Sunday, August 18, 2013

Coffee In An 18th-Century Cup


... but coffee in any sort of cup will do. Let's talk...

78 comments:

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I could have sworn I have seen that cup before, sitting on that same chair.

No weird rhetorical device intended.

Fr Martin Fox said...

When's the last time anyone used a cup and saucer at home?

How many people even have cups and saucers? I think I do, somewhere.

rhhardin said...

Belmont Club
The underlying problem with Obama betting on the Muslim Brotherhood wasn’t the immorality of it, but the imbecility of the wager.

I'd been going with moron, but imbecile has its points.

deborah said...

It's been a long time since I've ground coffee beans. When I do, they're fairly fine and used liberally.

Cody Jarrett said...

Last week was one of the longest, nastiest weeks ever.

I hope this week improves. But so far...

deborah said...

Martin, my mother and I threw a tea party wedding shower for my niece. Teacups and saucers were in abundance (My sister had been collecting them randomly for the event.)

edutcher said...

I love the way he puts it, Fantastic: It Turns Out That Democrats Destroyed The Entire Health Care System To Insure, Like, 3 Extra People.

And no background checks For Choomcare ‘navigators’ who will be able to poke through your data. I've heard them described as community organizers.

Cody Jarrett said...

I like Brad Thor's recent statement on obamacare, where he tweeted Obama and told him "f you. This isn't what the founders intended. Come chase me"
more or less.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

My mother-in-law's idea of interior decorating is to put an antique tea cup and saucer on an end table, along with one of those old-fashioned ink wells and a quill pen. Next to that she'll pile up some old books.

Call it a "still life" if you'd like but I think the idea is to make it look as if George Washington or somebody just got up to go to the bathroom.

She probably got the idea from looking at Colonial Homes magazine, same place she got the idea to lean a long-handled antique bed warmer against the fireplace, as if it might actually get some use. The purpose of the wicker baskets all over the place is anybody's guess.

In the kitchen she has an old-fashioned wooden high chair with an old Raggedy Ann doll in it. None of her grandchildren were ever allowed to sit there.

She's been postmenopausal for decades now but she is not yet fully demented, so far as I can tell.

rhhardin said...

Power company plan for metal pole upgrade.

It's nous vs. hyle.

sakredkow said...

I've got my coffee and I'm enjoying the FIDE 2013 World Cup - not an 18th c cup.

The American Nakamura having a fairly easy go so far in this elimination tournament. Also Gata Kamsky doing okay.

Susan Polgar and Lawrence Trent doing the commentary - life is outstanding.

Anonymous said...

I'm having my coffee in a Pareek Johnson Bros. England, cup and saucer, just because your post reminded me they are sitting in my turn of the century china cabinet being ignored. I love those dishes.

rhhardin said...

Unposed pic coffee cup and saucer to my right.

The thick cardboard serves to dry the cup bottom.

Anonymous said...

That would be the turn of the 19th century into the 20th, I have a house full of antiques, but none so precious. I might like The Bat's mother in law, but my grandkids could've sat in the high chair. Actually maybe not, those things were dangerous.

sakredkow said...

Nice rhardin. Looks like you were taking your stitches out at the table, too.

Anonymous said...

No offense rh, but that stuff looks like sludge from a carburetor. I'm guessing that would be what carburetor sludge looked like.

deborah said...

Now, that's a still life!

Anonymous said...

Oh, the Pareek is circa 1920.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I'm having my coffee in a retro heavy cafe type Mobligas Flying Pegasus mug; one of a set we picked up on our recent trip to Reno for Hot August Nites. We drove in our resto rodded 67 Chevy stepside pick up. Three people wanted to buy it....and it isn't for sale. Made my husband's day :-)

We always grind our beans especially since I read an article in the WSJ (about 8 years) ago on the allowed amounts of debris (dirt, stones, twigs and dead insects) that are in the ground up coffee. My father confirmed the insects with a photo from a coffee plantation (is that the term??) where the beans as they are drying and turning from red to brown were swarming with wasps. Bleccch!

The only time I don't is if the power is off or we are at a restaurant. I try to not think about it then.

Enjoy your coffee.....(evil smile)

AllenS said...

Had some coffee left over from yesterday, so I filled up my Country Kitchen Restaurant insulated mug and reheated it. That's how we do it in Jesusland.

