Off The Coffee Again, And Other Stufff

First, before I start my blog for this week I want anyone who reads this to understand that I don't blog daily. I don't have that kind of energy or time. I've got a day job, and as you can already tell,  it's not as a writer. Nor do I want to spend that much time in front of a computer.
I like to the outdoors,  and if I'm working I want to build, cook or make something. I like to work with my hands and typing isn't what I consider working with my hands. The reason I built an outdoor kitchen is so I can spend more time out of the house. I'm also contemplating getting rid of the television set. So, the best anyone can expect from me is a weekly blog, or column.

Coffee...This is the umpteenth time I have quit the black stuff. This time I had a withdraw that lasted for four days. The first three days consisted of a piercing headache, and I refused to take anything to relieve the pain. I wanted a reminder of why I was quitting this drug again.  The last day I was just sluggish. Actually I was sluggish all four days.
We studied caffeine and coffee in nutrition class in college, and the list of the chemical compounds of coffee is significant. For a great concise description of coffee, it's chemical compound, the effects on the body and mind I suggest you go to Wikipedia and type in caffeine.
Every six months a health study comes out saying coffee is either good for you or bad for you. Some studies suggest that coffee has modest protective effects against some diseases including certain types of cancers. One thing I know is if you pour it on your car it will take the paint off of it.
I also know that for me it only takes a couple of cups of Joe, a couple of days in a row, and I'm hooked again. I like coffee. I enjoy being stimulated mentally and physically, but I don't like being hooked on anything. Been there, done it.
Once I have rid myself of the physical and mental dependency on coffee I wonder why I kept drinking the stuff in the first place.
It's speed, meth, go juice, an upper,  and it's legal. It's also the second most traded commodity in the world second only to that other black thing we crave, no not Beyonce, oil, black gold, Texas tea.
So now it's a nice cup of mint tea instead of a cappuccino. Hey don't laugh, call me a wimp, real men drink coffee. Mint tea tastes wonderful, it's not bitter, and add a little local raw honey, a couple of drops of fresh lemon, and it's  great for the digestion.  I can always use more of that in my diet. The other benefit is I'm not wired,  or jittery, which is the effect I get from drinking coffee, especially after drinking three cups. Coffee is like potato chips, I can't just have one cup and be happy.Geraldine and I drink the whole French press pot till the last drop.
Speaking of last, the last time I quit drinking java it lasted 6 months, and I'm hoping this habit is permanently squashed this time around.

Empty French Press

Other Stuff....there was a great article in the New Yorker titled Raw Deal, April 30th edition, written by Dana Goodyear. It's about the FDA's assault on the producers of raw food products including; dairy, poultry, meat, and produce. Read this article if you are a foodie.

More Other Stuff......Famed avant garde pastry chef Elizabeth Falkner is packing up from  San Francisco and moving to Brooklyn NY. Good for Brooklyn, bad for San Francisco. She changed the way people make pastry,  or even think about pastry. She went big, and she went broke. San Francisco will do that to you. I don't know Elizabeth personally, but her pastry creations are simply amazing.
She won the world pizza competition in Naples Italy, and for that I bow to her.  Tony's pizzeria in North Beach is the best pie I've ever had on the west coast, and her partner is partner's with Tony's in North Beach. Her pizzeria in Brooklyn is named Krescendo. If you live in Brooklyn go.
Having recently been to NY I had a slice of Ray's pizza, you know, famous Ray's,  and I was not impressed in the least.  The good ol' days are gone at Ray's. A slice of Tony's will transport you right back to those days gone by. I'm not  an expert in business,  but I do count myself as a pizza expert, and my advise to Elizabeth this time round would be to keep it simple, keep  your overhead as low as possible, be happy you got a place of your own to work everyday, and keep it fresh. To reduce it down, bigger is not always better. Anyway, all the best of luck. I love Brooklyn, it's where my father Rocco was born.

More More Other Stuff...again with the SF Chronicle food section. Adam Lamoreaux of Linden Street Brewery in Oakland got a well deserved write up and his photo in this Sunday's paper, but not enough written about his beer in my opinion. It's the first commercial brewery to open in Oaktown since who knows when. Adam had to jump through hoops of fire from the city of Oakland in order for it to become a reality. He is a perfect example of following your inner voice. He makes some of the best beer I've ever had, and he does it all with a modest alcohol content. Most of his beers range around five and a half percent.  Personally I have always felt that a higher alcohol content is not the test of a well rounded beer. In fact, I think it's a gimmick and dislike gimmicks. If you want alcohol drink a nice single malt Scotch or a fine Kentucky bourbon.  Plus too many beers at 10% and you could wind up in the poky, and ruin your life for quite a while.  So, congrats for the photo op Adam, and the small mention, but you deserve more.

That's it for this week. Thanks to the SF Chronicle for all the fodder. The food and wine section is still one of the best things about that paper. Herb Caen was the other. Also didn't you do a story about Fat Bottom Girl Cheese not that long ago? Apparently Janet Fletcher loves that cheese. I'll have to try it.

Peace,

Marcel Julius DeGrosse

Make Food, Not War