Lucretia P. Hale’s Short Story, ‘The Lady Who Put Salt in Her Coffee’

Hale’s comical short story turns a coffee mishap into a lesson on common sense.

"Koffieuurtje" ("Coffee Hour") by David Bles. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Public Domain

The salted caramel latte has been a craze in the coffee world for a while now. When making this drink, some baristas put a pinch of salt on top of the latte, giving the drink an elevated flavor.

However, in Lucretia P. Hale’s short story “The Lady Who Put Salt in Her Coffee,” when Mrs. Peterkin puts salt in her coffee, the results are revolting. And, as the Peterkin family attempts to fix the salty coffee, they comically skip over common sense.

More Than a Pinch

While preparing her cup of coffee, Mrs. Peterkin discovers that she added salt to her coffee rather than sugar. Moreover, the amount of salt that she put into the cup proves to be more than a pinch, and now her cup is ruined. Seeing Mrs. Peterkin’s predicament, the whole family seeks a solution.