Mourn with me fellow Seattlites...

for the death of coffee.

I admit I was a little worried about not having Starbucks or Tully's always a block away from wherever I happened to be. I wasn't sure what sorts of coffee shops I would find in Ireland. It didn't take long for me to discover what would be stuck with for the next four months. In the coffee shops I've been to, I'm lucky if I can get semi-skimmed milk (2%) let alone nonfat (which is hard to find in grocery stores as well). The espresso has been acceptable in most places, but my days of ordering "double tall nonfat 1 pump vanilla lattes" are over for awhile. The stares I would illicit should I ask some sensible Irish barista for such a fancy concoction are enough to prevent me from even trying. I can handle this, however, so long as I can get a straight up latte with something other than whole milk.

It gets worse, though. Much worse.

The really harm to coffee's amazing purity and power is done in the Irish home. Sure, not everyone brews their own coffee. Sure, I didn't expect to find a coffee pot everywhere I went. But I have yet to find one. Anywhere. Can you guess why? It's almost too horrific to imagine...

The Irish people make instant coffee...and they think this is normal! In Irish homes, they keep little jars of sweet-smelling brown granules, which they mix with boiling water and serve up proudly to their guests. See, I told you it was bad! Even at the grocery stores, the shelves are lined with different varieties of instant coffee; whole roasted beans or even grounds are nowhere to be found. I'm serious. They're nonexistent.

This has been a very unsettling discovery. I was desperate enough this morning to actually unscrew the jar left in the cupboard for us, but as soon as I took a sniff, I tightly rescrewed it and shoved it to the back of the shelf. I think I'll be safer with tea.