Comments on: The Search for Coffee http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:50:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Clifford http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12661 Clifford Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:07:10 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12661 janet... Thanks for the information about chowhoud.com. Yes, it seems that I might be accurately described in this way. I shall have to have a read of it. aditya: Another universal across various cultures is solidifying blood in various ways. Black pudding, blood pudding, haggis, etc..... Presumably an idea originating from not wanting to waste any part of the animal you just killed.... and jolly tasty too! Cheers, -cvj janet… Thanks for the information about chowhoud.com. Yes, it seems that I might be accurately described in this way. I shall have to have a read of it.

aditya: Another universal across various cultures is solidifying blood in various ways. Black pudding, blood pudding, haggis, etc….. Presumably an idea originating from not wanting to waste any part of the animal you just killed…. and jolly tasty too!

Cheers,

-cvj

]]> By: janet http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12660 janet Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:03:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12660 Hmmm. Bread appears in many forms, but it is essentially a way of preparing staple grain in a form that's easily storable and portable. The other basic method for cooking grain is to make a gruel or porridge, and to eat that you need a vessel to hold it and some kind of implement to eat it with (eg a bowl and spoon). Bread you can stick in a pocket or pouch to eat in the middle of the day; you can not only eat it with your hands, you can use it to hold other foods and convey them to your mouth without getting your hands all messy. Very useful. Still, porridge is probably even more universal, probably because it's such a basic cooking method. Hmmm. Bread appears in many forms, but it is essentially a way of preparing staple grain in a form that’s easily storable and portable. The other basic method for cooking grain is to make a gruel or porridge, and to eat that you need a vessel to hold it and some kind of implement to eat it with (eg a bowl and spoon). Bread you can stick in a pocket or pouch to eat in the middle of the day; you can not only eat it with your hands, you can use it to hold other foods and convey them to your mouth without getting your hands all messy. Very useful. Still, porridge is probably even more universal, probably because it’s such a basic cooking method.

]]> By: Aditya Raghavan http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12659 Aditya Raghavan Tue, 28 Feb 2006 11:57:17 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12659 The origin of 'chai': It's no coincidence that tea is called chai (or derivatives of it) in various languages around the world. nearly 5000 years ago, tea was first developed in china... in india it's called chai, and so is it in russia (as amara says). in eastern india (close to the chinese border), it's called 'cha'.. while in chinese, it's 'cha' or 'te'!! in fact, in most parts of the world it's either cha, chai or tea! And yet, today, it's grown all over the world.. .actually 246 nations produce chai. Isn't it strange that there aren't any local names for this plant? Now, question: Have you ever wondered why so many cultures, around the world, have some form of 'bread' or the other even before trade routes existed between these countries (i.e., even before they could exchange ideas?). -aditya The origin of ‘chai’:

It’s no coincidence that tea is called chai (or derivatives of it) in various languages around the world. nearly 5000 years ago, tea was first developed in china… in india it’s called chai, and so is it in russia (as amara says). in eastern india (close to the chinese border), it’s called ‘cha’.. while in chinese, it’s ‘cha’ or ‘te’!! in fact, in most parts of the world it’s either cha, chai or tea! And yet, today, it’s grown all over the world.. .actually 246 nations produce chai. Isn’t it strange that there aren’t any local names for this plant?

Now, question: Have you ever wondered why so many cultures, around the world, have some form of ‘bread’ or the other even before trade routes existed between these countries (i.e., even before they could exchange ideas?).

-aditya

]]> By: Aaron Bergman http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12658 Aaron Bergman Sun, 26 Feb 2006 21:07:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12658 <i>Clifford, do you know about chowhound.com? Because you're a chowhound if ever there was one. I don't know anything about the LA message board, but the SF message board is great (I rarely post there, but my sister is one of the regulars).</i> Have they changed the interface? I remember looking at it a while ago, but being turned off by what has to be the worst interface ever designed. <a href="http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showforum=27" rel="nofollow">Egullet.org</a> has a much better interface, but the CA board isn't tremendously active. Clifford, do you know about chowhound.com? Because you’re a chowhound if ever there was one. I don’t know anything about the LA message board, but the SF message board is great (I rarely post there, but my sister is one of the regulars).

