Monday, March 04, 2013

R.I.P. Coffeemaker


I hate to see this coffeemaker go. We've had it a long, long time. It reminds me of so many times, both good and bad. Many a happy hour has been spent with The Husband, and many a happy time one of us has said, "I think I'll make another pot." Fond memories.

On the other hand, this coffeemaker provides a clear illustration of why I'm scared of conservatives. Most of my family is conservative, but I'd never really had much contact with them -the occasional reunion is about it.

E-mail and then Facebook changed all that. When we first began having e-mail contacts, relatives started sending me forwards of racist pictures and jokes featuring Obama in starring roles, I started being informed of every wing-nut conspiracy theory. I couldn't let such hate-filled garbage pass without openly objecting under the "silence is consent" assumption, and I was insulted and ridiculed for not buying what they were selling.

Then came Facebook. I should've known better, but I accepted every friend request from family members. One day, a cousin-in-law (wife of a maternal cousin) posted to her wall a link from some far-right site and a warning that anybody using Krups appliances was giving financial support to Nazi collaborators. I left a comment telling her that wasn't true and asking if she had any evidence at all to support her claim. She told me to read the link. Well, of course I had read the link. I sent her a private message telling her I had a Krups coffeemaker, that I was disturbed by her public accusation of them because those kinds of claims can do a great deal of financial damage to a company, and that I was including a couple of links showing her the truth behind the company's associations.

She responded by telling me she trusted her sources and that she didn't have time to research any of these stories herself and that she wasn't going to read any information I provided. She then unfriended me and blocked me on Facebook. None of the rest of that family speaks to me now. I find this so sad, because we do have a history of cordial disagreement, but apparently they are just done with me.

For what it's worth, my cousin to whom she's married is an ordained Baptist preacher. She's a social worker. These are caring professions, but I find them a hardhearted, judgmental bunch.

It's been a painful process, but I think I've finally learned my lesson: Stay away from my maternal relatives. They are a sharp and hurtful bunch.

Now, we must get a new drip coffeemaker. Maybe a new Krups?

Actually we've researched some reviews and are considering this one from Amazon.com:



Sadly not a Krups, but it gets good reviews at Consumer Reports.


10 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:59 AM

    "I think I'll make another pot..."
    -- A Pal

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some folks are just miserable and unfortunately you can find all kinds of stuff on the net to support almost any opinion you hold. Maybe not truthful support though.

    Meanwhile, back to the coffee pot... We use what is now an old fashioned Mellita drip system. I switched to a French press at one point but DH says he prefers the Mellita.

    Darla

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    Replies
    1. they talk all sappy/happy, but i'm miserable when i'm around them. everybody's got problems, and i don't need theirs ;)

      we have one of those single cup melitta drip coffee makers. i do love it for a single cup. one year for christmas we gave everybody a cup, some coffee and one of those little plastic wonders. i don't think anybody ever used the one we gave them, but i thought it was such a wonderful find! my husband has a french press at his office, and he speaks highly of it.

      Delete
  3. Yesterday I read in our local paper about a journalist who spent some time with her family in the US. One evening they invited their American friends to a Swedish dinner party. When she was making coffee for afters, and measured the coffee, she heard one of the female guests gasp behind her. "How many measuring spoons are you using?" "Twelve", she said, "one for each cup. How many would you take for twelve cups?" "Three", said the guest. Well, the coffee was made Swedish style, and the Americans apparently used plenty of milk in theirs.

    So, is that typical? How many measures do you use? Personally, I was taught to use one leveled measure per cup and then one measure for the whole pot, so I´d use thirteen to a pot of twelve cups. I think one measuring spoon is slightly larger than a standardized tablespoon, perhaps 20 ml? Also, a Swedish coffee cup is 1,5 dl, not to confuse with your measuring cup which is approximately 2,5 dl. I have noticed that in some coffee makers there are two scales, for large and small cups. What´s a standard coffee cup in the US?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. my husband saw your comment, and neither of us have ever known coffee to be made as weak as 3 measures to 12 cups. my husband says he wouldn't call it coffee made that way ;) and he makes weaker coffee than i do. standard coffee measures here are 2 tablespoons coffee. a coffee cup is generally measured at 6 oz. (which looks to be about 10 grams coffee to 177 ml water?) the krups machine did have 2 sets of measurements for water: one for 6 oz cups and one for 8 oz mugs. we have several coffee measures around here, though, and they are not all the standard size.

      i use one well-rounded coffee measure per cup of coffee. i use whatever markings are on the pot for measuring the water.

      we never add milk or sugar to coffee, but many people do. there are all kinds of coffee flavorings in the stores. i don't use them, but sometimes i add cinnamon to the grounds, and we like that.

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    2. I´m relieved to hear you drink decent coffee ;-), though I never really doubted it. It´s a bit of a favourite myth in our country, where coffee consumption is among the highest in the world with around 8 kg per person per year (the Finns drink the most, almost 12 kg a year.), that the rest of the world makes weakish, bad coffee. Personally, I have had as much bad, and good, coffee here as elsewhere.

      I hope you find a good coffee maker!

      Delete
    3. i may make it right, but most of the coffee we drink is not good coffee. we end up with cheaper brands. i read a review that described the type of coffee we drink as "floor sweepings". our daughter has bought us some good coffee lately, and now we're not sure how we can ever go back.

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  4. If you can't argue and be civil don't argue, arguing doesn't mean you are personally attacking another person.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh, i agree with you. these are not arguments in the logical sense of the word. these are like this:

      1) relative makes some offensive racist remark, untrue generalization about a group of people, or false claim easily disproven;

      2) i state my disagreement;

      3) they consign me to hell.

      Delete