Randomn3ss

Being that yesterday was Earth Hour Day 2008, it inspired me to reflect on what I’ve read recently about climate change and going greener, to look at how I’m doing with going greener, and it made me wonder how others are evolving (or not) into a greener lifestyle.

This is the third article I’ve done on going greener, and another thing that inspired me to write again were a few recent magazine articles. In one, a national magazine who shall remain nameless but that regularly has a lot of articles on going greener and living more naturally, showed a photo of their whole staff and listed what each of them did to to live sustainably every day. I don’t think some understood what that meant really, and some seemed 25 years behind the times. “I turn the heat down when I leave the house.” Wah? Wow. Baffling, but then they’re in the business of making a magazine, not living the magazine every minute, I suppose. Another person listed “returning hangers to the dry cleaners”. Wow. Hmmm. Do we want to burst her bubble about the damage dry cleaners do to the environment and their employees’ health? You don’t need dry cleaners to clean most items that says “dry clean only”. Yes, she could have thrown the hangers away, which isn’t good, but the bigger help to the environment clearly is not to go to dry cleaners. All you have to do is smell the air at the dry cleaners to know it’s not good for anyone’s lungs. Thank goodness there is change happening in the industry and there are green dry cleaners springing up. And, thankfully several of the staff did more significant things like switch to a vegetarian diet, consciously choose a tiny apartment over a McMansion, and bike to work every day.

The other couple articles I read were about scientists who challenged my thinking and green way of living by asserting that the only way to really help the environment is to be politically active constantly, to push for change with manufacturers and politicians. That recycling and buying compact fluorescent light bulbs and using cloth napkins and composting and everything else is pretty “useless” compared to changing policies, industries and government nationally and globally.

Gulp. Blink. Blink blink. Crap.

And I immediately agreed, and disagreed. Yes, we need that kind of massive change, now - just look at recent articles about the massive ice shelf in the Antarctic breaking off - without a doubt. And, we need huge systemic change in every facet of life and industry if we’re going to really affect climate change. But to tell people what they’re doing doesn’t help, misses the point and hurts the progress being made all over the world - everyone has to start with what they can touch and do and know in their daily lives. It makes them CARE. Which then will make them want to do more, which then will hopefully make them see the crucial need for political action. If it’s not personal for them, they won’t do it. The more green you go, the inevitable step after doing all the daily living green things is political action.

Lots of people don’t care, or God forbid, can be inconvenienced with going green, I have learned. If I ask them about it, they usually get a glassy-eyed look and offer a non-explanation for why they don’t make the effort to fill in the blank (recycle, conserve, whatever). I get all kinds of people just shaking their heads at my commitment to it and writing me off, figuratively patting me on the head and saying “that’s nice”, mumbling something about a tree hugger, and then moving on quickly to something that doesn’t make them uncomfortable. I am always saddened, maddened, perplexed or a combination of the three by this. I can even say at times it challenges why I’m friends with some people. That is the hardest part about going green.

I don’t care about their opinion of me ultimately, whether it’s about going green, being vegan, not letting them put down my Midwestern home state with their uninformed assumptions about it, or whatever it may be - you can see I have an opinion about them as well (which I’m not exactly thrilled about; I strive to be non-judgmental and compassionate, but it doesn’t work all the time). We are all entitled to our beliefs. And I understand people have their priorities, difficulties, time and/or money constraints, or whatever it may be in their lives… but it’s the Earth, the air, the water, what allows us to live and breathe and have problems and joys and grief and love that we’re talking about here.

It all serves to inspire me to do more. I have joined more environmental groups, contributed more money, written to the president and senators about national green issues and continued to find more ways to go green on a personal level. I think if I counted my green activities, it would easily number a few dozen. Want to hear a few more? (Read other common, not always easy, and creative green choices in my other articles on Randomn3ss.)

1. I keep empty one-gallon water jugs in the kitchen to fill up with the cold water that comes out of the tap while waiting for the hot water to make it upstairs (second floor) from the basement. I use it to water my plants.

