The invigorating brew of coffee cannot be spoken of without its sweetener ally, the sugar. Some would take that beverage with dollops of it, some without even a trace and some with just half-a-spoon, thank you.However, there were times, when a question from the hostess whether sugar can be added to their coffee was construed as scornful abuse, to be asked only of a chronic diabetic. The insulin depletion in the pancreas was an admission of a sedentary life.
Sugar, the favourite of frisky tots (and ants), has a few variants like tiny crystals, fine powder or cubes. It has the unique distinction of not being able to advertise its presence in the brew, until one took a sip, unlike milk and decoction, that can be seen.
During those pre-family planning days, most of the families had a minimum of four to five kids, through the second wife of the lord and master, the first one giving birth to three or four of her own before leaving this planet. It was practically impossible to prepare coffee individually, as there were more than a dozen consumers, who brushed their teeth at different time slots to be coffee-ready. The lady of the house therefore prepared that morning brew in a brass urn, with fixed quantities of milk, decoction and sugar, like the feed prepared for the cows in the backyard shed. It was served by the lady of the house in tumblers with two variations in volume, half for the children and three quarter for the adults. Such a move motivated the family members to get up early as the coffee would be hot. No addition of milk, decoction or sugar or second helping (called the second ‘dose’) was permitted and the coffee had to be received on an ‘as-is’ basis, with no murmur on its status. Special consideration was shown only to the son-in-law if he had dropped in, but that too would vanish if he stayed for long, as familiarity bred contempt.
Indeed, coffee had been the driving force of most adults as toffee is that of children. No wonder novelist Kalki, the legend, is rumoured to have said that he would rather prefer to live for 50 years drinking good coffee instead of living for 100 insipid years without that heavenly brew. He died at 55.
J S RAGHAVAN
Email: jsraghavan@yahoo.com