Friday, September 14, 2007

Tin Cup

When I was a child, my mother kept a tin cup in the bathroom for us to drink from. It was actually an old, thin, aluminum measuring cup. I think it once had a lid, but by the time it got to the bathroom, it was lidless, old and slightly bent out of shape. I suppose Mom used it there instead of a glass because it wouldn't break. (These were the days before plastic.)

Whenever I was thirsty, I went to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and drank out of the tin cup. Although I'm sure that the water from all the taps in the house was the same water, it seemed to taste better from the bathroom tap and from the tin cup. Maybe it was colder.

Recently I got to thinking about my favorite drinking vessels now, and realized they're all metal! Every morning I sip my breakfast tea from a stainless steel mug. It's double-walled so it doesn't get hot on the outside. On the rare occasions when I drink coffee at home, I like it from a smaller, stainless steel cup with saucer that my daughter gave to me. It's the kind of cup you might find in a trendy Italian or French cafe.

When I'm hot, nothing hits the spot like a glass of iced tea. But not out of a glass, out of a tall, thin, stainless steel tumbler. I bought a set of them at a restaurant supply store, and they may have been intended for milk shakes. My son likes them too, so I bought him a set, much to the puzzlement of my daughter-in-law, who wonders why anyone would want to drink out of them.

And for ice water, I have a special sterling silver tumbler. It's smaller than I'd like, but the silver gets very cold from the ice, and while I quench my thirst, I also enjoy the tactile sensation of the very cold silver against my lips and in my hand.

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