September 19, 2007 at 5:40 pm · Filed under Addictions, Random Thoughts
In the cafe closest to my home an 8(?)-year-old girl repeatedly asks her mother ordering at the counter “mom can I have a vanilla latte, can I have a vanilla latte? …” I am a little shocked - is this her regular order? The mother, done handing money over to the cashier, begins to pay attention and says laughing “no! what are you thinking?!”
Coffee is an “adult drink” by social standards but not by law. It is only somewhat…unacceptable (?) for children to drink, maybe because it changes body chemistry and has addictive properties. Luckily the flavour is not very agreeable with a typical child’s tastes…a built in protection mechanism. But still, there are a number of coffee-based beverages masking the bitterness with sugar and milk products and other flavours - how much do these appeal to children and which children get to drink them? If their parents deny a request for a vanilla latte, are they allowed to have other drinks containing caffeine? If denying a child coffee is not based on health concerns but simply because coffee is an “adult drink” what does this say about adult perceptions of drinking it?
I consider my own. My morning cup of coffee is a daily sign of independence and self-support. I am drinking my coffee to start a day in which I will take on life responsibilities. I also drink coffee as a reward for responsibilities taken. On a day off I might indulge in a late morning breakfast out…accompanied with coffee.
Today I drink a rare cup of afternoon coffee to give me a thesis-working boost. It helped get me started and it helped me notice the shape of these buds on the walk home. I saw them and was able to picture graphics inspired by their shape but before today, I never connected the graphics to a plant that actually existed. They seem so wonderfully cartoonish.
Coffee is not helping me now. My body is sore and tired. I want to sleep. I think I might have a short nap…need to get functional soon.
June 21, 2006 at 1:28 pm · Filed under Addictions
I have a mean craving to sit down with a huge bowl of miniwheats and play the Sims for several hours. Alas! I don’t think I will be able to do that for a while. There is something about video games and cereal. Especially the Sims. I would like to make a Sims house out of cereal.
June 8, 2006 at 9:40 am · Filed under Addictions
Look folks, new category and what a great time to start it. I am in the land of things I could easily get addicted to. This first post will be based on sugar-stuff.
Addiction 1: Altoids Cinnamon Mints (Can you even call them mints though?)
Previously I had purchased a Japanese specialty, Lotte Black Black mints. They are quite potent but I still enjoyed them. Then I was in an international food store and found these. Can’t say they make me homesick but they are perfect for that needed 10 calorie boost when I am starving on my way home from work.
Addiction 2: Mt. Rainier Caffè Latte
I usually get the kind shown on the right. Normally I don’t go for the coffee in a cup or can. In fact before coming to Japan I could be quite the coffee snob but within 20 hours of my arrival I realized that to stay caffeinated in the next year, I would have to change my ways. Luckily, some of these pre-brewed products are not too bad. The Mt. Rainier Caffè Latte is my favorite because it is a little smooth, but not in that hydrogenated oil kind of way, and it is not too sweet…you can actually taste the coffee!
Addiction 3: カルシウム パーラー (Calcium Parlor)
My favorite fruit juice. Well, some of you might have heard me say at one point or another that I don’t really drink juice. This worked back home where fruit was cheap, but here…well you can get some types of fruit for cheap, but…I should rephrase that…I miss apples. The apples here are very good, but at 100円 each…yikes. That and apples are not mini calcium parlors AND they are not mixed with grape and lemon-y goodness. Seriously though, this is some good juice. It is hardly watered down so it almost seems thicker(?) than other juices, but not like a smoothie or yogurt-based drink.