2. I make sure at least one and usually two meals a day are eaten without heating them up.

3. In my city the government doesn’t provide garbage service, so we haul our garbage to the places we go anyway to dump it - at the grocery store, gas station, wherever, saving a private truck from coming to our house and idling while the guy parks, takes his time to pick up the bag and throw it in, and head on to his next stop. (See # 8 below.) We have very little garbage, because…

4. We recycle greeting cards, tissue paper, wrapping paper, magazines and shiny paper like ads and junk mail, newspapers, cardboard, #1-7 plastics, aluminum, glass, office paper, tin and other scrap metal, phone books, and I take a bag of clothes, shoes and other household stuff to a charity thrift store every time I buy new things, to have less stuff for me to manage, and less stuff in the garbage. I also choose items with the least amount of packaging, and even don’t buy some things (gasp!) if the package can’t be recycled.

5. I park my car so that I can drive straight out instead of having to back up to get out. Studies say it saves on gas. It’s certainly easier, and saves time. I also get more exercise because often the only way to do that is park farther away from the entrance of where I’m going.

6. I now shop closer to home to save on gas consumption. It has been easier than I thought it would be, and saves me a lot of time and gas money.

7. I was given over 100 votive candles, so I’m using less electricity for lights.

8. I turn my car off if I’m going to idle for more than 10 seconds after reading that it takes less gas to restart the car, contrary to most people’s belief.

9. I keep glass jars to use for food storage rather than buying those disposable (or not) plastic food containers. Glass can be used for years, and won’t stain and get stinky and sticky like the plastics do - they break down, which means chemicals being released into the food.

10. I never buy note pads. I cut up paper to reuse for a variety of purposes.

11. This year I’m planning to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), which is a great way to support local farmers, have great produce, and save money and time: From Local Harvest, “CSA is a way for the food buying public to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce. By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become “members” (or “shareholders,” or “subscribers”) of the CSA. Most CSA farmers prefer that members pay for the season up-front, but some farmers will accept weekly or monthly payments… The number of CSAs in the United States was estimated at 50 in 1990, and has since grown to over 1000.”

12. I have a system for washing and rinsing dishes that uses very little water, including, obviously, not letting the water run unnecessarily. We use a natural dish soap, too.

13. We keep a big bucket in the bathroom and when we turn on the shower, we let the bucket fill up with the cold water while waiting for the hot water (see #1 above), and when the bucket is full, use that water to flush the toilet.

I’m going to stop listing things now. When I wrote “want to hear a few more?” above, I didn’t know it would go to thirteen. But I’m not actually surprised: In going through my activities, it’s clear to me it is a real lifestyle. I look for the green opportunity and choice in everything I do, at work, home, traveling and play. When I add the thirteen to those listed in other things I’ve written, it makes me smile, and feel like and know I’m making a difference, even if others continue to believe otherwise. I disagree: It makes a difference to me and to everything I touch.

There is no way to be perfectly 100% green 100% of the time. It’s not possible, though I’ve read about some people in Japan and other places where they have to go to crazy lengths to conserve in ways people in the U.S could never even fathom. But going greener is a great process, and even though you’re never done, you never get to the end, it’s a great journey worth deciding to take for life. I have learned a lot (and, some day I’ll learn to write down my sources every time and add them to the bottom of the articles), about the world, and myself - a double green gift.

I now have to return to compassion and take back my put-down of the person whose green glory is ‘only’ turning down her thermostat when they leave the house. They are on a green journey, too, thankfully. Good luck on yours - don’t stop at Earth Hour, or Earth Day (April 22nd). Commit to “Earth Life”, for the good of the planet, and for your personal world.

Certain parts of the country are famous for different foods, in Boston you have clam chowder, in Maryland it’s Crab, Coney Island has hot dogs, Chicago touts deep dish pizza and in Philadelphia you love cheese steaks.  One of the most famous is Geno’s Steaks and is a staple of many Philadelphia residents and a must-stop destination for tourists.

Three years ago Geno’s put up a very controversial sign in their window; This is America, When Ordering Please Speak English.

In a 2-1 vote, a Commission on Human Relations panel found that two signs do not violate the city’s Fair Practices Ordinance.

Joe Vento, the grandchild of Italian immigrants

has said he posted the signs in October 2005 because of concerns over immigration reform and an increasing number of people in the area who could not order in English.

Geno’s rival right across the street, Pat’s King of Steaks has no such sign up.

Source: Associated Press

Funny little image someone sent to me a few days ago. Pretty much sums up my day.

Attention coffee fanatics everywhere!  Starbucks is closing all stores in America today for a few hours to retrain staff how to make a cup o’ Joe.  Not one to sleep on an opportunity to gain some market share, Dunkin’ Donuts is offering free lattes in certain parts of the country.

