HK Magazine

Fresh off the Internet press from my favorite expatriate rag (yes, I'm trying to "go native" in the positive sense, but it's hard to cut oneself off from all things familiar and foreign)

http://hk.asia-city.com/city-living/article/coffee-philosophy

I hope that when things settle down with work in December, I can go visit some of these places.

Mood and Magic

My best friend sent me a link to an article about how coffee consumption is correlated with lower rates of depression in women. She joked about how not having coffee in the morning would make her very grouchy. My gut response was that such research findings could very well be true, since I have experienced more emotional challenges since having to reduce my coffee intake.

I realize that one could simply say that I am undergoing withdrawal symptoms. However, I tried to cut off all caffeine consumption in order to sharpen my mind for my graduate comprehensive exam (based on the research conclusions that caffeine actually makes one's brain fuzzier and less alert) -- oh, big mistake. I felt stuck in the middle stages of the famed Oatmeal cartoon about the emotional roller coaster all caffeine addicts ride on a daily basis [http://theoatmeal.com/comics/caffeine]. Physically, mentally, emotionally draining -- although far less severe pain in magnitude than what individuals who are refraining from heroin and other such drugs are said to endure.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I do miss the activities related to drinking coffee, such as sitting in coffee houses, meeting with friends for coffee, and so on. I admit, I also miss the thrills of drinking coffee in the evenings and being tremendously more productive (whee!) I still drink coffee [like a wonderful white I had just hours ago at Simply Life (http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=18912)] but I am also thinking about whether my coffee-drinking days will soon be over, a phenomenon I could never fathom when expressed by other people, but all the more comprehensible now.

Returning to Work

...in two senses of the phrase.
The academic year (for courses, not finances) started on 1 September, ending my summer routine heavy on research, light on pedagogy. I hope to maintain a more balanced "diet" of these activities this year, but I will have to be practical and meet all sorts of pressing obligations, usually associated with the latter category, so we will see...
I have also been taking a break from coffee to recover from some moderate ailments, and also on the advice of Chinese medicine physicians. I have tried to follow their orders to abstain from and then drink the absolute minimum amount of caffeinated beverages, which has been hard. I probably never had actual carte blanche to enjoy as much coffee as I want, but it is rather discouraging to think consciously about whether to have a cup of coffee on any given day.
With time, I hope to get back on the coffee drinking boat and continue writing this blog.

A Different Flavor

My parents and I share the view that for most of my life, I have not experienced homesickness whenever away from what "home of the moment" might be. For the first seventeen years of my life, I grew up in Oregon. I started to leave home for short periods, spanning a few days to three months, during summers. After starting college, my time away from Oregon increased to six or more months. By my fourth and final undergraduate year, I still referred to the place where I was born and raised as my hometown, but I enjoyed being a transplant with thin but tight roots in my college town. The college town became my home base for the subsequent ten years while I went back and forth from China, Taiwan, Korea, and very short trips to Europe. I said good-bye to that place three years ago to take up my first job away, and after two years, replaced it with the city in which I worked and lived. When WH took his job in yet another place, that town became "second home," but more out of respect for WH's presence there rather than because of genuine attachment.

I am sure some proverb exists about an experience occurring eventually, and for me, I finally started to feel subtle but explicit pangs of homesickness this past year. I could distinguish them from cultural shock, work-related stress, and all of the other emotions I expected to feel. I know that being a foreigner is always challenging, unless one is equipped with tremendous amounts of money, power, as well as vast support networks of friends, relatives, and subordinates to mitigate all the problems of marginalization. The critical difference between this "trip out" and all others preceding is that I plan to stay away and settle down in this new home city until death do we part. Resolving to make a long-term commitment (scarier and arguably less satisfying than promising one's all to spouse or children) has sapped a bit of the flavor out of my life, and inspired memories of my previous homes.

All of these thoughts relate to the coffee part of the blog in the sense that I began to enjoy coffee in the US and learned the ins and outs of such appreciation there. I hope that in the coming months, I will learn more about how a precious few manage to imbibe real coffee here in Hong Kong, and as such, how I can long less for places, in a trite way, that may only have flavored my past but not my future.

