My encounter with coffee

After dinner my friends asked me for coffee though one of them forgot his wallet, we went out to have coffee. We were there and we ordered two coffee Mocha ice without cream and a coffee Latte ice. The only girl in the shop, made and served us coffee and moved immediately with the next order. It was closing time with ample customers at 7 PM. In Korea we take dinner at 6.00PM and coffee shop is open till 7.00PM.

The coffee shop is in digital part and we usually grab a coffee and go for a walk around the park. Took a sip of coffee as we started to walk in the part. I was very comfortable with Latte without sugar, but the other two complained about its bitterness. They went back to add some sugar to it. One them asked me if I needed sugar. I denied.(I liked its bitterness ;)

As they moved on for sugar I started thinking about my initial days in Korea. My first time to go to a coffee shop in Korea (with a HR girl who used to be with foreign employees). She asked which coffee I would like to order. In India I never liked coffee and never knew that it has so many flavors. When she asked for my choice, I didn't know what to order. I knew only two coffees in India, one is Coffee and other is cappuccino.

As I never liked Cappuccino,I asked her to order coffee. She asked me which coffee would I like, I never knew answer for that. To avoid embarrassment, politely I asked her which coffee would she like. She told that she is ordering for Ice Americano, I immediately told I also will go with Americano. After we received order, I got chance to see liquid sugar for the first time.I just added as she added it. After that she waited for an hour for me to finish it, but I could not because of its bitterness and strange taste. ( I used to take milk tea with sugar in India, which is very sweet). After an hour of struggle I asked her that if I can throw the rest of the coffee. I was thinking how people are made to spend $5 for something like this.

Now it is around little over a year, I was saying that Latte without sugar is great. During this time I tasted many flavors of Latte, Mocha, Americano, Cappuccino and Esspresso from almost every branded shop like Starbucks, Coffee & Beans, Coffee Cofea, Toms & Toms and Dunkin Donuts. Also tried some traditional coffee makers in Suwon.

The lesson was one is a great teacher and you learn lots of things unknowingly. Culture of people around will have definite impact on ones habits. The more important thing is not to be addicted to anything and keep a watch on oneself. Make sure that they are not hurting your basic faith and principle.

I am not a big fan of either coffee or tea, but take them with friends, as I feel that is one among the Halal drinks I can enjoy with my friends in Korea. In drinks I like anything which is more liquid and close to water. Therefore, I choose Americano or Espresso without sugar or any tea without sugar and milk.

If I m asked to vote between coffee and tea (without milk and sugar) I vote for TEA.

Do read my next post on green tea , my experience with Tea in Korea.