Coffee... fruit or vegetable?

[bakerjw]

I vote for "Vitamin"!

 

[StupidBird]

no, no. It's a drug.

 

[featherbaby]

You haven't had nearly enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine needle.........while it's running! HA!



For me it's more than a drink, it's a ritual. Without it, the day just doesn't seem like it's begun. It gives me time to wake up slowly and think about what I'm planning for the day. It's a comfortable bridge between friends. It's a respite from a very long day. Psychologically, it's soothing and comforting.

 

[Frosty]

So I discussed this with DS... I did a bit of research and in very simple terms I guess if it contains the seed it's a fruit... leaves, stem, etc and it's a vegetable. So coffee and chocolate would be fruits. DS asked where that left chocolate cake. It's obviously a fruit... cake... umm... that doesn't sound right. Anyhow, chocolate is a fruit. Flour is ground wheat which is technically a fruit. Sugar... comes from cane so obviously vegetable juice. Eggs are good for you, milk is good for you... so chocolate cake is obviously health food!

 

[debilorrah]

Wait. Chocolate is a fruit?? OMG I am vindicated.

 

[Frosty]

Quote:
Of course it's a fruit... It comes from the cocoa bean, which is a seed. You are indeed vindicated, so go have some fruit!

 

[AquaEyes]

Botanically, a "fruit" originates from flowers, and ordinarily contains seeds (except in "seedless" domesticated varieties). A "vegetable" is really the other parts of a plant which are consumed. Carrots are taproots, broccoli is immature flowers, lettuce is leaves, etc. But then some things which are botanically "fruits" are called "vegetables" in the produce-world. Examples are peppers, squash, etc.

"Ambrosia" was the name given for the "food of the gods." I think coffee is better called "nectar", which was the name for the "drink of the gods."

"Juicing" is basically squeezing the liquid out of something. Yes, "juicers" are called "juice-extractors", but they work by pulverizing the fruit or vegetable, straining the fiber, and allowing the liquid to pour out. Nothing is added to make juice. Coffee, on the other hand, is not a "juice" because the beverage is made by adding hot water to specially prepared seeds, to dissolve certain molecules into a resulting brew. It's not a "juice" because the coffee we drink isn't simply the liquid found within a coffee bean (orange juice is the liquid found within an orange). An "extract" (like vanilla extract) is obtained by putting something into a liquid and allowing the "flavor molecules" to seep into the liquid. But most things called "extract" are highly concentrated and are meant to be used in small doses into a larger volume. If you wanted to drink something "vanilla" I think you'd gag on a glass of vanilla extract. Weaker dilutions are more often called "teas" or "brews."

 

[KristyHall]

Quote:
sshhhhhhhh if the government catches on they'll either outlaw it or tax it into oblivion.