The Ironic Reality of Coffee Consumption

I have not been posting lately because 1) I have been spending most of my creative energy gearing up for the next round of conferences/publications, 2) expending what limited intellectual power I have after a busy and productive spring semester, I am tired.

Now the funny thing is that when I am exhausted, I cannot drink coffee.

Hmm -- one may think, "Isn't coffee the ultimate stimulant? A cup to open the eyes and start the day?"

A reasonable assumption.

However, my body must not adhere to that logic because I need to be sufficiently well-rested to ingest the first cup of the day, as well as any subsequent helpings within the next 24 hours.

I am also a bit odd in that coffee helps me perk up in the morning and allows me to sleep peacefully at night (I am still debating which side is the veritable correlation in modulating energy levels, whether up or down, and the other, the placebo effect). That bizarre formula, again, only works with enough investment in deep, uninterrupted sleep.

My cats, who arrived in Hong Kong two weeks ago, are still adjusting to their new home environment, and are therefore not sleeping through whole nights -- which means I am not doing so either (I plan to sell recordings of their violent shrieks either when fighting each other or demonstrating their individual martial prowess to companies who put together soundtracks for amusement park haunted houses). Perhaps when they are sleeping at least 6 hours in a row, I can start drinking coffee...

On another note: "W.H." is my abbreviation for "wiser half" -- a.k.a MarshalN, my husband and partner in every aspect of life -- never mind that he prefers tea over coffee...

Forward from the Guardian 1

I will strive to write my own material (and only take credit for what I write), but I can't help but sending some forwards along when I see them.

Having given up on the American media since Fox News started to become popular, I now rely on British intelligence (wit, sarcasm, and all) to understand the world around me. My political stance having become obvious with the previous sentence, I will say proudly that this bit of "other people's work" comes from my favorite news site "The Guardian"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/may/16/best-iced-coffee-frappuccino

Coffee Sophisticate

Coffee can be delicious for many different reasons. The first one for many drinkers is the sense of security that the beverage provides -- whether ensuring that one will be able to stagger out of the house in the morning, stay awake during vital meetings, or be able to meet a late-night deadline. The second is that coffees do not taste all the same so to have one that defies the negative stereotypes of "burnt tar" and "black acid" is rewarding in and of itself. A third reason I will pose here is that coffee goes well with many foods, so it contributes more taste to something else with taste. I know I am opening myself up for criticism on this front, since some people will strike the metaphor that coffee tastes like vodka (both liquids being essentially tasteless). I happen to like the taste of vodka too, so maybe my taste buds are the ones that should be scrutinized.

Onto the main topic, since I am offering due praise today, I can actually mention the subject of my blog openly. I am eternally grateful for websites, so the presentation of basic facts regarding any topic is done in a more refined and comprehensive way than I could do.

For those of you who have not been to Taipei, please go and experience the best of East Asian culture. Occasionally derided for being a "provincial metropolis" (oxymoron not withstanding) and second-tier compared to neighboring cities such as Tokyo and Hong Kong, it is actually the finest place in the region if one wants to enjoy productive blends of local and foreign culture at reasonable prices. Taipei's culture is neither flashy nor overly expensive, and is available in idiosyncratic doses all over the city, not just in dedicated "cultural districts" [a jibe at my current place of residence-->you can read about all the controversies regarding the West Kowloon C.D. --> for the pravda description, see http://www.wkcda.hk/]. Moreover, Taipei is a very inclusive place. The city's residents are generally friendly and welcome foreigners, two qualities found in lesser degrees within East Asia's other metropolitan zones. Therefore, all in all, Taipei is a soulful, multi-faceted place, preserving quality culture (high and low) in modest forms.

