INSTANT AWAKENING

I wouldn't call myself a coffee aficionado. For me, a hot piping cup of coffee (or tea), has always simply counted as a morning fix to kickstart my body into daily routine. Nothing more, nothing less.

For the first twenty-odd years of my caffeinated existence, I drank only instant coffee. Always with milk. And ALWAYS with sugar.

Coffee outside the house usually meant a trip to the local South Indian/Udupi joint. There, the options were simple: Instant Coffee (usually Nescafe) or Filter Coffee. I’d pick Nescafe nine times out of ten. Filter Coffee was reserved for moments of reckless adventure.

So imagine my culture shock the first time I tried ordering coffee at an airport. It felt like a lifelong vegetarian being asked to choose between a wide lineup of Mughlai-style chicken delicacies and an authentic sushi spread.

Believe it or not, here's how it went down (possibly exaggerated for your reading pleasure):

Me, squinting at the menu board, mumbling: "Latte? Espresso? Match...chee..aah..”

The barista, a young man barely out of school (or so it seemed), turned sharply to stop me before I could complete my blasphemous utterance: “Mah-key-aah-toe, Sir.”

I panicked, “I just want a cup of coffee.”

The barista could barely register a smile, “Of course Sir...what type?”

“Hot?”

“We've got latte, cappuccino, espresso...”

“Do you have...instant?”

The barista froze, one hand over his heart, as if I'd touched his coffee beans inappropriately, “We don’t serve instant coffee, Sir.”

The woman behind me leaned in and barked, “Just get a latte and move on!" 

I felt a wave of perspiration avalanche down my forehead, "Just give me something that'll wake me up in a couple of sips."

The barista sighed, “Thank you Sir. One Espresso coming right up.”

I paid the lad, found a seat, and took a sip.

And at once I felt my soul grappling with my body to be let back in.

And from that day on, I've only been having instant coffee.

This piece has been written as a part of the Blogchatter Blog Hop. The word prompt for this week (September 30 - October 6) is the word "Coffee".

Turns out October 1 was celebrated as International Coffee Day, so here's me raising a virtual Cuppa right back at you!