The official word from the Chicago Tribune is:

When Starbucks shuts down all of its nearly 7,100 national stores this evening for employee retraining (some of the contracted Starbucks are on a different training schedule), Dunkin Donuts will hand out free small hot lattes in all of its 450 Chicagoland stores.

The offer will be good from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. today.

Starbucks is closing its company-owned stores across the country for several hours today so it can bring its employees back up to speed on creating a perfect shot and steaming milk and pulling it all together for a great drink. The barista re-education is a “renewed focus on espresso standards,” say Starbucks honchos.

Various other news agencies are reporting similar deals throughout the country and some have insinuated that deals may come at Starbucks when the doors reopen.

Personally, I can’t drink coffee from either place anymore and only drink their “special” drinks from time to time.  My last few experiences in Starbucks have been lackluster at best.  Some kid takes my order, asks me to repeat or clarify it and then a bar code machine in the “barista” area prints out what I ordered so another kid can push a few buttons and make my drink.  Long gone are the true espresso machines and talent that a barista once held as a valued asset at Starbucks to make a quality espresso.  I’m thinking this part of the restructure of the company that has been floating around the news lately, especially with rumors that all McDonalds stores will have “baristas” in the soon.

Since I made small investment towards a better cup of coffee, my taste for coffee has changed.  After drinking coffee with sugar for more than 15 years, I now drink it black and really enjoy it.  I can also taste the unique characteristics of different single origin coffees and appreciate them.  Starbucks tastes burnt and bitter, Dunkin’ Donuts tastes too sweet.  They are both blends, not single origin, and need to be so that the cup of mud you get in Philadelphia tastes the same as the one in San Francisco.

In my part of the city, Dunkin’ Donuts outnumber Starbucks by a ratio of at least 15:1, maybe as high as 25:1.  Unofficial data is that blue collar workers prefer Dunkin’ Donuts and the ability to order a small, medium, or large while upper middle class and upper class people prefer the ambiance and experience of a Starbucks and don’t mind paying a premium for these luxuries and can order sizes with funny names.  Dunkin’ Donuts makes great donuts and an OK cup of coffee for most people out there, there is no fancy music playing, the interiors are decorated almost more for function than aesthetics and I rarely see people meeting there for casual get-togethers or to surf the internet.  Starbucks on the other hand is much more an experience, plush seats, funky shaped tables, dark woods, music playing that is available for purchase in the store along with a host of other non-coffee related items.  I find it interesting that Dunkin’ Donuts is trying to capture some of the Starbucks business now, especially since they’ve almost always been more of a coffee stop and not a mocha-whipa-frappa-chino place.

Check your local Dunkin’ Donuts for any deals, don’t assume that all of them will have free or discounted drinks today.

Today marks the fifth day of me becoming a vegan.

For the past few years I have been a vegetarian. Which means that I have not eaten chicken, beef, pork, turkey, fish or any other animals since I was 21. I’ve had the enjoyment of eating dairy products like cheese, milk, chocolate and ice cream.

The main reason for me becoming a vegan was for the challenge. Crazy, I know. Originally I became a vegetarian because of animal cruelty and to eat healthier. This is another reason why I am a vegan.

This past week I have been giving and throwing away anything that contains dairy. Now my kitchen is stocked with fake cheese, tofu, dairy free bread, amongst a plethora of other edible things.

For the most part I have felt confident and in good health through this transition. I haven’t felt more tired or sickly. Of course this is only after 5 days. However, I have been feeling constantly hungry. This is annoying. Usually the hunger kicks in about an hour after eating a meal. This is my body getting used to no milk products.

Shopping makes for a long adventure, too. Yesterday I spent a good hour and a half at Whole Foods reading all the ingredients on the packages. To my surprise a lot of things contain dairy even in small amounts. Also, shopping at organic grocery stores is very expensive. I’m used to this though.

I have been successful in finding restaurants and cafes that are vegan. There are several in a few different neighborhoods. Other smaller neighborhoods are scarce.

I hope to continue with being a vegan. However, if I go back to being a vegetarian the world won’t end. More updates soon!

For resources on becoming a vegeternian or vegan visit Action for Animals or Peta.

Happy Birthday to everyone celebrating their birthday today.

Yes, that’s me, I admit it!

And, along with unknowns like me, a number of pretty cool and/or famous people share this birth date:

Paul Newman (love him!), Wayne Gretzky, Ellen DeGeneres, Douglas MacArthur, Roger Vadim, Bob Uecker, Scott Glenn, Anita Baker, Eddie Van Halen, and Eartha Kitt (love her!).

