Good morning, dear reader. I have an odd little story from this morning that I thought I would share. When I woke this morning, I found that my voice was in sorry condition. Very scratchy, very quiet, and rather painful to use. So I haven’t been taking much at work; I’ve been making my computer talk for me.
Anyway, I thought I would try some hot coffee to see if that didn’t loosen everything up and make it easier to speak. Now, first of all, you have to understand that the coffee in my office is inexpensive. And, as with most things but especially with coffee, you get that for which you pay. So, I have never really been impressed by the flavor of our coffee. It’s one of those of the “boiled boot leather plus balsamic vinegar with a hint of gym sock” variety; and it is just a hint of gym sock, the flavor has never been particularly strong.
Cut to today. Ordinary pot of office coffee. The color and aroma indicate that it is just what one would expect. And then I took the first sip.
It is hard to describe the sensations that rolled across my palate at that moment. Similarly difficult to describe is the wave of revulsion that rolled through my stomach. What was that taste? There was a bit of overcooked shrimp, basted in butter, and strongly oversalted. There was the hint of something green – not sure what, perhaps oregano?
Suddenly I found that I was not satisfied with my ability to describe the truly vile nature of the substance I held in my hand. So I took another sip.
Yep, that was dumb.
Definitely shrimp. Very overcooked shrimp. Toxic levels of salt. Not oregano; the compost pile that was in my family’s backyard when I was in high school.
Blech.
I’ve been told that tastes will return to normal in three months. Let the countdown begin.
