Currently browsing 'coffee'
Ode to… Cecilware Fe-100
I was sipping my coffee in Reme diner in Washington Heights, and I was struck by a wave of taste bud goodness. The coffee was the perfect temperature. Hot. Even when you put cream in it. I was in heaven. I was sitting at the bar, so I looked up to see where the magic came from- again a Cecilware Fe-100. Ode to Cecilware Fe-100! It turns any cheap coffee bean into cafe heaven. Reme has a good relationship with its Cecilware Fe-100. Because when the waiter saw my cup half empty, he said, “Here, let me give you a fresh, hot cup…” and whoosh! took it away and replaced it with more black liquid goodness. They didn’t pour more into my stale coffee, probably knowing it would make it luke warm. I adored them immediately. Hail Cecilware Fe-100 in Greek diners.
The Charm of Athens
Temple of Zeus, Athens Greece September 2005
I often hear of some Greeks advising potential tourists to the patrida to skip Athens in their itinerary. If the Greek islands are your destination with limited time, I can see that. BUT… here’s why Athens works, either to visit or to live in, despite some of the harshness found in any city, in its own form.
- The Acropolis. Could very well be personal taste, years of Euro-centric schooling- Nah! Shut up. The sight of the Acropolis at night, draped in moonlight with an eerie glow… is breathtaking and surreal. How many times have I shed a tear just catching sight of it, wherever I may be in the Athenian night? Visit during the hours of 12pm-3pm during the months of July and August and you’ll swear you’ve just hiked into the atmosphere of the sun.
- Coffee culture. Try a damn frappé, for goodness sake, and people watch behind black sunglasses. If you’re a man, have black hair with Adonis wavy locks– you’ll blend right in. If you’re uppity, go to Kolonaki for your cafe. But you will have a nice frappé atmosphere almost anywhere. If coffee is not your thing, try a frosty beer with some feta-cheese flavored Lay’s chips.
- The beach. It’s just a drive away. You don’t have to island hop or go broke. City dweller by week day, beach god or goddess during the weekend.
- Island excursions. Just a short plane ride away (or more true to the Greek experience) a ferry away. See above! The Charm of Athens – continue reading …
More smart urban planning
Bike Rental Station in parking lot, Syracuse, Sicily
Another example of good urban planning. In the city of Syracuse, Sicily, there are bike rental stations in places like parking lots and town squares near the cafes. No attendant needed, just use it like a vending machine. That way, when you’re done sitting on your butt for 3 hours driving to Syracuse you can pedal to the café for a pistachio gelato with brioche, espresso, cannoli, eclair (insert additional foodie obsessions here to add to list) and then pedal back, burning off your meal. Really smart, guys.
Coffee Talk
“Here, let me move my bag for you.”
“Thank you. Ahhhh…. No es problemo, right? Ha, ha!”
Silence
“No, not a problem.”
“I’m waiting for my daughter.”
“That’s nice.”
“She’s meeting me here.”
<sipping ice-coffee, tapping fingernail on plastic cup, remembering it is biodegradable> “It’s a nice cafe to meet someone in.” Coffee Talk – continue reading …
Ode to… Frappé
Perfect timing now that Red Bull has been outed as having traces of cocaine. Are you next, precious Frappé?
I’ve mentioned them enough, so for those of you wondering, too lazy to click on the wikipedia links I occasionally provide, or don’t care enough but are still reading now… What are frappés? And how are they relevant to one’s urban odyssey?
Frappés are the idler’s rice and beans. They are frothy ice-coffees drunk by the entire population of Greece, contributing to fast talking, hyper arm gestures, and tachycardia. Made from crystals from the Mines of Moira by minions of Nescafe, they provide hours of liquid sustenance for people watching at cafés.
I’ve never met a Frappé drinker who’s taken their shake straight (without milk). I honestly think one would die of a heart attack from the potency of not being diluted. Don’t believe me? Drink your frappé down to just the mucky bottom, and fill your frappé glass up with water. It’ll taste just as strong. Order a decaf and you’ll either get a laugh (doesn’t exist), or they’ll lie and bring you a regular.
Frappés are the cool man’s drink. It shows you don’t have to worry ’bout notin. You can lounge in your café chair for hours behind sunglasses. Watch. Sip. Watch.
Ode to Frappé! To not sleeping for two days! To stomach cramps! To hyperactivity! Ode to you, Frappé.
A Loafer’s Manifesto
“I have a dream. It is called love, anarchy, freedom. It is called being idle.”
-Tom Hodgkinson
That’s how this gem of a book ends, and it is faithful to its departing words. Most Urbanites would benefit from skimming though “How to Be Idle”. It is a true idler’s manifesto. Before you judge, let’s put give some more thought to that name, idler, that might turn you off. This little book called for me with its perfect blend of creative font, artwork and cool peach color. I saw the man sitting at his table with his frappé, cigarette and crossed leg and had a visceral reaction of my ideal day (I don’t smoke, but I can pretend I do). Inside its relaxed cover is a rallying charge from the heart, complete with historical context on the degradation of the human spirit through wage labor and prudery. A Loafer’s Manifesto – continue reading …
Who told them this was a good idea?
I mean, I like a hamburger with a coffee, so I guess to each his own…
Fine fare
You can tell a lot about your neighborhood sometimes by the products that are stacked outside the supermarket, waiting to be shelved. Publicity stunt by Bustelo? For 25 years of my life I thought this was the only coffee in existence, and that most people brewed coffee in a sock on a stick. Out-of-state college introduced me to the coffee machine outside of diners.
You can play this game too with garbage left on corners. Some blocks have piles of used Fresh Direct boxes waiting for garbage pick up, sometimes with people’s names and addresses beaming legibly from their white delivery labels.
It won’t give you the whole picture of your neighborhood, but it’s a glimpse.
What are some things piled outside your supermarkets or sidewalks?
Seinfeld had one thing right
I figured out why Seinfeld kept going to that diner. I never understood why in all the years of watching it and living around town—I tried it once, found out they were Greeks from an island that starts with an S whose name I can’t remember (better that way- so I don’t condemn an entire island) and allowed a regional stereotype, one-day-trip-experience to the island and the cold reception by the wait staff to dismiss the diner as a celebrity-hyped place. I love diners. And I now love this one. I like to give food places more than one chance, except if they approach health violations grotesquery. This diner knows how to make coffee, and it turns out the staff is quite nice. Their coffee is served piping-freakin-hot, and with all the fancy-pants coffee out there (which I like too), one thing people are forgetting is that when you order hot coffee it should be HOT. Not them. The reason, the waiter in a grease-stained apron told me over the counter, is the machine. It’s an old-school type, a Cecilware Fe-100 and they can regulate the temperature. You don’t need a latte if people serve your coffee hot enough. Your coffee will forget you ever poured milk into it. So cheers to a good-old cup of joe at the Seinfeld diner! Have a favorite coffee spot?
