Is There A Right Or Wrong Way To Stir Tea/coffee?

[AndiFlatland]

Which way do you stir your tea or coffee - clockwise or anticlockwise? And is it right or wrong either way? I can't see that it matters at all. But the reason I ask is because when I was a kid, about an aeon ago, sitting down to my evening meal with my family, my mother suddenly let forth a howl of disapproval at me. When I asked what was the reason, she said, without a hint of irony, "You're stirring your tea the WRONG WAY!!"
I had always unthinkingly stirred it anticlockwise, and never noticed that both my parents and my sister stirred theirs clockwise. It felt normal and natural to stir it in that direction, and I've done it that way all my life.
Any thoughts?

[Old_Geezer]

It's almost true woofgang. For sure the Earth's rotation gives it a tendency to swirl one way or the other. but local plumbing arrangements and similar overpower that in practice.

[Canary42]

I never stir coffee at all.

[jomifl]

OG, you are quite correct, if you don't stir your coffee at all, over 24 hours (ignoring frictional losses) the contents of the cup will rotate through 360 degrees either vertically at the equator or horizontally at the pole. After about a week your sugar may have dissolved and your coffee will be cool enough to drink. Whilst you are waiting I recommend a nice cup of tea.

[Hopkirk]

If I am exactly on the equator which way should I stir my coffee?

[Tilly2]

My dad does a sort of back and forward swishing movement with his spoon. He always manages to slop some tea in the saucer. It drives me M..a...d....!

[aelmpvw]

^ ^ ^ shaken not stirred

[Hopkirk]

Don't mind if I do, thanks.

Anyway, I don't take sugar so I just pour the milk from some way up and don't stir it.

[vascop]

@oldgeezer:

if you use the site tinyurl you can reduce that very long link of over 400 characters to this
http://tinyurl.com/owtvo2m

[EdgeofDarkness]

I see that Clanad's attempt to introduce Coriolis force met with short shrift. And rightly so, because even if it was true that angular momentum of the planet made any difference, that would be negligible to the vigorous stirring of drinks required to dissolve sugar.

[Clanad]

So much for the vaunted British respect for irony... The throw away line was an obviously misplaced attempt at humor...

[jno]

Clanad, you should know by now the British don't do irony! Tremendously literal-minded.

[Old_Geezer]

Too much hassle for little point. But thanks for the suggestion.

[EdgeofDarkness]

The medium doesn't lend itself to irony. Maybe end off with a 'Lol' ?

[Clanad]

Two phrases I'll never use are "LOL" (barf, barf) or "Yes, it does make your butt look big"...

[LazyGun]

Without wishing to comment specifically on whether you can extrapolate an alleged literal-mindedness and blindness to irony of respondents here to the whole British population, I would like to know just how it is obvious that this line

"Depends on which hemisphere you're in, northern or southern, no?"

Is an attempt at irony? Not knowing who you are, Clanad, and in the absence of any visual or grammatical cues - how are we to know?

[Clanad]

(Sigh)... the line was thought funny on this side of the Atlantic since it related to which direction one should stir their coffee (tea?) asked to start this thread. To me there was an immediate connection with the often debated coriolis effect on draining toilets, sinks, tubs of bath water, etc. that seemed (mistakenly) humorous... Not funny if one has to explain it though... Obviously, jno is correct re: any regard for irony/British connection. Lesson learned.

[237SJ]

I stir anti-clockwise (I`m righthanded). I would have thought the correct way to stir is via the front of the spoon rather than the back of it so it depends how you hold your spoon.

Hello Clanad

[Clanad]

Hey, SJ!

[LazyGun]

Or - And I put this out there merely for your consideration of course- it could just be that your comment was not funny, or ironic ?

This is why it is often useful, even when you personally are absolutely convinced that something you have penned is so side-splittingly funny, or so obviously ironic that it just has to be automatically self-evident to anyone, that the use of a :) or a LoL or ( this was a joke/meant to be ironic; sorry) comes in useful in ensuring that your audience will recognise your brilliance.