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Coffee, tea, coke - caffeine

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 1:08 pm
by sashimi
What's your view on these drinks, in the context of kids?

For some reason, when I was in primary school, my grandma (whom I still miss deeply) thought it was ok to make me a mug of Nescafe (coffee) at 9pm. :shock:

No one, ever, told me about the effects of coffee, nor that it's odd to drink it at night. So I guess from this I developed a taste for coffee quite early.

I have seen primary school kids at kopitiams drinking teh, and infrequently kopi. And of course, coke, which also contains caffeine.

I've made a choice to discourage my DD from (ever) developing a taste - or rather addiction - for coffee. I've advised her that tea is ok, esp. green tea. And coke, and in general carbonated soft drinks is a big no-no, forever.

So far so good, she has no interest in anything beyond ice peach tea.

But.... nowsadays 的年轻人, many treat coffee as a socialization tool, and they don't blink an eye paying $4, $5+++ for a mug at cafes. :moneyflies: I for one have never really learned to appreciate "gormay" coffee. I am still a fan of good kopitiam kopi-C.
:celebrate:

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 1:35 pm
by smurf
I dun drink coffee, tea, soft drink, etc. only plain water, juices. not because I think it's good to drink, but I much prefer these. though I drink coffee bean ice blended very rarely.

My 4 year old likes coke, and whenever we go out, he will ask for coke or any soft drinks. I do not know how to stop him even though have been giving him juices such as apple juice. fresh ones. I dun like bottled kind. full of preservative.

but but but,he much prefers soft drink and he can finish 1 whole can by himself. if I give him 1L bottle, I'm sure he can finish it! :!:

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 1:56 pm
by Guest
smurf wrote:I dun drink coffee, tea, soft drink, etc. only plain water, juices. not because I think it's good to drink, but I much prefer these.
I hi-5 with you on this personally cos caffeine gives me headaches. My primary school child only drinks plain water most of the time and it's by choice, interest in any other beverages not sustainable, not even juices.

Yes the socialisation thing about cafe...the new generation is indeed growing up on cafes culture. Even if it is not the beverage, my child will go for the cakes with plain water!! :oops:

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:14 pm
by csc
I definitely need my cuppa of coffee to start the day...usually juz drink 3 in one nescafe but now am "hooked" on "ah wang" copi- C, simply... nice.

I will not pay for gourmet coffee too.... unless there is an offer that comes with cheese cake or brownies during tea time...

The only time I abstained from coffee was during those nine months of pregancy and 6-7 months of breastfeeding time.... those were tough times where I only got to smell the coffee fragrance from my hubby's cup..

Coffee is banned for the kids for now .... maybe we will lift the ban when they reach 17 ?? I can't remember when I started drinking coffee too???

Coke is strongly discouraged for the simple reason of what it can to our stomach/intestinal walls . I'm sure some of you have heard the horror stories of what it does to the toilet bowl? :!:

But my kids are not deprived at all.... lots of juices they will find in the fridge and "yakult" and ribena , iced milo, sometimes home-made barley, longan liang-cha etc etc

Or simply add some slices of lemon to icy cold plain water... wow, it tastes heavenly on a hot day too.... :drool:

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:26 pm
by mintcc
I can't get throught the day without coffee and tea. The norm is 2 cups of coffee and one cup of tea everyday.

But I have not let my boy start on any coffee, tea or coke for now. I think 3 yr old is too young for that and when we go out he usually prefer milo or plain water to the other stuff we drink. Hopefully can keep it that way for a while.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:39 pm
by winth
I am an addict for tea and my hubby's an addict for coffee.

Wonder if coffee does anything to the teeth. His teeth are well... stained though both of us are non-smokers.

DS1&2 likes tea too which I allow them to drink in the morning during weekends. Would prefer them to have something warm in their tummies early in the morning.

They think coffee is bitter and well, it's good to keep it that way.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:49 pm
by sashimi
insider wrote:Side track a bit.

I once met the boss of one of the gourmet coffee chains at a wedding dinner. We talked and he told me that Singaporeans actually do not know how to appreciate real coffee coz our taste buds have been ‘spoilt’ by drinking inferior grade coffee (he was nice and trying to explain to me why gourmet coffee is more expensive, coffee culture/pattern/etc). He said that those coffee powder offered in coffee shops are mixed with ‘other materials’ and therefore it is cheaper (meaning the coffee is not pure per se). As we grew up drinking those, our taste buds are accustomed to that strong taste that natural coffee should not be tasting as such in the first place.

insider - thanks for sharing the story... but you know, I'm always a little skeptical when an apple farmer says apples are better for you than oranges. :wink:

If you ask me.... that boss's argument is a fallacy: "Coffee G tastes better than Coffee K. You like K only because your body (learned to) likes K. Therefore you are wrong." (I.e. your taste buds are "wrong", not the taste of coffee G!). This is an insult hiding behind a psychological trick .... sorry ah, just my humble opinion! :D As for exploitation, that is another story....

Milo - guess what, it also contains caffeine, cos it's a natural ingredient of cocoa. But this argument is going to lead nowhere, cos cocoa is a basic ingredient of chocolate. :)

Anyway I have definitely seen secondary school kids drinking coffee - even at this age, I'm unsure if it's a good thing. If caffeine is addictive, shouldn't we think of it not unlike cigarettes (another subject I could go ballistic about)?

I am addicted to coffee - if I don't have a cup in the morning by 2pm I will have a headache, and it's a special headache I recognize which is not the same as a "regular" headache. I really don't want my DD to get such an addiction. Which is why I continue to mull over this - should I give her the choice? Is it bad enough that I should consider banning it, as I already have for smoking?

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:55 pm
by winth
sashimi wrote:I am addicted to coffee - if I don't have a cup in the morning by 2pm I will have a headache, and it's a special headache I recognize which is not the same as a "regular" headache.
Same same, DH will develop 'cold stomach' if he doesn't drink coffee. His nose will turn red & he will sniff alot while his whole face goes pale.

After his cuppa, colour will return back to his face.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:04 pm
by ChiefKiasu
winth wrote:Same same, DH will develop 'cold stomach' if he doesn't drink coffee. His nose will turn red & he will sniff alot while his whole face goes pale.

After his cuppa, colour will return back to his face.
Goodness, that sounds like some serious addiction!

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:07 pm
by winth
ChiefKiasu wrote:Goodness, that sounds like some serious addiction!
ya man...
used to drink 4-5 cups before his normal coffee break at 4:30pm.

Had to stop him as I think too much coffee consumption is quite heaty for the body too.