COFFEE CONFESSION
We all have our little foibles. One of mine is to make the perfect
cup of coffee. (Journalists are known for guzzling huge volumes
of coffee so they can beat editors’ deadlines and stay awake
through boring meetings they have been assigned to cover.) In
search of perfection, I have collected a ceramic drip cone with
brown filter papers, a German hand grinder, a German electric
grinder, a Farberware percolator, an electric kettle to boil
water, a regular kettle to boil water on the stove, airtight
containers for coffee beans, various carafes and mugs – and yet
I have discovered the incredible ease and surprisingly good
taste of Starbucks Via instant coffee. I know it seems like
heresy, and I am sure that coffee purists disdain my choice of
brew, but honestly, once I throw some half-and-half and
Splenda into my journalism java, I can’t tell that the little
packet of Via microgrind dissolved in very hot water is not the
product of several minutes of hard labor (grinding beans,
filling receptacles, slowly pouring boiling water, stirring and
settling, etc.). Now, as if to validate my new guilty pleasure, the
special fall 2014 issue of “UC Wellness Letter” reports: “The
health benefits of coffee come largely from its antioxidants, and
instant coffees seem to be loaded with them…In fact, the way
instant coffee is produced concentrates some antioxidants,
including phenols and flavonoids, resulting in even higher
levels compared to other types of coffee…There doesn’t seem
to be any disadvantage to making instant coffee your daily
brew.”
DEPT. OF REDUNDANCY DEPT.
Richard Kallan’s book “Armed Gunmen, True Facts, and Other
Ridiculous Nonsense” is a treasure trove of silly redundancies.
Some of them may be on your own list of pet peeves. Here are
some of my “favorites”: shared dialogue, follow after, raze to
the ground, carefully scrutinize, yell loudly, still remain, mutual
cooperation, joint partnership, recur again, future expectations,
surround on all sides, honest truth, subtle nuance.
LOW FLOW
Christian Ryvlin is happy with the High Sierra showerheads he
bought on Amazon, rated at 1.5 gallons per minute (GPM). He
also installed shutoff valves above the showerheads so he and
his family can take super-short “Navy showers” (presoak, turn
off water, lather up, rinse off).
ANOTHER TUNNEL
Patty McKellar got stuck in Pedro Point bridge detour traffic
last Sunday; it took her an hour to get from Montara to Linda
Mar. Her husband Scott McKellar was so disgusted when he
heard that Caltrans’ detour might last until 2016 that he
immediately dusted off his old THINK TUNNEL bumpersticker
and emailed me about digging another tunnel.
SOURDOUGH CITY
In the north end of town (Manor) are two bakeries (Mazzetti’s
and Colombo’s) that make the chewiest, sourest sourdough
you can find anywhere on this peninsula paradise. As a former
city dweller who frequented Boudin’s bread counter at all
hours in search of warm sourdough loaves, I have discovered
nirvana right here in Pacifica. Chomp!
SWAMI SEZ
“Excellence is possible if you care more than others think is
wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than
others think is practical, and expect more than others think is
possible.” (author unknown)
MAYBURRITOVILLE
Email: [email protected]
Blog: PacificaRiptide.com