Jeanlook Coffee [http://www.jeanlook.com.tw/] embodies this spirit of Taipei. Two of my great friends from graduate school took me there as part of my first walk around a section of Da'an district that I had never explored before. We had dessert and coffee before a sumptuous and properly spicy Sichuanese dinner at Kiki's [http://www.kiki1991.com/]. Far from spoiling our appetites, the filtered coffee and sweets were perfect appetizers, bracing our stomachs for peppercorns and chilis galore. Moreover, the ambiance of Jeanlook, where one can have a quick cup upstairs at the to-go stand or descend into the cavernous basement to watch the baristas (literally working in an eye-level open configuration much like a sushi bar) and chat with friends while listening to instrumental jazz pumped in at a delicate volume. One barista worked steadily on extracting one pot of siphon coffee for the full hour that we were there, methodically working through each step with the solemnity of a religious officiant. Behind him, a board advertised courses on coffee science (brewing, tasting, appraising) aimed, I imagined, at attracting participants who treat coffee as a topic of intellectual pursuit.

I admit that I may have been attracted to Jeanlook for the qualities that I rarely enjoy in other establishments. Jeanlook gained many points for not being crowded, having polite customers who were not trying to show off, and moreover, looked like they were savoring the taste of their coffee, neither falsely nor pretentiously. Furthermore, Jeanlook reminds me of a coffee place that has featured on Wiser Half's blog [http://www.marshaln.com/?s=Jaho], Jaho Coffee in Salem, Massachusetts [http://www.jaho.com/pages/about-us]. Jeanlook is more European than Jaho, whether in interior design, food and beverage portion sizes, and such, but both places share the same understated sophistication which makes drinking coffee (quietly) pleasurable...

A Brand by Any Other Name

I hesitate to criticize or incriminate, so I will have to leave all identifying details out of this entry. I imagine that this "leak" may inspire legal action (my mindset reflects my thorough indoctrination as a born and bred American...). Going along with this caveat is the friends/location I cannot identify along with the actual information regarding coffee.

On a purely theoretical level, if I may, I was intrigued on a recent trip by a coffee shop that uses cup sleeves from other establishments. My friends are regulars there, and the service is efficient and friendly, generous and professional. The coffee is the right temperature, flavor, and impact (knock your socks off and peel your eyes open). Nothing else would distinguish this place from any other of its caliber. However, one is temporary amused and disoriented by the cup sleeves that bear logos of nearby purveyors.

Sourcing is one issue -- strike one in the legal world. One wonders where the management procure all of these holders. Are they made, as many things in Asia are, to order by the "generic cup sleeve factory"--discards or extras from orders by other companies? Certainly one possibility, if the coffee shop owner is a friend or relative of the cup sleeve factory owner/manager.

Another problem is the ethics of advertising. One could say that sitting in Store A, enjoying a perfectly brewed cuppa, there is little temptation to visit Store B, as advertised on the cup sleeve. In fact, one may be so glad not to be at Store B and at Store A instead. That could be one way of promoting Store A. However, since the cup sleeves are intended to strengthen the bond between customer and said store, our anonymous Store A could be accused of contravening and downright distorting that process.

All philosophical musings aside, I admire the ingenuity and pragmatism of Store A. I will sometimes keep cup sleeves with unusual logos or that are associated with special memories. However, most are dutifully placed in the paper recycling bin, to be reincarnated again and again.

Just Cold

Sometimes a girl just needs a cold one...

I have just enough alcohol tolerance to be a cheap date so inasmuch as I would like to be swilling fine Belgian ales on a hot spring evening (yes, Hong Kong is already moving into hot monsoon season...), the best I can do is to drink cold espressos.

My wiser half and I discovered the beauty of caffe freddo during our trip to Italy as part of a family Holy Land tour (fear not--we were agnostic, atheist, and lapsed Catholic pilgrims). W.H. doesn't drink coffee but he was impressed by the agitating technique as utilized in preparing martinis, pulverizing ice and blending it with espresso (doppio, methinks) before pouring the frothy product over more ice or serving it as is.

