coffee in the midwest

In the midwest, coffee is a verb. It is something you do vs something you drink and it always social. My mother is often found coffeeing with the neighbors for example. It rarely gets drunk alone and there is never any left in the pot at the end. It is also a measure of time. When I was a kid I knew we would be staying quite a bit longer when my mom told me "just one more cup of coffee and then we will go. " Now, this may sound wonderful to someone who is from the northwest where coffee is available on every corner - and sometimes midblock as well - but there is a downside to midwestern coffee.

It usually comes out of a can. Rarely do they use cream and sugar and if they do offer cream, nine times out of ten it will be flavored coffemate. And speaking of flavors, they are big fans of flavored coffee in the midwest. Personally, I would rather have a shot Bailey's in my coffee than irish cream flavored coffee, but not there. A big cup of chocolate hazelnut coffee always brings oohs and ahs from those being served. And finally, you will always, ALWAYS be able to see the bottom of your cup through your coffee.