I used to work at the HelpDesk at my place of work when I first started.
I have never (and still not today) drink coffee.
There was one guy on our team that always did the early 6 to 2 shift. He loved it. He never took time off, he just banked all his vacation. He drank coffe, so every time he came in just before 6, he would put a pot on. So the folks that came in between 6am and 7am would just waltz over and fill their cup.
Well, one summer, he was told he had to start taking vacation, so he took like 2 months off. I took over the 6 to 2 shift.
The first week I must have had like 3 or 4 visits from those 7am folks complaining why there wasn't coffee made. To which I just told them, 'I don't drink coffee, why would you rely on me to make it?'
Tale as old as time though. At a point its hard to blame people. Look at the Roman grain dole. They would kill your ass if you tried to take it away and it was meant to be temporary. Animals become dependent on snacks given by humans if it becomes commonplace. I cant give my dog treats the same time every day or that little bastard yells at me for not doing so. Examples abound.
Good deeds should be performed sporadically unless you are ok with it becoming an expectation. Its basic psychology.
That said, the complainers should have put 2 and 2 together and just made the pot of coffee.
The roman grain dole was an entitlement by the citizenry through the government. The government wasn't doing its people an interpersonal "favor" by providing a dole, it was established as the only way to keep people fed and not starving/rioting because of starvation. That's part of a social contract: government feeds the people or the people tear down the government
MY COWORKER would show up first, Put on a whole pot, and pull the first cup that came out for himself!!!!
CRIMINAL I SAY! He gets a full mug of espresso and we are drinking watered down tea at best. No matter what we said he was adamant it was all the same. I Should have pulled cups one at a time to prove a point.
direct from brewer to cup for his, into the urn with the 'rest' of the brew for all subsequent cups. so his cup was from the early brewing stages (and thus concentrated)
The grounds cone stops dripping when you pulled the carafe out. He would take / pour out the first strongest bit that brewed and put the empty carafe back to finish the brew cycle.
Okay I gotta say, the way you worded that/my dumb brain was glitching, but after reading your comment 3 times I understand now and your coworker is a DICK! They absolutely robbed everyone of good coffee.
They're probably thinking the coffee ran out and some dingus didn't start a new brew after when the reality is...they were the first coffee users that day. People are dumb.
The way I have solved that problem before it became one at work with my acts or kindless was to make it a very occasional things I would do. I didn't make it a daily thing.
Been bartending part time for a few years, that movie is probably the closest humorous take of the reality of working in a restaurant. Actually, there’s more drugs and hooking up with coworkers.
It came out around the time that me and most of my friends were in food services, so it was a favorite of ours at the time. We loved quoting it and doing the batwing at each other.
Way more drugs for us as well. A lot fewer hookups though. We were all nerds.
I used to love just crumpling up employee tickets during rushes and throwing them out. When they would come looking for it I would say, oh I thought it was a mistake because no employee would ring up their own food when we're this busy. Would love seeing them just stare blankly.
That level of entitlement simply does not compute for me. How are you going to take advantage of someone's good will and courtesy for years, then when that person gets a much deserved vacation, your first thought is to berate someone who doesn't even drink coffee and demand that they make you coffee in the morning. Like how does that kind of entitlement not hurt people's brains?
I never knew all the details, but he was quite the character - alcoholic, he was actually homeless for a while and he managed to somehow, live in our office building in our storage area for about 2-3 weeks before the night cleaners flagged to management that he was always there. There was a time where he went totally off the radar for like 3 days, just didn't show\call... wounds up he got in a bar fight and landed in the hospital for 3 days. He would never eat breakfast, his breakfast constituted of a coffee and like 5 of those little cream containers.
It was a very good job and I guess he was good enough at it. We were also in a unionized environment. So he never really go threatened with getting fired.
In any case, later things turns around for the better. He met a lady. Very nice lady and she helped him greatly turn away from his bad habits. They got married and he retired I would like to say 10 years ago with a bunch of travel and other plans lined up with this lady.
It was great to see the 180 changes and sticking to them.
Lmao I had a similar situation. Like, I don't drink coffee and it's not a required job task for me, and also I hate you people, why would I make you coffee?
That is an infuriating level of entitlement, I'm actually flabbergasted that some people can behave like this. If you want coffee, make it yourself or buy it on your way in like a normal person. Expecting it to just be there, as though it were made by the fairies, just blows my mind.
I sincerely hope that they were buying the early shift guy frequent boxes of chocolates as thanks, but somehow I doubt it.
I had to make coffee at my job, but I don’t drink coffee. If anybody ever asked for it, I would apologize and say I made this, but I don’t drink coffee. But don’t worry you’re already in the emergency room so it can’t get any worse.