I was shocked silly that my coffee-deriding spouse would be so excited about such a beverage, but discovering iced coffee in its ideal form was a highlight of our trip and has become an occasional topic of fond reminiscence. It has also become a dire necessity in present weather conditions (am not complaining, as I fear the cold-climates).

Back in my old neighborhood of Tsim Sha Tsui for a half-hour, I decided to spend my time finishing up some notes for a paper and to inspire my thinking (see The Oatmeal: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/caffeine), I needed coffee. I wasn't hanging out with people or "to be seen" in a posh establishment but geography and thirst drew me to the Espressamente Illy cafe at the K11 Art Mall. I don't know it is called an art mall, but it's very surreal... [http://www.k11concepts.com/en/]

I had just spent a glorious day with my nephew romping around Ocean Park [http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/en/home/] for 5 hours, and was ragged in appearance (but very upbeat in spirit -- nothing like the young to revive one's crusty 33-year-old soul). The counter server eyed me delicately with the "I'm too polite to comment on why you don't belong in our sophisticated establishment" but since she didn't say a word nor try to shun me, I went ahead and ordered up an espresso freddo for the dear price of HKD28 [today's rate: $3.60 -- for shame, I know!]

The counter server motioned for me to sit down at one of the twelve-odd tables and wait quietly for my beverage. My fellow customers were a motley bunch of expatriate families, local artists (as one could tell from their conversations), and elderly gentlemen of both local and non-local variety dozing off to low-volume bossa nova and clicking of spoons and saucers.

My espresso freddo arrived in a tall, slim glass with a bendy-top straw practically centered in the middle of the Guinness (stout) colored liquid. (I don't drink but I do see alcohol from time to time) The server also brought a similar-sized glass of ice water. The espresso itself did not come with ice but was perfectly cold, and included a hint of sugar. Each of twenty sips was powerful, no sense at all of being watered down in the cooling and blending process. It certainly seems impossible to have so much flavor with no compromise or consistency of taste, but this cafe manages the challenge. I also felt much better for spending 30 minutes to try it.

Hot and Cold

[I have realized that writing a blog requires immense discipline, which my Wiser Half possesses and I sorely lack. My sole excuse for starting but not finishing several entries (so when it rains, it may indeed pour) is that I procrastinate in every other aspect of my life with the thing called work. It's the end of the academic year here, which means there is enough work to fill all 24 official hours of each day and then some. Being 2 inches close from Paradise does not mean that one is there. However, when my schedule becomes more flexible and I am in a better mood because I'm focusing on research rather than juggling all three "spheres" of my professional workload, I will probably write more...]

I am an unlikely fan of Katy Perry (my students are absolutely shocked that I know and appreciate her work), but this post is not about her or her mind-numbingly catchy hit song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms9IxBXuJbs].

Rather, my mind turns to the notion of coffee and gelato being served in the same establishment, as in the Holly Brown stores [http://www.hollybrowncoffee.com/].

As mentioned in my last post, I am still gleefully terrified of Hong Kong island because my mental compass is now squarely centered in Kowloon. However I try to make the most of my ignorance and anxiety about the area to discover new haunts by accident.

I found Holly Brown while I was walking laps around the Central district waiting for a friend. I didn't want to get completely lost since I wanted to return to our designated rendezvous point on time when she called. However I was also starting to feel rather strange taking notes and muttering to myself in front of the Coach leatherware store (normal behavior for an academic, bizarre and troubling for the rest of the world).

The storefront attracts customers seeking cold refreshment with the broad counter on the right-hand side of the entrance. Holly Brown offers the typical 10+ flavors in barrels and two or three more "on tap." One can get several toppings, ensuring a typically pleasant experience of sweet, icy, and if one chooses the frozen yogurt rather than the gelato, milky dessert.

I entered the place with my friend when we met up, and only after ordering our yogurt snacks did I realize that we could have chosen coffee. The coffee counter is recessed on the left-hand side of the gelato/yogurt counter, arranged so that one must literally walk further into the shop and look around to see the plated desserts, pastries, and espresso bar. If one walks all the way to the back of the first-floor (another floor exists quietly, with washroom), the set of large roasting equipment serves to confirm Holly Brown's claim of preparing their own beans.

