
early interest in coffee © Lilly Schwartz 2012
Among the many random things you can learn about me on my blog is that I *love* coffee. Caffeine isn’t even my longest lasting addiction — that would be gummibears, addicted since early childhood. It’s also not an unbroken one, since I had to stop drinking it for 3 years. However, it is quite likely my most excessive addiction.
During the last 2 years of high school I gulped down an entire 0.75l thermos of coffee within the first 45 min of class every day. Throughout the day I also went through a couple of vending machine coffees and drank more instant cappuccinos when I was back home. I had no coffee culture in those days and it all amounted to the most excessive amount of caffeine available. In the first couple of weeks of my apprenticeship I was told *not* to make the coffee, since my brew was “too damn strong” and “bad for the heart”. If you knew apprenticeships in Germany, you’d also know that making coffee is normally *the* duty for the apprentice. Well, not in my case. Later I learned to tone down my brew a bit, which also meant that I would drink about 4-6 cups of coffee during the day, because it was *weak*. Still, it was nice tasting fair trade coffee and not the crappy cheap stuff I used to drink before.
Just before the start of my second year I bought a new coffee machine, a pad coffee maker. It came with 3 types of coffee. Of course I had to test it extensively and ended up drinking 2 cups of each type. Since pad coffee is a bit stronger than the typical filter stuff, I basically had about 10-12 cups of coffee. Around 1am I called a friend and asked him whether he wanted to come over to have pancakes and drink more coffee. It was a brilliant night. Together with another friend we also killed one of these pad makers. We drank so much coffee that after half a year only half the normal amount would come out.
I could tell you a ton of coffee stories. Maybe one day I will even write a book about coffee. I certainly love it enough!
However, I’m only mentioning this, because the picture inspired me to think about coffee. My friend Guido and me sat in the café in the Martin-Gropius-Bau after seeing the Diane Arbus exhibition and I quickly took this picture before Guido could inhale (!) his coffee. Strangely enough, what I like most about this picture is that both the baby and the cup of coffee are out of focus. It somehow really adds to the feel of the picture, although I don’t quite know why or how. On of these accidental revelations about composition I guess.
You better drink that fast or you will have some competition soon lol Great capture!
Mom’s hand! That makes the photo. Lovely animation. My teacher calls that animating a photo.
I must go now. I want one more coffee. {darkest roast, plain never flavored, bitter, lil’ sips, never sweetened, but with soy cream only if I happen to have it, lil’ cups} And… a cool blog, my sweet family, kids up in a plane today, hard rolls, vegan butter, a nikon d700, music work yesterday/tomorrow. My Lord I hardly deserve such a rich life)
For me it seems like the corner of the table is almost in sharpest focus? I’m not entirely sure why that seems so well, either, although it does fall between both points of interest and in line with the baby’s gaze (I wonder if that has something to do with it)…
anyway, I do know that I like it!
🙂
Great capture, this picture talks about a story, a little coffee story! I love it 🙂
Great photo to go with your story!