Monday 12 October 2009

My Next Door Neighbour

If I don't blog this right away I will forget,and it's too wonderful to be lost...


I just put the kettle on and made a cup of tea - the lazy way: just a tea bag in a cup. On going to the fridge for milk I discovered that we had none! Not one drop! So I went, with hot cup in hand, and knocked on my elderly neighbours door. She answered, still in a dressing gown and curlers in her hair. She's great craic. A real, old Irish woman who always has a story to tell and a quirky saying for every occasion. If chatting at the front door were an olympic sport she would win a gold medal.

Anyway, I explained my predicament and she was only too willing to oblige...and tell a story: Apparently she doesn't drink tea and always drank coffee, even as a young child. She was out the other day with her nephew and stopped for a coffee in "one of those Starbucks places", to which she added:

"Call that coffee?! My granny! It was bilge."

I literally LOL. And I don't even know what bilge is!

5 comments:

Nicoley said...

Bilge is the water the leaks in at the bottom of boats.

Mm tea. We've a community of milk sharing in the 6th yr common room. Possibly more aptly described as if you leave it in the fridge, it will be taken.

That being said, I was not pleased to come in on Monday morning to find someone had used all my coffee :(

Cosmo said...

Why, Nicoley, you have quite the nautical knowledge!

I've ont seen them for sale here, but in the States grocery stores sell small packs of coffee which is just enough for one pot. You could do with a supply of those to keep one in your bag for emergencies.

Snot Head (a.k.a Kylie) said...

I would love to get those individual coffee makers, but the problem with them is that you have to have a special coffee maker to fit the small size of them. Or do they make little shots of coffee grounds that aren't already made with a filter around them?

Bilge sounds disgusting as far as something you would drink. That is awful! No wonder you laughed...even before you knew what it was. Glad she agrees that they are taking over the world! lol

Being from the states, I have yet to try tea with milk in it. I have always been interested in trying it. I don't think I mentioned to you the demise of my coffee maker. :( :( I made tea in it, and brace yourself because this is gross. I forgot I made tea in it because I don't normally use it to make tea, and it...um...MOLDED! I had to throw it out. I still haven't got another one because I was trying not to drink so much coffee because I really don't need the caffeine.

My love of all things coffee has not let that happen though, so I ended up spending a lot of money, money I could have used to buy a new coffee maker, buying lattes all week. haha! I know I could use decaf, but I am convinced it doesn't taste the same.

Cosmo said...

Snot Head,

What individual coffee makers do you mean? I'm not sure what you're talking about. Can you post an amazon link?

I suppose some would argue that you should only drink tea without milk. Nicoley will probably know better as I seem to recall that she has a fondness for tea also. That said, on this side of the Atlantic most people would add milk to a standard cup of good, strong tea. (None of your Lipton nonsense here). I also like to add a chocolate biscuit (cookie) or two as well. Dunked.

I'm afraid I have a hard time comprehending why you would put tea through a coffee maker!!!! I wouldn't have worried too much about the mold. Who hasn't made a pot of coffee then gone on vacation for a couple of weeks only to discover that the pot and filter were not emptied? We've all done that...right? Nothing a good wash and a few splashes of boiling water can't cure.

Have you thought about getting a caffetiere? Not always the quick option for coffee, but it can be used to produce an excellent cup.

I'm not even going to rise to the bait of the decaf issue.

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