Dear Ella:

I too add ice to hot coffee in restaurants. Another trick with hot soup is to add bits of bread to the soup and stir them in - this cools it off, even though the manners advisers would consider this a no no. Who cares - it works for me. I don't care what observers might think. I don't even watch to see! I just do it. My husband likes his coffee very hot and there I am adding ice.

I like my food room temperature, too and don't "savor" liquids but get them down right away. We do learn to adapt.

Shirley H.