Why I Drink My Coffee Black

This post is from Richard Beaty. Richard is the father of three who directs TEAM DAD, a Responsible Fatherhood program of Douglas-Cherokee Economic Authority. Find Richard at www.team-dad.org or on Twitter @TeamDad1. Interested in blogging for us? Read our guest blog guidelines.

“How do you take your coffee?” “Black,” I reply without hesitation.

There are lots of health reasons for drinking coffee black. Fewer calories, greater appreciation of the full flavor of the bean etc.

But here are three reasons why I drink my coffee with no cream and no sugar:

1. Black Coffee is Manly, Seriously: People always look you in the eye and reassess you when you order your coffee black. They think: “dude’s a man”. I am not really good with tools or engines or weapons...so I can use the man cred. (what does the fact that I have even typed the phrase “man cred” say about my total lack of it?)
2. Black Coffee Makes Life Easier: It makes life easier for the preparer of the coffee. Any other coffee order results in needless dialog and concern about pleasing the drinker. "How much sugar? Cream, milk or that non-dairy powdery stuff?" Immediate pressure is put on the coffee offerer. Or they give up and just provide the possible accessories and have to admit defeat. But if you order it black, they think “this guy’s easy to please, must be a good guy.” I like being thought of as a good guy.
3. Black Coffee Gives You the 'Coffee Face': My kids noticed years ago that when I take my first sip of each cup of coffee I make a face. It’s a squinchy-eyed-this-will-be-hot-and-bitter-but-I-am-gonna-go-for-it-anyway face. In my mind, that face makes me look a little like Clint Eastwood. So being associated with a man’s man is a good deal. Plus even today, my kids giggle when they see that face. And the sound of your children giggling is worth many cups of hot bitterness.

Here's my point: what's an everyday task, like drinking coffee, that you can use to connect with your child? Yes, this isn't simply a post about coffee. It's about fatherhood. Dad, we make this dad-thing too complicated. Connecting with your child is simple. As simple as black coffee.

So, how do you take your coffee?