Oh, before I forget, I added a generous amouny of Coffee-mate (original) to it.

AllenS said...

amouny = amount. You probably knew that.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Test

Dust Bunny Queen said...

@ Fr Fox

We have some vintage coffee cups and a coffee pot that I collected years and years ago. We never use the cups because they are just too dainty and the only time we have coffee is in the mornings. Maybe now that we have "finally" gotten a display case, where we can reach the danged things, we can use them for tea, which we love in the winter evenings.

Fiestaware Coffee set I also have the lidded sugar bowl and creamer in yellow to match the coffee pot.

Palladian said...

I love Fiestaware.

Palladian said...

I can't imagine not grinding my own coffee beans. I have a little hand grinder that travels with me until I can get back to my electric one.

Sydney said...

I'm drinking my Maxwell House Original Blend in a Medical Computing Review mug. I wrote a review for them once, and the mug was my payment. They are no longer in business.

I drink Starbucks coffee out of styrofoam cups at the hospital doctor's lounge. At least the sign on the coffee pot says it's Starbucks, but I overheard one of the women who makes it say that it's really Maxwell House. There have been budget cuts at the hospital.

I use nice cups with saucers when I serve coffee to guests. For special occasions, I prefer Mystic Monk Dark Roast.

Sydney said...

Edutcher:

I suspect that Obamacare will increase the number of uninsured, not increase, even by 3. The Kaiser Foundation has a subsidy calculator which can give you an idea of what your insurance costs will be on the exchanges if you have to pay out of pocket. Insurance is expensive. People aren't going to want to pay over $200 a month for a basic policy that then also requires them to pay an additional 30 to 40% of their nonpreventive healthcare bills. Especially if they are young. Add to that the increase in part time employment to circumvent the employer mandate, and there's just no way there are going to be more insured people out there than before this catastrophe was made into law.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

@ Palladian

I love Fiestaware (obviously) too. I started collecting when I was still in high school....I know....I'm weird. Used to go to flea markets, second hand stores, Goodwills and yardsales when in college. Fiestaware wasn't really even collectable then.....just grandma's old dishes. Most of what I have I bought for practically nothing! I think I paid less than $10 for the whole coffee set. SCORE!!! but I didn't know it at the time. It was just something that I like looking at. The shapes and the colors.

Here's another shot of 'some' of my collection Most of it is in boxes right now for space and lack of display availability.

edutcher said...

sydney said...

Edutcher:

I suspect that Obamacare will increase the number of uninsured, not increase, even by 3.


Think you meant

increase the number of uninsured, not decrease, even by 3.

Think you meant that. Tell me if I'm wrong.

Trooper York said...

I am drinking Dunkin Donut's coffee in a cardboard cup while dunking donuts in it of course.

We have a full set of fancy cups and saucers that we always use when we have people. I made a rule when we got married. If we were gonna get all this expensive crap we were gonna use it an not leave it to collect dust in the china cabinet. So the kids get to eat macaroni and cheese on expensive plates.

AllenS said...

Trooper York said...
I am drinking Dunkin Donut's coffee in a cardboard cup while dunking donuts in it of course.

We have a full set of fancy cups and saucers that we always use when we have people.


When you're having people, instead of donuts, do you dunk them in the coffee too?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Thats some fancy writing there Trooper ;)

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

AllenS beat me to it.

deborah said...

I have a pretty large collection of McCoy and Brush type white swans. Maybe about 20. Once I put them all on a table, but then took them back up, because they looked like a flotilla.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

So dainty!

I need a mug.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

That's how we do it in Jesusland.


Amen.

Well, in truth, I need the fresh stuff, with fresh bugs.

ricpic said...

Does anyone else have an inverted coffee cup? In other words big circumference on the bottom narrow on top. Holds the heat better. But mainly it's very pleasing to look at and drink from. Amazing how rarely I see that shape in stores when I'm looking for another cup. And I'm always looking for a companion to the cup of that shape that I've had for about twenty five years. Pink with dark brown dots. Love that cup.

Sydney said...

Edutcher,

Sorry for the bad park me typo. You are correct in what I meant.

Palladian said...

ricpic, I have a hand-made mug from Ireland that is shaped a bit like a barrel, very wide at the bottom and narrowing toward the top. It's a good cup, and does keep the coffee & tea hot.

