Column: Life with Logan

My life took a turn for the worse one Sunday morning. I was only 6-years-old, but the repercussions of that moment will live with me forever. 

Following Sunday school, before the main service at church, I trotted on my tiny legs to the community room, where all the grown-ups socialized and discussed boring adult stuff before entering the sanctuary. In that room, several small machines and cups rested on a table. People crowded the table and took turns pouring steamy liquid into cups.

Hot chocolate! My favorite!

I hobbled to the table. With all my child-like strength, I reached for a foam cup. With some assistance, I finally managed to fill it with the hot, dark substance.

For that brief moment, everything was perfect. The world stood still, the delicious, gratifying hot chocolate warming
my anticipations. 

Then, everything changed when the demon juice touched my lips. I swallowed before realizing the horrible truth.

Coffee?

I instantly threw the sugarless beverage in the trash where it belonged. 

Like most children, I had never sipped black coffee before. If sugar wasn’t involved, I kept my distance. 

Blinded by my craving, I should have known that coffee, not hot chocolate, boiled in those machines. After all, my parents drank coffee regularly.

Every morning, my parents brew a hot pot of strong, dark black roast. To them, the drink is a requisite for a positive day and an essential element for conquering life’s demands. Without it… Well, let’s not go there.

The tradition dates back centuries, all the way to the Boston Tea Party. Instead of paying the outrageous taxes implemented by the King of England, American’s patriotically switched from tea to coffee.

Ever since, coffee has been the go-to beverage for millions of Americans. It has experienced alterations in the form of frappes, lattes, mochas and other titles too daunting to pronounce. Coffee can even refresh someone on a sweltering summer day as an iced beverage.

Regardless of how you consume it, coffee has played a pivotal role in American society. According to e-importz, Americans consume more than 400 million cups of coffee each day. That is 1.3 cups for each U.S. citizen.

Though I’m not coffee’s biggest fan, I certainly understand America’s obsession. Coffee is the most customizable beverage. There’s a style for everyone, even me.

However, although popular, Americans take coffee way too seriously. It’s a great business, but it’s also an unhealthy obsession. 

Over the years, I’ve grown to tolerate the universal drink. I started by overloading on sugar and creamer, almost completely dulling the coffee flavor. I’ve gone through different phases of coffee preferences including iced mochas, espressos and frappes (if those types justify the name “coffee”).

Men drink it black, soccer moms load up on creamer and we all have that one friend who always orders something crazy like a venti, triple, iced, vanilla chai latte, non-fat caramel drizzle cherry blossom.

Just listening to that order causes diabetes.

I enjoy drinking a variety of beverages, including the occasional cup of joe. But I will never let coffee control me. The American obsession is unhealthy and overrated, and too many people depend on the caffeine
for energy.

As we delve into the freezing miseries of winter, consider breaking the traditional drinking mold and enjoy a nice, warm cup of hot chocolate.