Poll: Is this Mug Gross?
SPG received the following request from a reader. We’ve reproduced the letter below in its entirety.
Dear SPG,
I no longer work on a submarine. I have a boring (read: predictable hours, duty-less, less than 85 hours a week) shore duty. I love my boring job. But its on a combined staff and sometimes I do things that horrify my non-1120 coworkers.
I proudly display (and use) my wardroom coffee mug at work every day. It reminds me of a time in my life when my job was far from boring. Like a good submariner, I refuse to wash my mug and all of the pilots, SWOs and restricted line designators think it is gross.
We never washed our coffee mugs on the boat and I just assumed that not washing your coffee mug was the thing to do. A good coffee mug is sort of like a good cast iron skillet - the more you use it it gets more seasoned. But now I’m not sure.
There’s coffee in this mug that has been to [REDACTED]. Washing out that coffee would be washing away some of my best and worst memories. The coffee stains serve as a humble reminder that there was a time in my life when I didn’t have a boring desk job - and of all the great times the Wardroom had together.
Could you put this question out to all the members of COMSUBPAR?
Is this mug:
Option 1) A proud display of a beautiful naval tradition spanning centuries.
Or
Option 2) So gross that I would rather shower in the JO head barefoot on an LA class submarine when there is a 3 degree up angle after that one super hairy JO took a Hollywood shower than drink out of that mug.
V/R,
Seasoned Coffee Drinker