LAIC #3 - Coffee and Tea

Drinking my coffee this afternoon got me thinking about the coffee and tea breaks we would have at the school. Classes would begin in the morning at 0800 (that's 8:00 am in civilian talk), and we would have a short 15-minute break about 1000. 

It was in the school library which was lorded over by a retired British army colonel from World War II. He had been in several tank battles during the war and had had several tanks shot out from under him. I think the number was five. Anyhow, his major injury was that you shook his left hand when you first met him. His right was useless. And he was deaf without his hearing aid, which he would turn down if he thought the conversation was boring.

Anyhow, to the break - we had coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. The class would file into the library and right inside the door was a long table with a white tablecloth on it which had a number of white coffee cups with saucers. The cups had just been filled with hot, black coffee by an enlisted soldier on the school staff. One was expected to add one's own sugar and milk if required.

If you were quick enough, you could ask the waiter/soldier to refill your cup before the break ended, but you couldn't take the coffee and cup back to class. Most of the conversations during both morning and afternoon breaks were about non-class subjects. You just wanted to clear your mind for a bit before tackling it again.

The afternoon break came about 1500 (3:00 pm) if I remember. The procedure was the same except this was a tea break. It was not a high tea, just tea. But this time, the cups, which again were white with matching saucers, now had teaspoons. Each cup when you entered the library already had milk in it.

The soldier/waiter would pour the tea into the cup over the milk mixing it. If you didn't want milk, you asked for one of the empty cups at the end of the rows. As the school term went along, the waiters got to know the preferences of each officer student. We were expected to put our own sugar in it.

I remember smoking was permitted in the library. This was 1971-72. At that time, most soldiers still smoked. I smoked Marlboros (I smoked from July1965- January1978). 

Afternoon tea at the other branch schools was very different. It was more elaborate; and fun. I'll write about that later.

(TNR 12)