Short one. Back off there's a debate on.

Some of the best illustration I have ever seen.

http://www.jamesjean.com/work/prada.html

can't get the link deal to work. You will have to copy & paste. If you don't know how to do this, don't read my blog, unless your my grandma, and in that case "Hi Grandma!"

The departure of emotionalism & the embrace of cynicism

I know that I was on a train of thought today and I came up with this title to remind to blog about it. Honestly, I cannot remember all the details, or what triggered this, but I will do my best.

I recently saw something on tv, maybe an advertisement, that highlighted common place stereotypes. It featured some of the usual's: the soccer mom, the feminist, the football watching male (untrue stereotype by the way). It also featured a growing segment "the ironic." Now for those of you unfamiliar with this brilliant new trend (you have to feel the sarcasm in my voice. Sarcasm, in my belief, is the parent of this new movement. It is also one of the defining characteristics of my generation. So, unfortunately, I feel partly responsible for this new segment)...sorry long tangent. Let's pick up before the tangent...

..."Now for those of you unfamiliar with this brilliant new trend," it is one who does or says things to be ironic. Understandably, it can be difficult to point out, at the least behavior, but the ironic can often be identified by their dress. If you see a thin young gentlemen with a 70's porn style mustache, apparently that's ironic. You see, he doesn't actually think the mustache is cool, it's his own "secret" little joke. Sometimes these little jokes last for quite a while, which makes me think they have, after a while, actually developed an attachment to the thin wispy pieces of hair that caress their nostrils, thereby keeping up the rouse to only fool their other ironic friends and eventually themselves.

Why my generation, the sarcasm generation, is better than the ironic generation.

You see sarcasm is not trying to mask it's true intent. Sarcasm is intended to be obvious, if you don't pick up on it, well then that's a good warning sign to us that you are indeed not worthy. Pious? Yes. Self absorbed? Absolutely. Fake? No. See, if you are "an ironic" then your whole ethos is based upon being disingenuous. I am not into living my whole life as some sort of inside joke. Although being sarcastic throws people off the trail a little, at least it provides enough clues and enough truth that you can stand behind it.

It's like living your life in one big improv skit. Not just casual improv, but improv that is your life. Finally you become the character, stuck with your porn style mustache, thinking everyone is in on the joke.

So let me say, metaphorically and physically, shave your mustache, please shave it, cause dude, it's just not cool.

Glad we cleared that up.

On Economics

I was debating in my own mind if I would write about this, only because my knowledge on the matter is rather limited (and quite a departure from the last topic).

It's no surprise to anyone that economics is front and center in the news. On the surface it's not exactly the most sexy topic to talk or write about...for that matter, once you dig deeper, it's a pretty ugly situation. Part of my job is to pour over spreed sheets to try and make sense of the numbers, and to see if there is any knowledge to be gained to help us make right decisions in the future. It's a small business, and compared to many, it's pretty simple, or so it should be. But even in a business of our size, sometimes the details of who gets paid, when and how, can be a little stressful...to say the least.

Seeing as I digest an unhealthy amount of news media every day, and given the financial melt down we are told we are in, I have come to understand a little bit more about our financial system in this country. Two things immediately come to mind. First, as a small business, operating on primarily a cash basis, we are in better standing than many large companies with all their glitz and glamor. It turns out, that aside from the large investment firms of wall street (many of which do not exist anymore), many of the companies that provide our goods and services every day, rely heavily on credit to meet their day to day operating needs. It goes as such. Company X has 15000 employees that need to paid on Friday, they have money coming in that following Monday that would cover the liability, but not on Friday. So Company X calls Lender Y to borrow the money they need for payroll, promising to pay it back essentially the next business day. This apparently is normal everyday practices for companies of a certain size. Many people may realize this already, I could be part of a very small minority in the dark about this, but I think not.

Second thing that comes to mind: eventually only bad things can happen in this system. They might, might be able to put a band aide on this that will hold for a while, but I simply cannot see how building a economy based on debt is ever a good thing. We owe many countries a lot of money, and it is in the interests of those countries to keep us in business and buying their goods, but there is a ceiling to that system, and whether we have reached that ceiling yet or not is debatable.

The Reason We Do Latte Art

I've been around coffee for a good while now, and I'll admit I haven't always been right when it came to my opinions on the beverage. Just like anything else, it takes time and research to fully understand it's history and the qualities that go into a good cup. Since I have been Manager I have had a renewed interest and commitment to true gourmet coffee. I am always proud to tell people that I work for Portland Brew, because I know that we have the best coffee in the city, even if we haven't done a good job letting people know that.

Lately, I have started working behind the bar a little more. With all the details involved in three businesses, working as a barista, with it's singular focus is actually a nice change of pace. It has also reminded me that over ten years I have heard the same questions, and misconceptions about coffee come up over and over again. Which leads me to the topic at hand, why do we do latte art? If you're a customer, and not a self proclaimed coffee nerd, why should you care about it? Well, to some extent you shouldn't. Taste is and always should be the defining factor, but remember, you eat with your eyes first.

As a barista, seeing as we can't take a sip of every drink we make, we have to use indicators and signs to ensure quality. When you texture (froth) milk properly, it fundamentally changes it's chemical composition of that milk. Milk has it's own natural fats, proteins and sugars, and there is a right way and a wrong way to effect those attributes. Problems is, it's not exactly realistic to pull out a chemistry set every time we make a latte.

When milk is properly prepared for either a latte or a cappuccino, it should smell and taste notably sweeter than when it is cold. Also, when the milk is just right (and believe me, the difference between great milk and bad is a small window!), it will blend into the espresso in a naturally "flowly" way. It is the skill of the barista's hand with the nothing but the pitcher and cup that we are able to gently manipulate milk and espresso into latte art.

So why do we create latte art? Well, for a good barista, in the midst of a busy morning, having to create drink after drink, keeping in mind all of the variables just talked about; in the madness of the environment, creating something beautiful, both visually and on the palette, to a barista, is a sense of pride.

Plus...
it looks cool.