The other week, I was at a Dunkin’ Doughnuts with a couple friends of mine, whereas we’ve stopped there for a cup of coffee before continuing on wherever we were headed.

I came up to the register and asked for a “medium cup of regularâ€?. A bit puzzled, the cashier asks “of coffee?â€?. Of course not. I’m asking for iced oolong tea.

I answered, “yes, thank youâ€?. I’m asked if I wanted any cream or sugar in my coffee. I said no, and further puzzled, although not sidetracked, the cashier turns and begins to fill my order. It seemed as though if another employee came up to the cashier and asks, “What are you doing?â€?, he would respond with a tone of voice remarking “The man wanted orange juice in his coffee. I don’t know, but I guess I’ll fill the order out anyhowâ€?.

What I find irritating about coffee in the United States is having to deal with people who are expecting the majority of people they’re enjoying a cup of coffee with almost never drink coffee black. Don’t get me wrong though. I prefer sugar and cream occasionally, although this is when the coffee is completely cold, or too strong. Usually, drinking coffee black is associated with those recovering from drinking too much alcohol, which I find funny.

People vary in the amount of sugar and cream they prefer in their cup of coffee. Some, usually new to drinking coffee, or prefer a mild taste of coffee, put a couple or more spoonfuls of sugar and some cream in their coffee. These individuals are those I receive the most raised eyebrows. “How can you drink it black? Ugh. I doubt I could ever get it down without sugar and milk.â€?

From there, people differ from brand to brand, amount of sugar, extra flavors and so on (even from family to family in some instances I’ve seen). My father enjoys buying hot chocolate mix and mixing it with his coffee, whereas a friend of mine enjoys nothing only having French-vanilla creamer in her coffee.

What I enjoy the most about coffee is the variety, and not so much in flavor or roast, but in the subtle differences in taste wherever its made, which is one main reason I enjoy drinking coffee black. With sugar, creamer, or anything else in coffee, how well the coffee is made, or simply how it differs from other coffee is diminished (although not entirely lost). If I’ve had enough coffee from a particular place, I can begin to tell it apart from coffee I’ve had elsewhere, for instance, my house versus the Stewart’s convenience store in my town, the Country Farm convenience store, my high school art teacher’s coffee (he made coffee and let us listen to music while we worked), etc.

Aside from drinking coffee, I do enjoy tea, and for a while, I thought I might have developed an addiction to coffee, so I thought it would be important to moderate my caffeine consumption. So far, I’ve begun buying loose tea, and using a small mesh tool that holds the tea for me while I spin it around in my cup. A friend of mine, who has been drinking tea for quite a while, buys all sorts of different teas, although he maintains he prefers his tea without sugar or cream, although as for myself, compared to my coffee preferences, a small spoonful of sugar and some milk is better than having it alone, since tea would have to be one of the few drinks I can say it the most literal taste, that of dried leaves.

At one point, I would think that coffee should remain coffee, and that the variety in flavor and how much sugar and cream people put in their coffee was a sign that people could develop addictions without any concern as long as the coffee was to their tastes, akin to flavored beers, spirits and drinks. However, I’ve begun to see that there’s not much of a problem (with coffee at least, the flavored alcohol is another story), since I’ve rarely seen people binge on coffee, or develop major problems associated with coffee.

Well, I can say that’s one less random thought in my head wrecking havoc on my concentration (if only for a short while). On to other business.

PROJECTS UPDATE:

I’m working on two games as of now. First is a puzzle game concerning circuits and logic gates. I’ve so far successfully built an 8-bit full adder. Second is a nonsensical, untitled game, which so far hasn’t made it very far beyond the main menu. As always, I think too much, get way ahead of myself, and have thought of what would be, if completed, an interesting game.

The game is about a mental patient who finds themselves trapped in their own mind. They must travel throughout the brain, encountering alter egos who personify various emotions they must overcome. Each level is designed around whatever emotion the player will have to overcome. The background sounds will be random, although follow along with whatever the level’s emotion is. For instance, if the player is in the anger level, random clips of people arguing will play, or war sounds may play (although war sounds may be better suited for the fear level).