A harmless Morning Grouch
The smell of toast and coffee fills me with an incredible sense of warmth. It carries the promise that this day will start off right.
As a child, I begged my parents endlessly to let me try their coffee. When they finally gave in and allowed me a sip, the disappointment was crushing. It was bitter, harsh and nothing like the comforting aroma I had imagined.
I didn’t touch coffee again for a decade.
I can still picture my parents’ satisfied expressions, convinced they had won a small victory in parenting.
That was long before baristas in suspenders started crafting latte art, before we could choose from five different kinds of milk, before tiny backyard roasteries began popping up in hip urban neighborhoods.
But one thing has never changed - my love for the smell of coffee.
I am one of those lucky people who wake up to a lovingly placed cup of coffee.
And who, if not the French, would know better how to celebrate this very moment?
Since 1914, Paris has hosted “La Course des Cafés” - a race in which waitresses and waiters speed-walk four kilometres to and from the Hôtel de Ville, balancing a tray with a coffee, a glass of water and a croissant.
The idea has travelled far, from Washington to Hong Kong - all in celebration of the art of waiting tables.
It feels just right to honour the bringer of coffee, because receiving a warm cup every morning, truly is my greatest happiness.
Some mornings, though, the scent reaches me before the cup itself, gently pulling me from sleep.
Perhaps there’s a touch of self-preservation behind my husband’s kindness.
Because the crumpled, unapproachable creature he encounters in bed before, bears an unsettling resemblance to its dark equivalent from the Upside Down (from Stranger Things). With that first sip, I transform into a much more agreeable person.
Strong black coffee, a bold espresso or a velvety cappuccino - there’s just something about holding a fragrant cup in your hands.
And it never fails to chase away the morning grump.
For those who must, willingly or unwillingly, step outside for their first cup of the day, here are our favorite spots beyond the comfort of bed.