In looking for information on January birthdays, I ran across a website that listed January observances. Here are some of the more unusual ones that caught my eye.

Did you know that January is:

- Bath Safety Month
- Careers in Cosmetology Month
- Clown Month
- Oatmeal Month
- Poverty in America Month
- Thyroid Disease Awareness Month

I didn’t.

The first week of January is Diet Resolution Week. Of course.

The second week of January is, among others, School Guard Crossing week.

The third week of January is Cuckoo Dancing Week, celebrating Laurel and Hardy movies; Oliver Hardy’s birthday is January 18.

And the fourth week of January is:
- Catholic Schools Week (Aww… I was a Catholic school girl. Was. I’m recovered now, and I never wear plaid.)
- National Meat Week (Agh! I don’t eat meat, as anyone who read this blog knows.)
- Healthy Weight Week (I guess this is the follow up to Diet Resolution Week.)

Enough with all that, back to birthdays. Are you a January (26th or otherwise) birthday baby? What do you do to celebrate? I’m being taken out to lunch and then have a dinner party with friends.

Once I learned I had the same birthday as Paul Newman, I always wanted to call him up and ask him (and his wife, Joanne Woodward, whom I also adore) to lunch. Maybe this is the year. I think I’ll go look for his number, after being careful in the bath, learning more about my thyroid, and donating some oatmeal or something to the needy.

I was a vegetarian for about thirteen years, then went vegan for a year or so, then decided to see if a return to animal products would make me die on the spot or not. (I didn’t.) Once I ate meat, fish and dairy products again, I did so in moderation, still ate a lot of vegetarian and vegan meals, and could not make myself eat some animal products again. They shall go unmentioned, except for head cheese. Okay, I actually never ate it, but remember seeing it in the fridge as a kid and being really scared. Could there be a grosser name or look to this stuff, and how can anyone eat it with their eyes open or without laughing or puking? I’m sure I’ve offended someone with that judgment - sorry, Dad -but that’s how I feel about it.

This head cheese image originally appeared here. Is the pig laughing or crying? Funny/gross story, too..

Okay, haggis is no doubt worse, sorry my Celtic relatives and friends, but I digress.

The tip about meat comes up in a moment. And, for the record, I returned to a vegan lifestyle about a year ago. (Read my other articles on things vegan on randomn3ss for more information.)

Tip number one is first to view adding more Veg meals into your life as a process. It will take time, some education, some experimenting, some frustration, and some contemplation about how you live your life, quite frankly. (I do know of people who just quit all animal products overnight, but it’s hard, it’s expensive, and wastes a lot of food. Your body may be a bit confused, too, and will tell you about it in a few ways that might not be pleasant.) If you come to the conclusion that you want at least to add more Veg meals into your life, and possibly to become either vegetarian or vegan, read on to get started.

If you aren’t familiar with the difference between vegetarianism and veganism, true vegans do not consume (eat, wear, buy, use) any animal products whatsoever - no meat/fish/poultry, dairy, honey, leather, wool, silk, anything of or from any non-plant-based organism. Most vegetarians eat animal milk and/or eggs, honey, and do wear leather and use other animal byproducts.

One reminder before embarking on change in your life: It takes at least twenty-one days to make or break a habit, and then six months to a year of consistently doing the new habits before it truly becomes a part of your lifestyle, second-nature. Be realistic, be patient, keep track of what you’re doing to help the process be successful.

Tip number two: Back to the meat, and for efficiency’s sake I’ll include fish in this, too. If you’re eating meat three times a day or more, start by cutting back to two times a day. If it’s a fairly easy transition for you, then go to meat one time per day, then eliminate it permanently, if that is your goal. If it’s tough for you - you eat out a lot, you work out a lot, your family owns a meat-packing plant - then go slower, shooting for three weeks as mentioned above, or longer until the adjustment is made. Some find it easier first to eliminate meats (two-or four-legged animals), and just eat fish, and then reduce their fish consumption using the same technique.

This is where some education comes in: We need protein, just like we need carbs and fat. Read up and replace meat with other healthy sources of protein. If you don’t get enough good protein, you will lose energy and your health can suffer.

