the old lade's coffee

Contributor:  Michelle Mieklejohn  

My mother is affectionately known as ‘The Ole Lade’ in my family.  The Old Lade’s mother, who is coming up to her 101^st birthday (!) is known as ‘The Old, Old One’.   Most people as they get older, become more sensitive to certain foods and things.  Spicy food.  Curries.  Too much cheese.  They have to eat more fibre, and take special care to not drink coffee after 5pm.  Most people.  Most older people.  But not the Ole Lade!

The Ole Lade loves her ‘cotchee’ as she calls it.  And not just any old cotchee.  The Ole Lade’s cotchee has to be blisteringly, unbelievably hot, hot, HOT!  She prefers it not too strong – instant will do, or a nice flat white, but the primary theme of the Ole Lade’s cotchees are the temperature.

She will boil the jug while she spoons in the cotchee, adds a small teaspoon of sugar, fills the mug with boiled water and a centremetre of milk, then puts the cup filled with boiling water in the microwave for another minute on HIGH until it is so hot it near explodes.  Then she will whip it out of the nuke machine and gulp it down as if it’s only luke warm.  The rest of the family shake their heads and marvel at the apparent ‘iron-throatedness’ of the Ole Lade.

Now most oldies can’t sleep if they drink coffee too late in the day.  But not the Old Lade.  Cotchee acts like a sleep inducer for her.  Within minutes she will be stretched out in her favourite chair, with her feet up and tilted back, her knitting on her lap with a row half done... while she sleeps blissfully at any time of the day or night, especially after a good hot cotchee!