Black Coffee with Sugar

[Laurence Horn]

>On Mon, 16 Feb 2004, Benjamin Barrett wrote:
>
>>Does anyone say black coffee to mean with sugar?
>
>I have never used sugar in coffee, but I assume black means only that
>one does not want cream. I know that around here at places like Starbucks,
>it makes a difference in how full they fill the cup - they leave room for
>cream if you are going to add it. Or some places add cream if you want
>it. (I always drink it black, no sugar.)
>
>I think whether one adds sugar is an entirely  different matter.
>
Right.  As a native black-with-sugar coffee drinker, I always request
coffee black in restaurants (where there are facilities for adding
sugar) and "black with sugar" on airplanes or if I'm a guest at
someone's house.  Clearly, if I just say "black" in the latter
circumstances, I'll then have to track down the sugar later to feed
my filthy habit.  (Of course in NY I could ask for "regular", but
then I'll get cream as well as sugar.)  The thing with sugar is that
it really matters how much is added, unlike (in my vicarious
experience) cream/milk.

Larry