Tip number three: If you’re eating cheese, dairy products and eggs daily, I would recommend first cutting back on cheese. This can be done by reducing the number of times you eat it per day or per week if it’s a lot, and/or by reducing the amount you are eating in a serving. Even if you decide not to be vegan, having less cheese is better for your health, and your budget. Good cheese is not cheap. Bad cheese, it’s barely cheese, really, and disgusting, at least to me.

A long time ago, pre-Veg for me, a housemate of mine left a box of Velveeta on a kitchen counter one night accidentally. Unfortunately, the counter was right above an old wrought-iron radiator that kicked out a lot of heat. I was the first one up the next morning to see that the cheese had melted out of the box and into a large orange semi-solid puddle around the box. When my housemate saw it, he just pushed it all back in the box, shrugged, and did proceed to eat it eventually, with no repercussions. You can’t do that with brie, to my knowledge.

Then do the same with eggs, and other dairy products, reducing the frequency and quantity you eat gradually. There is no real substitute for scrambled eggs or omelets, which is tough if you like diner food, and good news, it is not really necessary in baking - plenty of other substitutes will hold your vegan cookies and cakes together. There are plenty of other milk choices that taste great: Soy, oat, almond, rice (though it’s typically watery, so not a great choice for cereal), hazelnut, and even hemp. (Hemp is a magical plant, used in food, clothing and other products. I know there is great debate about growing it in the U.S. I hope it will happen. If you didn’t know, the most that would happen to you if you smoked it would be a headache and sore throat.) And there’s plenty of non-dairy ice cream, sour cream, butter, and yogurt products out there. You will need to try a few before you land on what tastes best to you; some aren’t so great but it’s all vastly better than it was even ten years ago.

“But what do you eat?” It’s a common question vegetarians and vegans get constantly: You will find a whole new world out there now that you’re choosing to eat different and new things. The number of grains, beans, legumes, vegetables and fruits out there are countless and the combinations in the bazillions, I’m sure. And it’s no harder to cook Veg than it is to cook animal products, just slightly different - and not as gross. (I still skeeve out thinking of handling raw poultry and other slimy bone-filled greasy stuff.) It can take more time sometimes, but not always. And, you can still eat your cereal with another kind of milk, you can still have favorite foods with just a few substitutions.

“But what about eating out?” Choose the vegetarian options at restaurants to start training your palate and learning what foods taste best to you. It’s super easy if you like ethnic restaurants, and not too hard if you prefer standard U.S. fare. You can ask them to take the meat or cheese out of nearly any item, and most ethnic cuisines celebrate vegetables and grains like the U.S. never has until recently. Experiment with tofu at Asian restaurants - and, I’m the first to say some of it is baaaad, so while it goes against nutritional recommendations, go with the fried or stir-fried tofu if you’re trying it for the first time. A big blob of white, fairly tasteless rubbery stuff in a soup is not very palatable, even for die-hards. (If you didn’t know, tofu is made from soybeans, and has a very mild flavor until you are accustomed to it and add spices to it. It’s an excellent source of protein and a major staple in most Vegs’ diets. Comes in a variety of forms to make it easy to cook and bake with.)

Tip number four: Go to a book store and get a couple vegetarian and/or vegan cookbooks, and subscribe to one of the many great Veg magazines out there. You can search online for recipes, but I find books and magazines are better as they nearly always have cooking tips, nutrition information, and you can compare recipes more easily. And again, as mentioned briefly, you have a learning curve going on with the whole nutritional side of shifting to a Veg diet, and books tend to be the most comprehensive source. (It’s also better to spill stuff on a book than it is a laptop when you’re making a new recipe in the kitchen.) You will learn how to cook a little differently, but all the basics are the same. Be prepared for flops. And that you just won’t like some things. That’s normal, and it just gets you closer to what you do like.
Tip number five: Pretty simple, eat more vegetables. Yes, eat more fruits, too, but vegetables, beans and grains are the core of the Veg diet. Fruit is full of sugar, so read up and stick to only a couple servings a day. Of course, starting out in the process, a lot of people do eat fruit more as snacks to replace the cheese and various meat snacks, which is okay, but shouldn’t be a permanent solution. The more vegetables you eat, the healthier you will be.

