Coffee Anyone?

One of my oddest memories of life in the Navy is discovering the true use of coffee. The First Class Petty Officer in my squadron’s department handed me fifty cents and asked me to go down to the coffee mess (the Navy version of a break room) and bring back plain black coffee. I thought this was odd, because he never drank coffee, but I got it, walked back carefully so as not to spill it, and handed it to him.

He nodded his thanks, and then splashed the contents across the floor.

With a smile, he gestured toward me and the other three airmen in our department. “Grab a mop,” he said, and headed out the door. My puzzlement must’ve been obvious because the others laughed and filled me in on the joke. The coffee in the squadron was strong enough to use as floor stripper. Believe it or not, it worked.

I didn’t drink coffee for about ten years. Even today, I prefer mine weak enough to add a slight taste to the water, and then I add a no-calorie sweetener and plenty of creamer, chocolate preferably. With regular coffee, it doesn’t matter how much sugar, sweetener, or cream/creamer I add — I still don’t like it. Too bitter for me, even when freshly ground and brewed. But using about 1/4 the amount of coffee and the rest hot water is perfect.

Life in the military taught me how to improvise and use whatever was handy to get the job done. I’ll bet most of the readers here could say the same thing, whether it’s in the military or civilian life. We had a saying tacked up on the wall in the department spaces and it still fits me today.

 ”I have now done so much with so little for so long that I am able to do absolutely anything with absolutely nothing.”