next year.
I wish I’d visited with grandma more over a cup of coffee and I wish I would have asked her more questions, because the more you know about your grandparents the more you will know about yourself.
Coffee’s for Kids, especially at grandpa and grandma’s house.
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Rick Friday is a farmer (from Union County, Iowa), cartoonist, and writer published worldwide with a weekly and monthly print circulation of 193,000. He’s also a Union County Supervisor.
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My Grandma Leora favored Postum!
I’ve always been a coffee drinker, but not instant. The first instant I really enjoyed came from Egypt.
From what age? Mom got coffee withdrawal headaches so I don’t really know when I became a regular. I’m up at 4 or before, first mug is at 5 (with a pat of butter whisked in), then a couple more (black) during the day. Guess I’m a snob as I only like McDonalds! (Guy spoils me with McCafe for Keurig.)
I have heard the ‘coffee stunts growth’ story before – also probably when I was young. I never drank enough for that to have been a concern though as I was brought up on tea. This is a delightful memory of Grandma.
Grandma Leora drank Postum, which is made from roasted wheat. I was going to try it again before I discovered it’s base, and I don’t digest gluten so will stick with coffee. For several years I enjoyed blackberry tea daily.
Postum! Gosh, I recall my grandfather drinking that! It is no longer available in this country.
Amazon sells it, says it’s made from wheat bran and molasses!
I love coffee. My family background is Swedish, and we even drank very weak coffee as children. My grandmother once counted her sugar intake by keeping track of how many little cups of coffee she drank in a day. Sixteen spoons of sugar to sixteen dainty cups of coffee. 🙂
Sounds like Bosnian coffee! Small cups, plenty of sugar. Thanks for your note.
What a delightful family story! I really enjoyed it.
Some days he draws cartoons. Some days he leaves me with a lump in my throat.