This & That, Ceci et Cela » Food

Story of Coffee

Geekette — Mon, 10 May 2010 00:05:20 +0000

Ho’s R US: Coming to a coffee stand near U

Geekette — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:27:41 +0000

Proof that this here recession has been causing all kinds of creativity:

From HeraldNet:
Everett WA — Five baristas are accused of engaging in prostitution at an Everett bikini espresso stand following a two-month undercover police investigation into complaints that the women were selling more than coffee. Detectives say the women were charging up to $80 to strip down and flash customers while fixing lattes and mochas. Investigators saw the women expose their crotches, lick whipped cream off their co-workers’ private parts and pose naked for pictures inside the Grab-n-Go Espresso stand. …

Apparently, after getting over 40 complaints about various “bikini coffee stands” in the area, the po-po decided to investigate Grab-n-Go Espresso chain, as it generated the most complaints. Naturally, owner Bill Wheeler could not be reached for comment at press time.

Milk Gangsters: taking it no mo’

Geekette — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:17:57 +0000

Belgian dairy farmers protesting falling milk prices by dumping 3 million litres on their fields in addition to marching outside the EU headquarters in Brussels. Via BBC.

The semantics behind “fresh” orange juice

Geekette — Sat, 16 May 2009 04:05:21 +0000

Turns out the “100% pure squeezed orange juice” and “not from concentrate” verbiage sold to you by Tropicana et al means jacksh*t because it’s reconstituted orange juice, as the article from Maclean’s (week of May 11-15th) explains. Gloomy news, nice infographics. Click on each picture for a larger version.

Have it YOUR way!

Geekette — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:44:07 +0000

Talk about having it your way! Burger King’s latest ad campaign by Munich agency Start. Original captions from the agency included below each pic. Click on pictures to enlarge.

At Burger King we’re extremely serious about controlling the quality of our ingredients. That’s why we examine everything. Thoroughly.

At Burger King we offer extra ketchup made from fresh tomatoes, any time. How we manage this is, of course, top secret.

Just say the word and we’ll eliminate the onions from your burgers. Quickly and discreetly.

Pickle in? Pickle out? Only you decide how you want your burger.

COFFEE 2.0: AVEC/WITH CARDAMOM

Geekette — Mon, 08 May 2006 01:37:38 +0000

Common Name: Cardamom
Genus Species: Elettaria cardamomum
Family: Zingiberaceae
Origins: Southern India; now also found in Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Cambodia, Tanzania, and El Salvador, etc.

Particularly popular in Middle Eastern countries for flavoring coffee (half of world consumption is attributed to this), in Scandinavian and Baltic countries for baked products, and used throughout Indian, Pakistani, and Persian cuisine. The latter nations also use it as a breath freshener and in fragrance. Oh, and it has been long considered a stimulant and aphrodisiac. Yep, the honourable Cardamom is a spicy all-rounder.

Any coffee drinker would like this. This will also appeal to hardcore unadulterated coffee drinkers who occasionally yearn for a little something but know that a freakin’ caramel-blah-blah latte isn’t it. Agent Morris, our resident Chai Wallah turned me onto this and I’ve become a quick convert, now preferring 3 out of every 5 cups of java I drink to be avec (with) cardamom. Very arousing taste and aroma. Good thing Stahhbucks doesn’t serve this or you might find yourself just wanting to show some love to others in the store. Must be that aphrodisiac quality. However, a smaller coffee chain wanting to get a leg up could successfully offer this providing that the pods are the real deal and freshly ground on premises. Staler, cheaper, powdered substitutes just wouldn’t compare.

MO:

Although it is available as whole or split pods and loose or ground seeds, it is best to buy the whole pods as it quickly loses flavour when stored in its ground state.

Use roughly about 1 pod per cup and upgrade quantities with diminishing returns, i.e. a 10-cup or full pot brew would probably require about 6-7 pods, not ten.

To grind seeds, use a marble or stone mortar and pestle set (wooden or steel ones aren’t heavy enough to grind harder objects as well or quickly). Grind the cardamom with the mortar and pestle and add to ground coffee beans just before brewing. For maximum flavour, don’t just break pods open, grind individual seeds within finely.

Enjoy black, or with milk and/or sugar to taste.

Boutique Viticulture: Mexico’s renaissance

Geekette — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 04:37:31 +0000

The wine industry in Mexico is undergoing a renaissance which is manifesting itself in the form of boutiques wineries in Baja California. Some say its the next Napa and a few foreign wine-makers have moved to the area and wine-making classes are even available at a wine school.

One of the wineries on a tear is Casa de Piedra owned by Hugo d’Acosta. Its wines cost up to $150 a bottle at fine restaurants and the winery is known for putting on spectacular dinner/art performances during wine festivals. Recently, d’Acosta and his partners acquired 200 acres of mature vineyards formely used by Domecq. They are also working on an undisclosed partnership with a high-profile winery from Bordeaux, France (Magrez?), as well as a joint-venture wine with Wente Vineyards in the Napa Valley.

Bombastic Steak Seasoning Mix

Geekette — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 09:00:00 +0000

Ingredients:
Flexible dosage, dependent on how much meat you’re cooking. This loosely assumes 2 x 1.5″ thick steaks…
4tbsp olive oil
1/2 a stalk of Asian/Chinese onion (looks like spring onion without the bulb, smells/tastes a cross btw green onion & garlic). Any info on the proper name would be welcome!
1 small spanish onion
2-inch piece of fresh ginger root
2tsps fresh rosemary, minced (dried gives a different taste)
2tsps fresh thyme, minced (dried gives a different taste)
4tbsps seasoning mix eg McCormick’s cajun
1tsp dried black peppercorns (grind just before use).
pinch of salt to taste

Oh, & don’t forget the steak!

MO:
preheat oven to 500F
chop veggies and mix all in bowl
microwave mixture for 1-1.5mins to start the ingredients interacting.
slather steaks in mixture & lay in baking pan

Crazy fry-roasting to sizzle and brown the outside and seal in juices:
Set the oven to 475F then put pan in oven uncovered for 15mins.

Take out, cover with foil, reduce heat to 300F, and put back in oven for 30mins.

Quick sides:
Pour leftover mixture on halved potatoes/sweet potatoes, put in baking pan, cover with foil and put in oven on a lower rack.

Tricks:
Cut ginger in cross-section, (across the fibre) to let maximum flavour loose.

Next: Bloody squids; we’re coming to get you.

Its all in the cabbage; All hail Kim-chi!

Geekette — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 07:00:00 +0000

Assuming it doesn’t turn out to be just an over-fermented dream. Kim-chi, Sauerkraut, its all in the cabbage. Scientists in Seoul believe the German cabbage contains a bacteria that fights the disease.

Boutique Viticulture: Magrez vineyards

Geekette — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 06:00:00 +0000

Bernard Magrez‘s 32 vineyards from Morrocco to Napa signify a fresh approach to boutique viticulture and wine tourism. Diversity within exclusivity. He has recently built up a significant portfolio of winery properties in France, the US, Argentina, Morocco, Spain, Portugal and Uruguay.

The Bordeaux shop also offers visits and overnight stays at the flagship chateaux in the region – which include Pape Clément, Chateau Fombrauge, and La Tour Carnet. Each shop offers consumers the opportunity to discover wines from the entire company range comprising 30 chateaux and over 90 brands worldwide. More shops are scheduled to open next year.