But...but...think of the children!
It will stunt their growth...or something!
No, my thoughts are that it will serve to accelerate it, if anything.
Actually, if encouraged…….or, at the very least, not discouraged, even quite young children can acquire a taste for such things, surprisingly young.
I remember from a very, very young age (we are talking around age five or so) deeply inhaling and simply adoring the scent of coffee (ground coffee in a wonderful round tin with a screw on top - this was the height of sophistication in a country where instant was the norm). The owner of the coffee was a man who had worked for years in Canada as an engineer and had acquired a taste for Certain Good Things In Life; he married a woman who was a classmate and good friend of my mum's, and, for a few short years, they lived next door to us. They had no problem with my sampling this stuff; I suspect that they may have been amused (that I wasted to try this real coffee) - and surprised (that I actually liked it). Actually, I remember my amazement that this real coffee took a (good) bit longer to make than the [instant] stuff I had seen made.
I have always disliked tea, soft drinks, ice cream, most sweets (especially that abomination known as milk chocolate), and loved grapefruit, cooking apples, almost all fruit, dark chocolate,……and um, coffee. And this from an early age…..
So, yes, I repeat, introduce them young; occasionally, just occasionally, a youngster's taste buds will be open to the idea of sampling something strange and exciting… especially if it smells great, as good coffee usually does...