Tip number six: Read ingredient labels on “Healthy!” “Vegetarian!” “Low Fat!” foods carefully, especially if you are vegan. Lots of funny-named stuff in some products masquerade as health food and vegetarian. For example, there’s a frozen soy mac and cheese option out there but there is a not-obvious dairy product in the list of ingredients (caseinate, a milk product). Also read the nutrition information on the packaging. (If you don’t know what it all means, learn, as it’s pretty critical - it’s easy to have high cholesterol and high sugars on a Veg diet if you’re not careful, so just spend a little time until it’s second nature, too.) Some have a lot of salt, a lot of fat and/or a lot of sugars and carbs. A lot of newbie Vegs just get all that microwave stuff to make it easy, but it will take a toll on your health and budget. It has a place in the Veg diet, you need quick meals at times, and it’s a great way to try new things, but don’t let it be the only way you eat. Same with junk food. There’s plenty of cookies, chips, snacks, desserts out there that are Veg, so eat in small quantities. Choose organically and sustainably produced foods as well.

Last tip: Enjoy the process, and only do what feels right and works right in your life, although I do advocate strongly for being vegetarian at the least - for your health, for the animals, for the environment. If you choose to eat meat, fish and dairy, choose the best organic and humane sources you can find (do the research, as there’s many confusing and false claims out there), and eat less than you used to. Educate the people around you so they know what you’re doing, and so that you’re not surprising someone who’s invited you to dinner at their house, only to find you can’t eat anything. That’s not fair to them, they’ll feel bad, and you won’t have a good time. (I always eat at home before going to parties, knowing that meat and cheese tend to predominate. But, there’s always a veggie tray, and chips and salsa, it seems, so you can munch along without drawing attention to yourself.) Don’t be defensive if someone puts down what you’re doing, just shrug and say “you eat what you want to eat, and I’ll eat what I want to eat, and we’ll leave it at that.” Several of my close friends are animal-eaters, and this agreement works fine.

My process was fairly easy, I admit. There is a strong history of cancer and heart disease in my family, so that has always been a motivator. I also met the coolest vegetarians in Minneapolis, MN who showed me the way, both in introducing me to a variety of great ethnic restaurants and in how to cook Veg. I also seek out what is not mainstream, so this was a natural; it is surprising, though, how uncomfortable some people get about it, and I’m not (usually) trying to make people squirm (did you like that “animal-eater” comment above?) but I count it as a success for me and for them if they then think about it and ask me to discuss it later (and it’s victory for the animals and the environment if they go on to choose a Veg life). I can say I miss Parmesan cheese. There is no substitute (there are some products on the market, but it really has no resemblance to the true taste of Parm). I used to miss eggs, but that has long gone away. I sometimes think about wild salmon, as that was the last animal flesh I gave up. It’s very good for you, and was my favorite meat item. At times it is frustrating in restaurants, but overall I don’t feel compromised in any way by the choice to be vegan, in food or in other parts of the lifestyle. I don’t get preachy about it (because I would hate it if someone did that to me), but will explain if people ask. I have to check my shock when people say they rarely or never eat vegetables; I don’t want to be judged, so I must not judge them, but it’s still pretty unfathomable to me. (Like how do your bowels even work? I’ll stop there and please don’t tell me.) I also don’t get all weird if I realize I’ve eaten something animal accidentally (and I don’t go purge or anything), and I refuse to be completely rigid about it: On occasion I will eat a homemade chocolate chip cookie even if it’s not vegan. Comfort food and happy childhood memories are a welcome and necessary thing.

Write back and let me know how it goes, and if you’d like to know more.

Credit for this article goes to none other than Adrienne Saia, here at randomn3ss. Number one, she asked for it at the end of one of my articles on going greener and veganism being one way (remember?) and because of her post on her food pyramid. How you ate this, I have no idea…

Three and a half months ago I set on making an investment for a better cup of coffee. There was an initial setback with some poor customer service but it was quickly rectified and on went my quest.

As a small recap, I purchased this French press mug, a Brita water pitcher and started to search for better beans instead of grocery store bought goods.

The mug is built like a tank. The powder coating process on it was done very well and even after using daily, washing daily and a trip through the washing machine once a week, it looked as new even after 3 months of daily use. The function of the French press inside worked great and the plastic all seems to have held up really well. Now for the negatives. Knowing what I do now, I’d probably advise against buying one of these again. The metal cup keeps the hot coffee at an undrinkable temperature for almost 90 minutes. During that time, the coffee continues to steep even though it is contained in the bottom of the cup. As my palette has started to become a little more refined, the second half of this cup become rather bitter to me.

The Brita water pitcher has become my fridges new best friend. I use all the time and have cut out nearly every other beverage at home outside of milk and orange juice. If you don’t have one of these, buy one.