Palladian said...

Dust Bunny Queen, awesome collection! I bought my first piece of Fiestaware, a yellow ashtray, a year after high school, 1994. Unfortunately by that time it was very collectible and the ashtray, a lucky find for a buck, was the only piece of old Fiestaware that I bought for a long time. When I went to graduate school, I didn't have any dishes so I went to Macy's and bought 6 place settings of new Fiestaware during a sale, 14.99 a set. The new Fiestaware isn't as nice as the old stuff, it's too heavy and too shiny and the shapes aren't as nice and the colors aren't as good, but it's still colorful and has the benefit of being nearly unbreakable.

One of my summer hosts had a bunch of new and old Fiestaware, so you'll probably see some in my next food post.

deborah said...

I dislike the new mugs that are narrow at the bottom and wide at the top. Too top-heavy, accident waiting to happen.

Also, ordering cups/mugs from Amazon is dicey. Twice I've gotten damaged mugs. One from a 4-pack, and 1 single.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Cawffee Tawk with Palladian.

Paddy O said...

AllenS, I think you mentioned you did the ancestry.com DNA test. What did you think of it? Worth the cost?

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

When will they bring the original Postum recipe back?

AllenS said...

Well worth the cost. My first DNA test was done with FamilyTree, and the one with Ancestry.com is a lot better for the simple fact that Ancestry is run by the Mormons who have the biggest set of records that you can imagine.

Taking their DNA test will enable to you compile a Family Tree with them, and they are always helping you with their "hints", enabling you to add to your tree. My family tree now goes back to 1525 for one side of my family.

I have approximately, 1,800 cousins now. Some are so distant, that we're probably related to someone about 10 generations ago.

You might be surprised to find out your family DNA background which goes back a long, long time ago.

Paddy O said...

AllenS, thanks for the response. I got on ancestry.com again this week after trying it out for a tiny while in 2010. That post I put up last week spurred it, really.

I have a great aunt who has done a fair amount of work and with that, and poking around on the website for a number of hours, I've gotten my father's side -- the direct O name -- all the way back to 1685 or so.

Found out that my 7th great grandfather Alexander O was a revolutionary war veteran from South Carolina. I have his father and grandfather's name, but that's it.

Both sides are almost entirely American as far back, with a few additions from the old country along the way. I got curious how the DNA stuff would help and you've encouraged me to have a go at it when I get the chance.

William said...

Do people (younger than Trooper) still have good silverware and china put away and only used for special occasions. I never understood how such refinements improved the meal. I knew some families that had plastic covers over the good furniture in the living room, and the living room was actually the kitchen.....The Irish of a certain generation put a lot of effort into being middle class. The unintended result was that their children were utterly skeptical of middle class values.

William said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
William said...

Genealogies collapse. You have eight great grandparents but the world did not have eight times as many people one hundred years ago. Up to the invention of the automobile, people courted and sparked those women who lived within walking distance, and most of them were first and second cousins. Also, the men who lived in the manor house got more than their fair share of the local women......As a result of this, even people from humble backgrounds probably have some royal blood. I've never traced my ancestry, but I have every reason to suspect that I'm the illegitimate love child of JFK and Marilyn Monroe.

AllenS said...

Paddy, one of the first people who showed up with a matching DNA was my second cousin that I had never met, nor heard of her. Her grandmother and my grandmother are sisters. She has an enormous number of photos of my family. A couple of them of my grandmother and my father when he was a child.

I also have a 4th cousin who is from Sicily. My mom's parents came from Sicily, and John has a photo of my mom and her brothers and sisters in a wedding picture. They could have fit in with the Godfather movies. No shit.

Trooper York said...

Allen when we have people we don't dunk them. But we do use the 20 year catsup.

Trooper York said...

Don't bust my balls about my sentence structure when there are donuts involved.

Have you no decency?

AllenS said...

I've heard that catsup is good for 1,000 years, so you have some new stuff.

AllenS said...

Have you no decency?

No.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Do people (younger than Trooper) still have good silverware and china put away and only used for special occasions.

Guilty as charged.

The only good thing about the situation, so far as I can tell, is every time my wife hauls it all out of storage, I get the opportunity to say, "Sweetheart, we have no servants."

She laughs, which is why we get along.

I should think most other women would punch me in the throat and leave me on the floor, drunk and gasping for air.

