Good Old-Fashioned Coffee
I need my coffee in the morning so it’s a good thing I also *like* my morning coffee. I’m a sucker for a mocha. A good one – not an overgrown hot chocolate with a shot of nasty coffee. Stabucks makes a tolerable mocha, but they’re expensive and inconveniently located for my morning routine. All that, and their coffee tastes burnt. Starbucks always finds it necessary to ask if I want whipped cream on my mocha (if it’s part of the drink and I don’t want it, I should be the one to request its exclusion) and they recently forced me onto a diet by changing from whole milk to 2%. I don’t need to be on a diet and I certainly don’t need a corporate giant dictating such decisions out of “courtesy.”
For all those reasons and then some, I enjoy Caribou. I especially enjoy their “Campfire Mocha.” With its chocolate, marshmallow, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and ACTUAL mini marshmallows (by far the BEST part), I’m happy to go a little out of the way for a cup. The one near work even has a drive-thru making them far more convenient. To top it off, Caribou has a daily trivia discount and they’re cheaper than Starbucks.
Today was a teacher workday, so I took the day off and The Kid and I spent the day doing mother/daughter “stuff” together. Unfortunately, the day began with a trip to the school to meet with the VP and the Teacher. The subject matter was unpleasant (a bully gone physical), but in the end was a relatively painless experience for all (for now). I hope this will be the last time the subject will need to be addressed.
Unpleasantnesses out of the way, we proceeded to easing into the adventures that laid ahead and quickly moved on to coffee. Lucky for me, The Kid also prefers Caribou and for excellent reasons! Their version of a “kid’s hot cocoa” is made in a “small” 16oz cup (Starbucks is 8oz), it’s served at a kid-friendly and immediately drinkable temperature, costs less, and includes oreo cookie bits sprinkled on top of the whipped cream. What more could a kid want?
After picking up our beverages (I even got the trivia question right!), we headed out for the day’s festivities. Imagine my surprise at our exchange in the car about 5 minutes into the trip:
The Kid: Did they have these when you were a kid?
Me: Have what? (she’s notorious for absolutely random thoughts)
The Kid: Oh wait, I know. They didn’t have them back then.
Me: What?!!? Back when?? Have what??
The Kid: Drinks like this. They didn’t have them back then because they didn’t have anything to warm the milk.
Me: Of course they did! Why would you think otherwise??
Me: (Stunned pause) We had coffee shops . . . (stammering) There weren’t as many as there are now, but we had . . . DUNKIN DONUTS! They have coffee there! And I got to have donuts, too!
The Kid: You got DONUTS??!! (muttering) I never get donuts.
Me: (Continues driving while absolutely astounded my childhood has been referred to as “back then” during a time when milk couldn’t be warmed.)
While I recognize her perspective on age is completely opposite mine, the early morning age-check caught me completely off guard. And I hadn’t even had a chance to finish my coffee yet.
Explore posts in the same categories: Wanderings
Assisted Procrastination 
April 15, 2008 at 9:50 am
Maybe you will feel younger, have fewer issues with corporate america putting you on a diet if you would just get the kid a donut once in a while??
I also used to get donuts, sometimes tacos, after school – It was great!
April 18, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Wow, I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. Reminds me of a conversation from about a year ago. Trying to relate to me in pop culture, little MM very honestly asked me if I had every -heard- of “Guns ‘n Roses”. I turned to mom and said “Hey mom, ever heard of the Beatles?” He never got the joke.
April 22, 2008 at 11:51 am
Back in the day, the bus driver used to take us little ones to the Jolly Rogers donut shop — on the school bus, an advantage of being the first bus stop. At least till the school caught on and put a stop to it. Guess they didn’t like it that we were full of sugar by the time we got to school.
April 22, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Wow – your bus driver rocked! I was never the first stop, but I can’t imagine my bus drivers ever being that cool. Then again, maybe it’s a lack of donuts that causes all the problems with kids these days (channeling the old-fogy in me).