The coffee bean menu, an accordion style brochure, features thirteen entries. Each entry consists of the bean type (varietal), relevant flag, and several bullet points, each marked by an indeterminate bean image. Points stress the historical significance of the bean and the commercial value. All the beans seem exquisite and worth the stiff prices that they are sold for.

From front to back, the brochure features:

* Kopi Luwak (coffee beans processed in a civet's digestive system before washed and ground for human consumption, which MarshalN says is ample proof that coffee drinkers are strange)
* Jamaica Blue Mountain
* Hawaii Kona
* Brazil Bourbon
* Cafe de Cuba Serrano Lavado
* Nepalese Terai
* Ethiopian Harrar
* Ethiopian Yirgacheffe
* Guatamala (that's it...?!)
* Indonesian Sumatra Mandheling
* Panama Bouquet (a first for me, supposedly "one of the finest coffees to be found, but sounds suspiciously like a blend of random beans)
* Papua New Guinea Sigri Estate
* Tanzania

All of the bean varietals are packaged in the same signature blue and brown bags bearing the Holly Brown logo. Unlike Starbucks and Pacific Coffee, among other chains, Holly Brown does not provide any stereotypical images of a particular varietal's origins. Consumers cannot readily associate a bean with its homeland. In some ways, this practice is refreshing. One might say that "coffee is coffee" so any national and other loyalties are overstated. Terrain and other environmental conditions do matter, but since we know governments rise and fall, a new name for a country should not affect the qualities of its coffee. On the other hand, the uniformity in packaging inspires suspicions about whether the coffee is properly sorted. Is one really consuming what one buys?

Back to the gelato question, the two-product arrangement in the cafe has expected advantages and disadvantages. Customers in groups of two or more can accommodate varying preferences or prolong their meetings by consuming one thing then another. Both the gelato and coffee sides offer courteous and professional service and keep their goods distinctly separate. There is no self- or cafe-imposed segregation so one must love the aromas of both gelato and coffee, because they co-mingle in the air. Purists who can't stand one or the other will be frustrated.

I had a flavorful latte there with a chocolate croissant for an indulgent dessert a few weeks later, and my innate bias aside, thought it was better than my frozen yogurt order. I will probably go again when I'm worn out from wandering around Central.

Can I Have That With Coffee, Please?

Seldom, I imagine, do inaugural blog entries begin with odes to mothers-in-law, but in this case, that gesture would only be fitting. My mother-in-law is the inspiration for this entry on coffee in less than expected circumstances.

My mother-in-law, who worries about my physical health and sanity (for good reason), thinks that I drink too much coffee and should cut back for my own good. Therefore, the correlation between the topic of this entry and her is hamburgers...

Hamburgers? Yes, that subject might strike anyone as a bit strange. My mother-in-law is not American. She did not grow up eating hamburgers (far from it, she had to live in a decisively anti-American/Western political and social environment). Yet, she is a burger gourmand, pairing passion with good taste and enjoying every well-prepared burger with relish, figuratively and sometimes literally.

Today, I tried to acquire a Mother's Day gift that she would actually enjoy, namely, a gift certificate to her current favorite burger joint: Burgeroom. I don't want to turn this blog into either a customary restaurant review site or an advertising venue. However, since most readers will probably not be from Hong Kong, where I am based for the indefinite long-term, some of my blog entries may seem to be (inadvertently) fulfilling those functions. [http://www.burgeroom.com/]

I live in Kowloon, which is like the middle child of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, sandwiched in between Hong Kong Island (separated by Victoria Harbor) and the New Territories. Therefore, I am still good at getting lost when it comes to finding a new place on the Island (and New Territories is so colossal and amazing that I probably won't start exploring it until year 2 of my residence here). I like getting lost, since once I do, I at least know my way around that given area. To reach Burgeroom, on Caroline Hill Road, I had to go the wrong ways three times. Two weeks ago, I walked too far on the south bend of the road, inadvertently trotting all the way up to Hong Kong Stadium. Yesterday, I tried following the signs towards the northern bend, but circled around Leighton Road twice before I finally saw the public park sign indicating the right direction.