Trooper York said...

I only have my tea in souvenir concert mug from the 1980's.

rcocean said...

Ms. Rc gets out her Grandmother's china and fine silverwear every Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and the occasional VIP dinner.

Otherwise, they gather dust.

Why? I don't know. To me a plates a plate.

rcocean said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rcocean said...

It reminds me of my Mother, who had super expensive Antique furniture in the living room that no one was supposed to sit on.

Chip Ahoy said...

I have two silver trays and I do use them, and plastic wrap is to prevent them from tarnishing not to improve the metal, but you knew that.

Presently all my mug-related needs are well-met with quart Mason jars. Widemouth so I can put my hand inside to clean them. Good for everything even coffee.

But! Specifically for coffee they make wide-mouth Mason jars with handles. But those fail to hold an attraction for me because they are inauthentic!

We're real over here.

Cody Jarrett said...

I'm using Mason jars too but not the quart size--only 16OZers.

Green Mountain Gringo salsa comes in them. I can't bring myself to throw them away.

Trooper York said...

I do promise to serve Palladian my best single malt in a Flintstones jelly jar glass the next time he stops by the house.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I have to admit, I am sort of house-proud about these drinking glasses we have that have got these sort of art deco-ish ridges going around them, but that's mostly because I once saw that they were drinking out of THE EXACT SAME FRACKING GLASSES in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Like, how totally awesome is that?

Palladian said...

I do promise to serve Palladian my best single malt in a Flintstones jelly jar glass the next time he stops by the house.

I would drink a good single malt from a puddle on the floor.

Rabel said...

Andrew Branca at Legal Insurrection has begun following the Merritt Landry justifiable shooting case in New Orleans.

Branca's latest post is here.

Details as now known are in the Times Picayune here.

Branca's coverage of the Zimmerman story was spot-on. But in the Landry case, I'm going to disagree with him.

I have never believed that I have the unfettered right to shoot a trespasser. There are mitigating circumstances which are in Landry's favor - it was 2 AM, the neighborhood was crime-ridden, the trespasser had scaled a high fence, Landry's pregnant wife and child were in the house - but, as with Zimmerman, the facts at the moment of the shooting should determine guilt or innocence.

From the facts as currently presented, it looks to me that Landry heard someone in his back yard, went outside with his gun and shot the guy on sight.

I think that that is and should be a crime, but with only moderate penalties due to the circumstances mentioned above. I'm sure that some will disagree. Probably strongly.

Titus said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Titus, are you going to offer him help? Aw that's kinda sweet. I hope your husband won't get jealous.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

it was 2 AM, the neighborhood was crime-ridden, the trespasser had scaled a high fence, Landry's pregnant wife and child were in the house - but, as with Zimmerman, the facts at the moment of the shooting should determine guilt or innocence.

The facts? As you presented them, there is not any question in my mind. It is 2 AM. You have someone going to great lengths, climbing a high fence, to trespass onto your property. The neighborhood has a history of crime and likely violence. You have dependents who rely on YOU to provide safety, since obviously the neighborhood can't rely on the police.

WTF is the guy supposed to do? Wait until his home is invaded and his wife and child are in up close and personal danger? Eff no. Proactive protection.

If it was a mistake......it is on the guy who is out at 2AM trespassing. Stupid actions, in dangerous areas get you killed. Bummer....too bad. Oh well.

caplight45 said...

I spent a couple of weeks in Ethiopia. They invented brewing and drinking coffee. We had saucers in the city but not in the villages. Best coffee in the world, ever, bar none, no exceptions period.

Palladian said...

A note to our dear commenters: I can and will remove any comments posted in my threads that I consider "in bad faith".

Just wanted y'all to know!

Rabel said...

"WTF is the guy supposed to do?"

Wait in the house. Call the law. Shout out a warning. If the intruder makes a move to enter the house - shoot him down like a rabid dog.

But if he's standing in your yard, fenced or not, and you choose to confront him you're not free to open fire at 30 feet unless he charges you or draws a weapon.

Like I said, a moderate penalty, possibly with no jail time, but I don't think you should be free to shoot trespassers or possible burglars at will.

My opinion could change as the true facts come out but as of now I would convict him of attempted manslaughter or aggravated assault with a minimal sentence due to the conditions that night.

Anonymous said...

