Not A Mystery

Many of us are not quite right in the morning until we get our caffeine buzz going.

But until recently we weren’t packing guns. That’s all changed now.

From the Wall Street Journal we learn that “Starbucks Corp. and some other chain stores in the U.S. are finding themselves caught in the middle of a firearms debate, as gun-control advocates go up against a burgeoning campaign by gun owners to carry holstered pistols in public places.”

Even under normal circumstances your local Starbucks barista has to tread carefully with their strung-out customers first thing in the morning. But now that has been taken to a new level.

The only thing worse than a yuppie upset with how their frappuccino turned out is a yuppie with a gun who’s unhappy with how their frappuccino turned out, says Erik Forman, a Starbucks barista and union member in Minneapolis.

Believe Me, I REQUESTED My Frappuccino With Soy, Not Whole Milk!

Do you feel Chai?

Well … do you punk?

Leslie and I are coffee nutters.

This is how bad it is. When we travel overseas our first stop is a discount appliance store where we buy a drip-style coffee maker. That way we can make our own really strong morning coffee no matter where we are staying. At the end of our trip we donate the coffee maker to the nearest charity shop and eveyone is happy.

Coffee Maker On The Counter (Left) And In Its Travel Bag (Right)

So having established our credibility (?) I’ll go a step further and say we (also) like Starbucks.

Starbucks is going thru a rough patch right now, so it’s important we get behind them. After all, this is an American institution, even if it was founded on the idea of copying Italian coffee houses.

In their latest effort to improve the bottom line they are emulating Toyota’s Lean Manufacturing techniques, described here in today’s Wall Street Journal.

Which in a way reminds me of the old joke about hell; where the Germans are the police, the British do the cooking, the Italians run the trains, and the French make the cars.

In this case the Americans are trying to do the Italians one better by acting Japanese. But I have another suggestion.

Since I’ve established my chops as a Drip Coffee expert, let me suggest a new approach to Drip Coffee.

Just Another Approach To Drip Coffee

As long as I’m on a roll about Starbucks, here is link to a very well-researched history of the Starbucks Logo.

And finally, if you clicked on the WSJ link above and were spanked and told you needed to subscribe, here is the hack-around.

I know great food. I can’t tell you what it is, but I know it when I eat it. The Supremes would approve.

Normally, when people write about food there is a drop-dead gorgeous picture of a serving sitting on the plate. It’s always beautiful and mouth-watering. Blah, blah, beautiful, scrumptous,  juicy, simmering, yummy, whatever!

I thought I’d try a different approach.

Now this here, THIS is a plate of great food!

Now THAT Was A Great Meal

The other night we went to Waterboy in Sacramento. Pictured above was my choice of  ”Pan Roast Chicken Breast, on Bread and 4884 Salad, with Bacon, 4797, Pine Nuts and Aioli.

It was great. So instead of taking a picture of the ‘before’ I just took a picture of the ‘after’. I think this says it all. So Bubi, do I have a future as a food critic?

If you had trouble translating the PLU numbers in that description of the dish, then it’s time for language study to power thru life, here’s your link.

F2U Rio Linda, PLU is a “Price Look Up” code, in use by supermarkets since 1990 to make check-out and inventory control easier, faster, and more accurate.

We eat, You decide.

Yum.

We’ve gotten comfortable with Eco-Tourism, and now have another great phrase entering the lexicon: “Terror Tourism”. Today we’re visiting Mumbai, six months after the attacks, thru the reporting of the Financial Times.

Farhan Jehani, co-owner of Leopold Café, said business could not be better as he pointed out the bullet and grenade marks the managers have purposely retained on the café’s walls in remembrance of the incident. “Leopold’s . . . has become more famous now following this incident [the attacks], no doubt,” he said.

Street hawkers operating around Nariman House, which is near Leopold’s and the Taj, say it has also become a tourist attraction.

“There is also a bus service that takes tourists there,” said Imran Khan, a street vendor who sells replica watches, jewellery and stickers not far from Nariman House. “So in a way it has become good for us, business-wise, after the attack.”

They used to be just a Café, now Leopold’s is a destination.

Business is Good

Come see our bullet holes!

It's A Tourist Destination Now

But hey, if it’s bullet holes you want, let’s try Bosnia. My son, Matthew, took this picture in Mostar, Bosnia and he was just an ordinary tourist, way back in ’07.

Bullet Holes? We Don't Need Your Stinking Bullet Holes.

So what’s the point? Pick your favorite.

• People are callous and stupid,
• Disneyland is becoming disintermediated,
• Life goes on.

I guess I pick the last one, that’s why I filed this post under Angst.

Shameless plug: If you like the picture, thank Matthew by going to his website www.treasuredfinds.com and purchasing a gift for Dad on Father’s Day.