Brrr...

It is a cold week here in NYC!

It was 9 degrees when we went out to the car, and now it is a balmy 13 degrees since I have returned home.

I stopped for warm bagels and a hot coffee (decaf, of course!) after taking Chris to the train station this morning. I realized while I was there at the bagel shop that this was the first time I was ordering a "coffee regular" since the last time I lived in NYC...10 years ago! I remember prior to moving to NY the first time, my father explaining the difference between what New Yorkers understand a "regular coffee" to be, and what the rest of the world understands it to be. Dad, being a true coffee drinker, only takes his black...and learned from experience to ask for Black Coffee. I, on the other hand, am a recreational coffee drinker, and am perfectly content with a dessert version of the beverage. "Coffee Regular" as it is understood in these parts, consists of 2 heaping tablespoons of sugar, and lots of milk. If it has a light beige color and makes your teeth ache, it is the right stuff. So, I revisited this beverage phenomenon this morning, and discovered that it is TOO sweet to be tolerable anymore. Apparently the bitter flavor of Starbucks has trained my taste buds to expect something different in the last 10 years. With age comes wisdom...