Chicory

Over a year ago, someone I worked with special ordered some coffe from a cafe in New Orleans that he claimed was the best coffee in the world. What made it so special was that it had chicory in it. On New Year's Day, I was at a grocery store that had quite a few imorted and specialty items and I saw the coffee that my coworker had special ordered. I was curious to see what was so fabulous about the coffee so I bought it.

Before I tried it I remembered something from all the reading I have done in my past. I remembered the stories from wartimes when items that are relatively commonplace become scarce and therefore items to covet, such as chocolate or coffee. I remember a narrator wishing for real coffee and nothing mixed with chicory. It made me wonder, if the cafe in New Orleans had started serving the coffee in such a time and if it had just become a trademark. I wondered if those soldiers who had wished for real coffee would be confused at us drinking anything less than straight coffee.

I tried the coffee. If you are wondering what coffee mixed with chicory tastes like... How shall I say this...well...it tastes like coffee diluted with topsoil.