Beans. I was reluctant to buy a coffee grinder for several reasons, more on that later. I did however want to try some “real” coffee. A local roaster sold beans at a store near my house in both ground and whole, so I set off and bought a 12oz bag each of Ethiopian Harrar and Sumatran Mandheling. Both beans are considered to be some of the best single origin beans for daily drinking and cost about the same as a bag of premium coffee from a grocery store.

The first thing was the smell, it was unreal. Like nothing I’ve ever smelled from a bag of coffee in my life. Simply amazing. Eager to try it, I made a cup at home in my French press mug, but then poured it into a traditional coffee cup so I could enjoy it right away. That is when I first noticed how much better coffee could taste when the steeping process was closely controlled. Amazing. Each coffee had something I liked about it and something that I wasn’t too sure about. Also, for the first time, I tried coffee without sugar. Amazingly, I liked it. Fifteen years of drinking coffee with sugar and this is the first time I could enjoy it without. Later I learned the reason for this is that freshly roasted coffee has a natural sweetness to it and only older, stale coffee requires me to add sugar to compensate for what has left the natural bean. While both of these bags were ground, I was pretty content. A few weeks later I by chance found a small coffee shop that also roasted and picked up a pound of Costa Rican La Amistad, to date this is my favorite coffee. Super smooth, not a long after taste and sweet chocolate notes towards the last sip as you swallow. At this point, I was still buying ground beans though and noticed that 10 days after purchase the flavor was changing drastically and once again I was adding sugar.

After more than two months of drinking coffee through the French press mug, I knew it was time to retire it. The mug still gets used from time to time, but only as a mug.

About a month ago I purchased a Bodum Shin French press to replace my French press mug. This is one of their more plain looking units, but functionality meant more to me and for $20, I wasn’t going to complain. $30 will get you the Chambord model, which is essentially the Shin with a nicer top and a pretty “cage” around it. The only negative side to the Shin is that it could be easier to crack if you dropped it on a counter top and I’d suggest using a cutting board or heat-safe countertop pad when you fill it with boiling water. The Chambord model has the cage around it to help protect your countertop. Both function the same. I’d also suggest buying at least an 8-cup model. There doesn’t seem to be a standard for what is considered a “cup” in the coffee world, the French press is no exception to this. A “cup” could be 4, 6 or 8 ounces, depending on who the manufactor is, my experience has been that your average home coffee cup is around 10 ounces and the average travel mug is between 16 and 24 ounces. The Bodum seems to consider a “cup” to be closer to 6 ounces.

Likewise, the coffee scooper provided with the Bodum and most commercially available ones are meant for 6oz of water, so some experimenting will be needed. This is how I’ve been using my Bodum:

• I use the same mug daily to take to work with coffee, so I filled the mug with tap water, then poured the water into a measuring cup, noting how full it gets. My mug holds just about 16oz of water.

• Going by the 6oz rule for the coffee scooper, I need to use just less than three even, not heaping scoops of coffee; this goes in the bottom of the bodum.

• Filtered water from my Brita Pitcher goes into an empty tea kettle making sure to never use any water left from the day before and boil.

• As soon as the teapot whistles, pull it off the burner and pour into a measuring cup, in my case it is a full 2 cups.

• Quickly pour that water into the Bodum and do nothing for 2-4 minutes. You choose the steep time that you enjoy the best, some experimenting will tell you.

• After steep stir the coffee with a wooden object, metal could chip the glass. I’ve been using chopsticks since they always give me more than I need when I get sushi take-out.

• Put the top on the Bodum and evenly, slowly press down.

• Pour coffee and consume.

• It is best not to reheat coffee since the taste will change and it is easy enough to boil more water and make some more.

The unit does need to be cleaned daily but it is not as hard as one would think. I’ve found a pretty simply way to clean them out, fast. Rinse out the coffee grinds and off the bottom of the plunger, putting a small amount of dishwashing soap into the Bodum and filling half way with hot water. Put the top on and move the plunger up and down a few times, empty out water, use a sponge or towel to wipe the inside, rinse again and let air-dry. Takes less than two minutes.