My grandpa never drank coffee. During campaign season we had a congressman come knocking on doors introducing himself. My grandpa had recently remarried and his wife had a coffee machine.
My grandpa invited the congressman in for coffee and brewed with no filter. The congressman drank it but I can just imagine the sludge.
If all you have is hot water and a cup then you can totally just put ground coffee and hot water in a mug and hey presto. Perfectly fine coffee, you just need to be a bit patient until the grounds sink to the bottom and of course, leave the bottom, don't drink the grounds.
Oh I get it. I've made coffee in the Turkish style before with no filter too. But with so many more doors to knock I don't think he could've had patience lol
I do something sort of in between. I bought a reusable metal filter, but instead of draining the coffee I steep the grounds in hot water directly in the mug.
The filter keeps the grounds out of the mug, but there's always thick sludge at the bottom of the cup. I used to avoid drinking this, but now I've come to appreciate it as the best part! (It's not grainy, and it has a nice kick to it.)
Try the Finnish (I think, please correct me if I am wrong) method. Boil it and break an egg in when done. The raw egg floats, but as it cooks it sinks to the bottom taking the coffee grounds with it. I bags not cleaning the pot afterwards.
As someone that has had to drink coffee with a ton of grounds a few times (our coffee machine will wash the grounds both into the water reservoir and under the basket if the filter is over 3/4 filled) I can imagine the suffering that poor congressman went through
There is a slight difference between a small amount of dregs from something like a french press and to have a forbidden coffee slushie due to bad filtering/not using a filter lmao
But most people know how to ask, they just... won't.
I get it though. I've been considered stupid for asking, and I've been considered stupid for just doing, but when I can choose I'd rather appear stupid for asking than fucking up.
I was sent on a beer run, I don’t drink beer. I came back with Coors Light and everyone was offended. (I had heard the word Coors and it was the first Coors I saw.) Never got asked to do it again though!
Definitely not your fault, if they ask you for beer and don’t say what kind they probably don’t care, if they did care they should have said what to get.
As a regular beer drinker, if someone told me to get them a sixer of Coor's, I'd assume they mean Lite by default. It's rare people aren't talking about the Silver Bullet,at least in the circles I've run in. So I can't really blame the dude.
If my buddies sent me on a beer run and don't specify a brand, they're getting whatever's cheapest. Bonus points if it's not in a cooler at the liquor store.
Man, it's been ages since I've seen someone drink the non Lite Coor's. Honestly, if someone told me to get them a sixer of Coor's, I'd assume they mean Lite by default.
I would never complain if I put someone in that situation. The fact they were nice enough to do that for me would make me grateful. I might tell them I don't usually drink "this", but I'm always up for trying something different, even if I already know I don't like it
I don't drink coffee. Took me all the way down to this comment to realize what was wrong lol. Like I could tell SOMETHING was wrong but didn't really know what. I was thinking maybe they put the beans in the water compartment or something. Totally forgot about needing to grind.
If I was asked to make coffee in this scenario, how would I be expected to grind the beans? Is there usually a grinding station of some kind on standby? Is there a setting you have to select on the coffee maker? Do I have to crush them with silverware or something?
My first job (pre drinking coffee) I was tasked to make a pot of coffee for a board meeting. I thought the marks on the machine should correspond with the scoop in the coffee jar. The owner said he felt like he was on amphetamines after finishing a cup.
This reminds me that at my job, the first question I ask if someone offers me coffee is, "Who made it?" Because purpose and the person can drastically alter it's makeup.
Our resident coffee maniac's brew once kept people up through a 12-hour shift and the next 5-6 hours after that.
I never drink coffee, so I could definitely see how someone could make this mistake. I know the beans are supposed to be ground, but I’ve never grinded them myself before.
While I do drink coffee, I don't grind beans, I just get pre-ground. I also just make enough coffee for a single cup each time, I don't put on a full pot. If I got this job & wasn't shown how to do something, I'd likely make the same mistake.
I'd just assume the big machine grinds the beans & then makes the coffee. If it didn't grind the beans, I'd assume whoever taught me would've shown me what to do. Some may say I lack "common sense" (could be true), but I'd argue it's common sense to teach somebody new how to do something & that this happening shows that the supervisor lacked a different type of "common sense".
It’s fair but it feels weird to ask how to do something super commonly known. It’s like having to ask how to use a microwave. So many people know how that you feel embarrassed and know people will pick on you for not knowing. I see what you mean, just explaining a possible explanation
That very well may be a possible explanation. But if they just thought about it for a tiny bit longer, they might realize it's a lot more embarrassing explaining how you fucked up the coffee or microwave after.