My mother-in-law is a sophisticated person, so I erroneously imagined that Burgeroom would be located on the clean, ritzy part of Caroline Hill Road. The restaurant is in fact on a strip of the road which shows its age and lack of recent repair. The whole block has several small restaurants, as well as some local convenience stores (not 7-Eleven, Circle K, and other chains) and mid-scale boutiques. Once I found Burgeroom, I realized the inspiration for this blog entry. The sign advertised "burgers - coffee."

I consider my own tastes to be rather unconventional, so I occasionally drink coffee with my burgers. However I never thought that a burger joint could actually promote its wares with coffee. Burgeroom is very small, with space for about ten tables. All customers must be comfortable sitting cheek to cheek with one another, and ideally, be slender enough to slink through the centimeters-wide aisles. One enters to see large billboards with the menus hanging above the counter and a refrigerated cabinet for the cold bottled and canned soft drinks as well as some alcoholic beverages such as Boddingtons Pale Ale and Stella Artois beer.

Sodas and beers with burgers -- very natural. Coffee with a slab of meat/portobello mushroom/foie gras/fish/chicken and bacon (the menu is very eclectic) -- not sure. I was disappointed that Burgeroom does not sell gift certificates, in fact the counter manager was bemused by my inquiry. That failed mission aside, I decided to answer my own question -- can both the burger and coffee be delicious, and more importantly, be appetizing together?

Hong Kong is already seasonably warm, almost approaching "air-conditioning 24-7" temperatures. As such, I ordered an iced coffee to go with my tea-set (available 2:30-6:30pm) of a mini classic burger and potato wedges. I sat down at one of the two-people tables and waited for five minutes, looking around at the families and friend-tribes around me.

The mini burger, the bun top being slightly smaller than a CD, contained a patty made of ground mealy beef. The taste reminded me of meatloaf, but a bit drier, like vegetarian meat crumbles. The lettuce and tomato rounding out the sandwich were fresh and slightly moist, indicating that they were washed and for the tomato slices, freshly cut. The potato wedges were roasted to a medium orange color and lightly seasoned with a salt-pepper mix, probably embellished with some paprika or mixed-spice salt.

The coffee, an Illy blend with milk, was quite surprising. I will not say that it was remarkable, as the cold coffees (caffe freddos) in Italy are (will post on that topic another time), but it was a mild drink with distinct and consistent coffee flavor. I asked for a little milk in it, which I normally do not do, and found that the milk eased the bitter edge just enough so that the coffee did not influence the taste of the burger and wedges. The coffee was brewed heavily enough that I could not slurp it down as I was eating, as I do with sodas and juices. I finished 1/3 of the cup with the meal and took the rest with me to continue my errands around Causeway Bay.

The Best Part of Starting Up...

...a blog is knowing that many others exist which are vastly superior to one's own in content, style, and social value.

However, in the spirit of my wiser half's long-running musings on tea and my younger sister's reflections on gastronomy, I will try my hand at exploring why I love coffee.

To all potential readers, please accept this brief message as a comprehensive disclaimer that I do not intend to pretend (not even when I am secretly pleased with what I know or have just discovered) that I am an expert about coffee. I already try to cultivate several professional areas of expertise, so I just want to relax and enjoy the experience of divulging my thoughts about coffee, and of equal importance, how my views on (fill in the blank, but always "human") culture arise from some contact with coffee. That said, I do not wish to mislead anyone into believing that coffee is a suitable, creativity-inducing drug. Caffeine, as we all know, is addictive and pleasurable, but I will write my blog entries when I am "sober" (several hours after my last cup of the day). Therefore, what you are reading here is all me, not the coffee talking.

I won't write every day (work, home, and other concerns intervene) but when I do, I promise to do my best to make it worth your while to read the given entry.