Have they changed the interface? I remember looking at it a while ago, but being turned off by what has to be the worst interface ever designed. Egullet.org has a much better interface, but the CA board isn’t tremendously active.

]]> By: janet http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12657 janet Sun, 26 Feb 2006 20:43:03 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12657 Clifford, do you know about chowhound.com</a>? Because you're a chowhound if ever there was one. I don't know anything about the LA message board, but the SF message board is great (I rarely post there, but my sister is one of the regulars). When I was little my mom bought her coffee at the original Peet's in Berkeley's gourmet ghetto, so I have a sentimental attachment to Peet's even though it's now a chain, and even though I am not much of a coffee drinker. Also, Peet's is the only cafe chain that I know of that carries good loose leaf tea and trains its employees to brew it properly. Clifford, do you know about chowhound.com? Because you’re a chowhound if ever there was one. I don’t know anything about the LA message board, but the SF message board is great (I rarely post there, but my sister is one of the regulars).

When I was little my mom bought her coffee at the original Peet’s in Berkeley’s gourmet ghetto, so I have a sentimental attachment to Peet’s even though it’s now a chain, and even though I am not much of a coffee drinker. Also, Peet’s is the only cafe chain that I know of that carries good loose leaf tea and trains its employees to brew it properly.

]]> By: Clifford http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12652 Clifford Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:17:59 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12652 Yes, I see. You can mail order Major Dickason's by the way... and probably chai! It is rather nice to receive special packages of rare goods in the post. Give it a try! -cvj Yes, I see. You can mail order Major Dickason’s by the way… and probably chai! It is rather nice to receive special packages of rare goods in the post. Give it a try!

-cvj

]]> By: Amara http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12653 Amara Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:13:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12653 I didn't misunderstand.. I never avoid the local culture and I don't think you avoid it either. It was only a story about coffee... I didn’t misunderstand.. I never avoid the local culture and I don’t think you avoid it either. It was only a story about coffee…

]]> By: Clifford http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12654 Clifford Sun, 26 Feb 2006 16:18:08 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12654 Amara:- I think you may have misunderstood the post. It was not about avoiding the local culture..... I spent most of my time drinking jasmine green tea and zhenzhu nai cha (pearl milk tea) both of which I absolutely *love*... and the latter -with the black tapioca pearls in the bottom- is all the rage there! (Yesterday I found where to buy black tapioca pearls in Chinatown to make it myself.. hurrah!). I just thought it would be nice to try the new coffee culture there too, and see what it was like..... and in fact it is great! It is well and truly part of the local culture there, which is part of the point of the post.....since I don't think most people know tht this happened......and the atmosphere in the coffee and tea places can be really fantastic! So it is not a story about avoiding the local culture at all; rather it is (somewhat) about how one can find unexpected aspects of it which are similar to those of one's own. By the way, I use nothing else but Major Dickason's Peet's coffee here at home..... I'm a big fan of it too! I do think it is ironic, your excellent story about trying to find chai in Italy, having gone off coffee....Thanks. Moshe:- Yes, I remember that in Korea too. I wonder if things have changed? There, I seek out ginger tea with pine nuts in it. Cheers, -cvj Amara:- I think you may have misunderstood the post. It was not about avoiding the local culture….. I spent most of my time drinking jasmine green tea and zhenzhu nai cha (pearl milk tea) both of which I absolutely *love*… and the latter -with the black tapioca pearls in the bottom- is all the rage there! (Yesterday I found where to buy black tapioca pearls in Chinatown to make it myself.. hurrah!). I just thought it would be nice to try the new coffee culture there too, and see what it was like….. and in fact it is great! It is well and truly part of the local culture there, which is part of the point of the post…..since I don’t think most people know tht this happened……and the atmosphere in the coffee and tea places can be really fantastic!

So it is not a story about avoiding the local culture at all; rather it is (somewhat) about how one can find unexpected aspects of it which are similar to those of one’s own.

By the way, I use nothing else but Major Dickason’s Peet’s coffee here at home….. I’m a big fan of it too! I do think it is ironic, your excellent story about trying to find chai in Italy, having gone off coffee….Thanks.

Moshe:- Yes, I remember that in Korea too. I wonder if things have changed? There, I seek out ginger tea with pine nuts in it.

