One day I was at a restaurant named Blind Boy Grunt with your grandma and grandfather, your aunt Baby Blue and a couple of your cousins. As a borderline coffee addict I had a number of refills on my black coffee. For some strange reason the waitress, who was named Enid, felt compelled to inform me that her grandma told her that black coffee causes cancer of the esophagus. When I asked her what else her grandma said causes cancer, she just laughed and said her grandma thinks everything gives you cancer.

To be totally honest with you, I thought the whole exchange was kind of odd. She was mostly a good waitress, who from what I remember provided us with conscientious service. But, I would never dream of scolding a stranger for drinking too much black coffee. I especially would not, if I wanted to rec...

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