I’ve also broken down and bought a grinder. Some of the coffee I wanted to experiment with only came in whole beans and, as stated before, I noticed a pretty short shelf life of freshly roasted coffee that has been pre-ground. After some searching around, I decided on a Cuisinart grinder. It was essential that it had burr grinders in it, not the whirly blade seen in the bottom of a blender. With a French press, you want the grind to be very coarse, it helps with the extraction of the coffee, and this one has been working great for me and looks really nice on my counter top. My only concern with it was whether or not it would do a fine enough grind should I ever buy an espresso machine, since most espresso machine quality grinders cost $200 and up. Not my concern at the time of buying this one though.

When using a grinder, only grind enough beans for what you will consume right away. Trust me when I say that a grinder, a quality, freshly roasted bean and a French press will provide you with one of the best cups of coffee you have ever tasted. I’d also strongly suggest trying coffee naked, that is, without cream, milk or sugar first.

My total investment at this point is around $90 in equipment and around $10 per pound of coffee. I fully expect that the $20 French press and $50 grinder will last for 3-5 years or longer, the French press mug was probably not the wisest of investments I could have made, but I’m not sad I bought it. My coffee experience now is much better, more controlled and tastes 100% better than anything I’ve made at home through a drip coffee maker and substantially cheaper in the long run than going to a coffee store every morning. I have not and will not go back to buying coffee from a grocery store, I plan to stick to using the local company I found as well as a few online sources that roast daily and ship the following day.

Monday night was a good night for drinking, or so we thought. It was the night of the BCS Championship game between LSU (two losses… really?) and THE Ohio State University (vomit). Alright, so I’m not a particularly huge fan of either team, but I love college football and as fucked up as the playoff system (or lack thereof) is, I wanted to watch the game. So did a bunch of my friends, so we decided, “ok, let’s meet at Dave & Buster’s on Columbus Ave because, yeah that looks like a good place to kick back, have some brews, and watch the game.”

We were wrong. Sooooooo wrong.

It’s not like I didn’t get a sign immediately. When our waitress bothered to approach us for the first time (yes, I’m talking about YOU, Sarah), I asked for a “lager.” Now, in PA, that means “Yuengling.” Our waitress replied with the types of lager beers they had available. You may think her reply was logical - and it totally was - except that, really, in Philadelphia especially, no matter where you go all bartenders when you ask for just a “lager” will get you a Yuengling. It’s just how life is. If you live here, you get it, so go with it, it was a bad omen.

We proceeded to wait 20 minutes for our drinks, all of which came in stages, because Sarah was apparently incapable of carrying more that one glass at a time. Three of us were hungry, so we ordered two appetizers - the nachos and cheese fries.

This is where tragedy became pure comedy.

Thirty minutes later, the food makes its way to the table. There were 8 nacho chips on a plate and the cheese fries were served in a soup bowl. Eight chips, for three people. At this point, I felt totally betrayed by our waitress, who should have noticed that three hungry people ordering this elf food dish would have been sorely disappointed at the portion size. But no - bitch let us pay a DOLLAR PER NACHO CHIP because she sucked. I mean - she came back and was all “How’s the food?” and I’m like “It’s small.” Then, with two cheese fries left in the soup bowl, Sarah tries to clear the table. The reaction time of my friend Victoria and I flying across the table, grasping both her hands, and screaming “Nooooooooooooooo! Still EATING!” was incredible.

At this point, I am pissed and hungry and decide that this place is getting no more of my money. I don’t even order water (also because I know it’s not ever going to come). Seriously, how can you charge so much goddamn money for THAT LITTLE FOOD?? And, what do you spend the money on? Certainly not maintaining your technology because none of the TVs were flatscreen nor awesome. The BCS game was on a suspended bigscreen that looked like it weighed 900 pounds. I have a better TV at home; sometimes I don’t know why I leave my house. Damnit. I just feel cheated by this place and I don’t really understand why anyone thinks it’s good at all.

I hate when I get so annoyed with an establishment that I can’t even articulate how bad the experience really was. I bet that makes for good reading, too, eh? Whatever, just don’t give them your money. Unless you really like being hungry and sober.

Mommy made you the best cupcakes ever and you want to take one to lunch the next day, but how do you go about transporting it without smashing it? Get a Cup-A-Cake cupcake container. Seriously, why weren’t these things invented years ago? Putting them in a traditional plastic container usually results in the icing stuck to the top or them sloshing around and getting smashed. This ingenious design grips the cupcake from the bottom, so if it falls over is upside down, the icing doesn’t get ruined. At $3 a piece or a four back for $10 they aren’t exactly cheap or disposable, but for all you fatties out there who need your cupcake fix, this is your answer. What will they think of next?

« Previous entries