Fiestaware looked exactly my unstylish style -- simple, brightly-colored, inexpensive and durable. I bought a bunch of Fiestaware via Amazon and it has never let me down.

Except maybe the Shamrock Green, which has a bilious look, so I always sort it to the bottom of the stack.

I also love Stickley furniture, which is not inexpensive. I have three pieces which I'm sure will outlive me and that cheers me.

William Morris is another of my patron saints.

Some bring the news in a sermon on the mountain
and some bring the news in a blueprint or a bulletin
But I love those who come in the passion of a vision
Like a child with a gift like a friend with a question

William Morris was one
In a story in a song
In the patterns that he wove
In the colours that he loved
In the hope that he gave
He brought the news from nowhere

--Leon Rosselson, "Bringing the News from Nowhere"

Anonymous said...

Tonight I'm watching "The Invisible Man," the 1933 James Whale version, which oddly enough Hollywood has not remade. It's a solid, splendid film, much better than my teenage memory from some rainy Saturday afternoon in front of the TV long ago.

Darcy said...

Coffee with friends! Cheers.

I was off to watch cute guys in shorts (pro tennis) (and go, men in shorts!) last week and this was a lovely first post to walk in on while having my coffee this a.m.

Good morning, all.

I love Fiestaware. I have an odd assortment of English china cups and saucers I've picked up over the years garage-saling, but I don't have a full set of anything, nor do I have a group of friends who would appreciate them. Except here. I like that.

If anyone can point me to Palladian's 20 year catsup translation I'd appreciate it. I missed a whole lot while in Cincy.

Aridog said...

Darcy ... in case you've not found Palladian's catchup post yet, here it is.

Methadras said...

The history of coffee is a very interesting one.

Fr Martin Fox said...

When's the last time anyone used a cup and saucer at home?

How many people even have cups and saucers? I think I do, somewhere.


We still use them in my house, father. Only because we fill our cups to the brim and we need something to catch the spillage with.

Darcy said...

Thank you, Aridog!

Methadras said...

edutcher said...

I love the way he puts it, Fantastic: It Turns Out That Democrats Destroyed The Entire Health Care System To Insure, Like, 3 Extra People.

And no background checks For Choomcare ‘navigators’ who will be able to poke through your data. I've heard them described as community organizers.


If you remember the primary excuse TaxCare (yes, you've heard it here first.) was to insure 30 million uninsured. Now we find out that it will be worse than that. Not only will we still have 30 million uninsured or more, but we have this abomination of massive wealth redistribution that no one seems to be able to stop. Even with the political delays.

Then we get to hear how republicans have no alternative ideas. Even from other republicans and it's annoying to say the least. Pieces of alternative legislation like Senator Coburn's alternative names Patient's Choice Act in 2009 go unheard due to the utter tsunami of leftist media screeds of how republicans are the party of no answers. A ridiculous charge.

What is interesting is that NO Democrat has any alternative to TaxCare. Why? Well, when you are a leftist with a 20k page piece of legislation that shifts massive amounts of money, while radically reducing the effectivity of healthcare for everyone, will hobble every citizen with a tax burden they did not want, will actually make getting healthcare harder, and more expensive.

I've proposed these simple solutions before at TOP and I'll do it here as well.

1. Add those 30 million alleged uninsured into the medicare rolls or create a specific program for them where you have 30 million slots open and any of them can occupy it. No more can get in until one of them gets out.

2. Allow health(care) insurance companies to operate outside of state line and let them operate nationally without these restrictions. You will see massive competition across the board and driving premiums for individuals and for companies go down. Why? Well, choice for one thing. A company in California can now shop rates across the country and get them from a company in Idaho for example. Also, small insurance operators can now broaden their scope for more customers and offer better or more tailored policies.

3. Allow for international healthcare insurance companies or countries that offer healthcare to their citizens the option to operate in the US. Strange idea, I know, but think of the diversity and choices.

4. Deregulate as much as possible government intervention into our healthcare in a series of small amendments or bills that make it extremely difficult for government to insinuate itself into our private healthcare decisions and choices. This will reduce operating costs for companies, keep them in compliance will already regulated medical practices, regulations, and laws already on the books and allow for huge reductions in premium costs to the end users.

4. Get rid of government subsidized HSA's completely because the cost of healthcare will be driven down to the point that no one will need them anymore.