Cheers,

-cvj

]]> By: Moshe http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12655 Moshe Sun, 26 Feb 2006 14:21:59 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12655 In my first trip to Korea I spent few weeks without finding coffee (in subsequent trips I found coffee bars in Seoul, but still not in other places). There are ways to find instant coffee, and also a local innovation- instant coffee from a vending machine. It comes in an aluminum can which gets microwaved and comes out of the machine blazing hot...somehow I don't see that becoming the next big thing. In my first trip to Korea I spent few weeks without finding coffee (in subsequent trips I found coffee bars in Seoul, but still not in other places). There are ways to find instant coffee, and also a local innovation- instant coffee from a vending machine. It comes in an aluminum can which gets microwaved and comes out of the machine blazing hot…somehow I don’t see that becoming the next big thing.

]]> By: Amara http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12656 Amara Sun, 26 Feb 2006 09:24:52 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/26/the-search-for-coffee/#comment-12656 Dear Clifford, Before I moved to Europe, I was hooked on a particular brand of Peet's coffee called Major Dickason's. I couldn't do without it, in fact, so for my first few months, I bought Peet's coffee long-distance from Heidelberg and paid the exorbitant shipping costs to support my coffee habit. However, since my stipend didn't allow such extravagance, I needed to find another solution. I tried to find good coffee in my town, but the German persons' perception of a rich, dark roast was usually a bitter-tasting coffee. In panic, I wondered if a coffee habit was a good thing, so on a whim one day I entered a tea shop in my village run by an Indian man named Shambhu. When I entered his shop, I felt that I was at the center of the world. He had teas from everywhere, in large tins that one could open and take a whiff of the aroma. I tried a few, and in no time I became hooked on a "chai" (which is also the russian word for tea). So then, Shambhu's chai tea was my happy substitute for Peet's Major Dickason's. Well that happy story ran into some blips, as I moved to Italy, where tea is not a large part of the culture, and tea shops are rare. Coffee (in particular, espresso), is excellent in Italy, but now I have a strong preference to chai tea! So once again, I needed to find some substitutions to my habit. My partial solution is to drink at the local coffee establishment ('al bar') a capuccino or espresso when I am at work or out, and to drink tea when I'm home. Since I have not succeeded to find my chai tea, I've begun to experiment with chai tea recipes (the web has many), mixing different parts of the cinamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, allspice, etc. There are as many varieties of chai as there are tea makers, and as a chai connoiseur, I have my favorites. While I try out the varieties, I also stock up on the tea every time I visit Heidelberg (once or twice a year). The moral of my story is that one must adapt to some extent to the local culture while trying to preserve one's blissful elements..... Dear Clifford,
Before I moved to Europe, I was hooked on a particular brand of Peet’s coffee called Major Dickason’s. I couldn’t do without it, in fact, so for my first few months, I bought Peet’s coffee long-distance from Heidelberg and paid the exorbitant shipping costs to support my coffee habit. However, since my stipend didn’t allow such extravagance, I needed to find another solution. I tried to find good coffee in my town, but the German persons’ perception of a rich, dark roast was usually a bitter-tasting coffee. In panic, I wondered if a coffee habit was a good thing, so on a whim one day I entered a tea shop in my village run by an Indian man named Shambhu.

When I entered his shop, I felt that I was at the center of the world. He had teas from everywhere, in large tins that one could open and take a whiff of the aroma. I tried a few, and in no time I became hooked on a “chai” (which is also the russian word for tea). So then, Shambhu’s chai tea was my happy substitute for Peet’s Major Dickason’s.

Well that happy story ran into some blips, as I moved to Italy, where tea is not a large part of the culture, and tea shops are rare. Coffee (in particular, espresso), is excellent in Italy, but now I have a strong preference to chai tea! So once again, I needed to find some substitutions to my habit. My partial solution is to drink at the local coffee establishment (’al bar’) a capuccino or espresso when I am at work or out, and to drink tea when I’m home.

Since I have not succeeded to find my chai tea, I’ve begun to experiment with chai tea recipes (the web has many), mixing different parts of the cinamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, allspice, etc. There are as many varieties of chai as there are tea makers, and as a chai connoiseur, I have my favorites. While I try out the varieties, I also stock up on the tea every time I visit Heidelberg (once or twice a year).

The moral of my story is that one must adapt to some extent to the local culture while trying to preserve one’s blissful elements…..

]]>