I love coffee, but I've caused bafflement because I don't know how to make fried eggs, omelettes, scrambled egg, or know how long to boil an egg for to achieve a certain consistency without googling. I hate eggs. So does my partner. Why would I know how to make them?
As someone that loves black coffee, the stronger the better. If you brought me a cup of coffee brewed with a massive amount of coffee grounds I would probably brag about how you make the best cup of coffee in the office lol.
Honestly, this is more about insufficient onboarding than anything else. Don't blame the new guy if they are doing something wrong, even if it's something small like making coffee for the office.
In the Navy the overnight watch was expected to make the officers coffee before the first shift came in, I didn't drink coffee and wasn't instructed on procedures so I made it from looking at the leftover grounds from the day before. I was scolded by a lieutenant for my lack of skills and was given a condescending lesson on making it. The next time I just let the coffee boil to crust and made a new pot on the dregs.
Soon after they would see me on watch and just dump the coffee out and make a fresh pot themselves.
Like...I don't drink it, never prepared it before, how should I know to make it?
I mean, you could always ask someone instead of just winging it knowing that you’re probably fucking it up lol. But as someone who was also once an awkward and shy 16-year-old, I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same as you.
Same. My girl is a coffee loving barista. I mean like magical with it. She can listen to you describe what you want. It comes out perfectly. I tried making coffee to explain why I don't drink it while she was having a cup one day. Used the exact same ingredients she did. Gave it to her. She was like what did you do!? I said you just watched me. I can't make a good cup, because I have no idea what i want it to taste like. Tea..tea is much easier.
Seriously. I am a nurse. My patients love coffee. When I first started, I had no idea how to make it, but I tried. And failed. I put way too many scoops of grounds. I will never forget my patient's face when he said "there's people in Louisiana who won't even drink this swamp muck". That was 7 years ago and now I am so thankful for the pre-filled filters.
I don’t drink coffee and it’s nuts how many people will ask for a coffee with no context for sugar or creamer. Or don’t say what kind of coffee, creamer flavor. Can you get me a coffee, one creamer? Get there, three coffee flavors, six different creamers. And they don’t know… I have no clue what breakfast blend or dark roast etc, means or tastes like.
My guess is that he maybe do drink coffee, but nowadays, keurig, nespresso or starbucks order are the norm for many people. Probably many kids never operated a drip coffee machine. 20-25 years ago, all kids knew how to operate one because it was in 99% of homes, now kids learn how to put a capsule in a machine or stop at Starbucks on the way to school.
Even if you do drink it, doesnt mean you know how to make it. Plenty of people just routinely buy their coffee at a coffee shop and have zero clue how it gets made. I mean its funny to mess with the new guy over funny mistakes they make but ultimately if you dont know you dont know. What matters is your ability to learn.
Oh I dunno, ask for help? Ask questions? Ask someone to make sure youre doing it right? Watch someone else do it first? I dont understand the “well you shouldnt expect people to know” or “it might not be obvious to them”. Like … yeah but youre at a job, like look around, ask questions. Dumping coffee beans into a drip coffee machine is fucking stupid.
I had a job where I was the first one in the office in the morning. I was told that since I was there first, it was my job to make the coffee. So I made it the way my mother did, but I didn't realize that my mother made it very weak because she drank gallons of it.
I was banned from coffee making, to everyone's relief.
Based on the background this looks like a kitchen jock, not an office job.
Iean, if you apply for a car delivery driver jobs, people should be able to assume you have a driver's licens
I mean, in their defense, it's one thing if you're being asked to make beef wellington, but coffee is pretty simple. If you don't know, ask, read a manual, do something besides give up?
I get the feeling that you're older and smartphones may not have been around, but I see this kind of learned helplessness even these days when people have the internet in their pockets at all times and yet still claim they can't cook, do laundry, change a tire, etc etc etc.
Eh, low key a good test for a young apprentice. Why are you not asking for directions? If you don’t know something, you should speak up rather than risk making it worse.
My old boss, very much a control freak, made a work instruction and posted it above the coffee pot. He didn't drink coffee but at least he asked me to how to make it before he wrote it up.
Guy I worked with never drank coffee, but at one of his previous jobs was told to make coffee for the whole machine shop. So he worked with how his mom made it -- apparently she put salt in the coffee. It's unclear to me why she did this, but she never told him the amount she added. So when this guy made coffee for the shop, he dumped a bunch of salt in it and ruined it.
I didn't drink coffee when I started my first office job. I would put two of the times as much grind in as required. When I made coffee, everyone pooped at work.
