Cigarettes and Coffee

Coffee, a staple of my life for the past two years, is a beautiful thing. While I don't drink coffee everyday, or better said, I don't have to drink coffee daily, I very much enjoy sitting down and drinking a cup. Hot or cold, flavored or black, instant or barista made, coffee is a varied and internationally loved food group of its own. Even more options come with the kind of coffee you drink. Whether you favor a cappuccino, double shot espresso, simple mocha, medium blend brew, or a "skim milk non fat caramel machiatto light ice", your choices are endless. Coffee here in Lebanon has a different meaning. It goes beyond a morning necessity, and beyond your moment of relaxation; nose in a book and feet up at your favorite coffee shop next door.  It's a symbol of life here, especially for the Armenian population, who generously drink their coffee in sweet little cups, piping hot, and black as mud. This Armenian coffee is delicious though, with a few teaspoons of sugar and some fruit, it's a sure delicacy of the culture. They take it to an extreme level though when they drink their "black as mud" strong coffee 4-5 times a day. In the morning after breakfast, at 10:30 am after working for an hour, at noon before lunch, at 1 pm after lunch, and yet agin at 6 pm before dinner. It is beyond me why they all are not hyper caffeine addicts, adding to this coffee consumption packs of cigarettes, creating an interesting dynamic to watch. Coffee and cigarettes, while not always the smoking, is for the people here an outlet to connect. While doing construction this past week as we begin renovating the house, the matron of the floor below us has brought the workers and ourselves coffee everyday we are there. Speaking no English, she evens brings juice for my mom and I, knowing that we do not always want the coffee or tea she brings for the men, and understanding that she cannot ask us what we would like to drink. Sweet gestures like this, completely unnecessary, have astounded me. It amazes me to see the hospitality of this nation. Just like they love their coffee, they love to be welcoming and cordial to anyone new to Beirut or Lebanon in general. So while I sit and write(type), and drink my grande caramel mocha from Starbucks next door, I can't help but feel grateful to the power of coffee, and the community it helps to create between people of different languages and nationalities.