Swirling Memories

Image credit: www.pinterest.com

Thank you, @Dean Owen for creating a great Hive, Café beBee. You have literally given me my virtual coffee break. There have been Buzzes on beBee about coffee drinking, sharing and remembering. But you have given those stories and all others (and it looks like I have a lot of catching up to do with the Buzzes posted on this Hive) a place to bee when you write; “Forget about work, order a drink, and enjoy the latest buzzes. All are welcome to share non-work related content to this Hive.”

My first contribution is related to coffee.

My Romanian parents grew up on Turkish coffee. While living in Montreal, Canada, I learned how to make it from the age of 10. My mother patiently showed me the art of using an “ibrik”  on the stove (see image above) and the following steps: after having measured the water and pouring it into the ibrik (my current ibrik)

Image credit: drinks.seriouseats.com 

making sure to save a small amount in the cup to be used when the coffee would begin to rise, the cold water would be gently poured into the brewing coffee as it was beginning to rise creating a froth, the froth was then removed with a spoon and placed on the bottom of the cup, and once the coffee would begin to rise again it was then poured over the froth in the cup. Of course the balance between coffee and sugar had to be just right (I learned how to make the coffee to suit individual tastes).

I enjoyed watching and listening to my father as he “read” the patterns the coffee left on each individual’s cup. 

Image credit: www.westendmagazine.com

In order to prepare for the reading my father would take the cup and swirl the sediment, left at the bottom, around to cover the inner surface of the cup. He would then turn the cup upside down, placing it in the saucer in front of the cup’s owner. After he allowed it to dry, he would turn the cup over and look at the patterns formed in the cup and begin to tell the owner about “things to come”.

It was a wondrous site; the smiling faces and laughter, and the twinkle in the eyes of the listeners. What was most wondrous of all was the fact that only positive and happy outcomes were formed by the patterns in the cups.