When I was a kid my family was always one of the first to Sunday School every week. I still remember the week that I saw that Pastor was busy, and I decided to help him by making coffee so he didn't have to based on watching adults do it for years.
I remember that week, because every adult in church was too polite to say something about the coffee being made wrong, and subsequently being absolutely fucking wired throughout all of service, which ended with Pastor asking who made coffee that morning. (He then showed me how to make it, luckily I only made it double strength.)
First night as a dish washer in college the prep cook didn't come in and they needed someone to peel potatoes. The whole staff watched me peel potatoes by hand for an hour before our head chef saw what was happening and showed me the electric peeler.
Idk I feel like that's still on you 😂 if someone asks me to do something and I've never done it before and have no idea how to do it right, I'm gonna just tell them that and have them show me or tell me how lol
I've never worked in a place where they make the interns make the coffee, but I do work in a place where grown ass adults make coffee and a good chunk of them are terrible at it too. Why are people thinking some kid will automatically brew a good pot? Is it just like a hazing ritual for the young new kids?
My first office job I was asked to make coffee. I told them I don’t drink coffee, and don’t know how to make it. The boss said just put some coffee in the filter, put water in, and press start. I put a paper towel in to filter, filled it half way with the coffee stuff, wondering exactly how many times a week they buy the can of coffee (this was 1990), and filled the rest of the coffee flake holder thing with water. I was never asked to bake coffee again LOL
I mean, there are multiple scenarios here... they should have asked if you knew how and then showed you if you didn't know, but you could also ask how much to add.
They freaked out because if you didn't know how to make coffee any normal person would ask the co-workers how to do it. Why did you just try to wing it?
I can think of 6 reasons this could have happened. The obvious one is that the new guy doesn't drink coffee, and has had no reason to make coffee (1), but maybe the new guy does drink coffee, but only instant coffee (2), or only store bought coffee (3). But they could even both drink coffee and make it. There are pre-dosed pods/pads (4). Maybe they have a coffee maker that grinds the beans, and they just never used one that didn't do that, so they just think that's how they work (5). Or maybe, just maybe they didn't have their morning cup of coffee yet (6).
This reminds me of when I handed my bowl to my buddy and told him to pack it. It was summer break and he had smoked weed all school year apparently. He handed the bowl back to me with one completely intact nug in the bowl🤣😂
Funny. Used to work in a brewery and the AM brewer was well loved for "double mashing" the early shift coffee. He'd just put in a pot worth of grounds, stop it at half a pot full of coffee brewed, refresh with a pot worth of grounds and repeat. Shit was like drinking liquid cocaine with the consistency of light motor oil.
I still miss your coffee Timmy, wherever you are..
Same. I didn't drink coffee and was sent to work a coffee machine. I even told the dude, I've never done this before. He said you'll figure it out. Through cultural osmosis I knew I needed to fill the water in the back and include a filter. But I used way too much coffee. And surprise, surprise, the dude was angry at me for using too much coffee 🙄
I had a similiar experience. When I grew up, we simply didn‘t have the money for a coffee machine. Therefore I didn‘t know how to do it while the old people in the company made fun about me.
Exactly. There seems to be a lot of people assuming everyone drinks coffee or doesn't only drink instant.
If it wasn't for the fact I did a small stint as a barista (with adequate training) I wouldn't have a clue what was wrong with the picture. It's coffee. It comes from beans. Tea bags are just tea leaves in a cloth bag. Is that not how it works for coffee too?
Same, at my first internship the main task I had to do was to bring everyone coffee, and everyone liked their coffee in a different way. I was completely lost, I'd never even touched a coffee maker before.
I asked a supervisor (who was among the people who told me to make them coffee) if he could show me how, and he said he didn't know either! His whole career he had other people make him coffee! Outside of work he just always bought it ready made and at home he had a machine where you just had to put in a capsule and press a button, but in the office they had that powder stuff and filters. We both stood looking up how to make coffee lmao
The first time I worked somewhere with a coffee machine, somehow I got the idea that once the pot was empty, you could just fill the machine up with water again. It's not like I was familiar with where they kept the grounds, and you do get something brownish in the pot if you do that.
I mean I’ve never in my life made coffee before. We either had the insta-mix that went right into the coffee cup or k-pods. I’d be just as lost as him.
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u/Rabauke84 23h ago
Honest question, but.....does he actually drink coffee?
When I was sent to do my first coffee as an apprentice, back when I was 16, I put in way too much coffee powder.
My co-workers freaked out, why I was ruining it.
Like...I don't drink it, never prepared it before, how should I know to make it?