After living 38 months abroad I have returned home to find
myself having become a snob when it comes to food, and especially coffee. Working the long hours at my construction
jobs the past two years has made me crave good coffee to help jump start my
day. Luckily living in New Zealand and
Australia has introduced me to European quality coffees. Before my long trip overseas I rarely drank
coffee, and when I did I would unload an entire packet of hot coca mix into the
cup before pouring java. I started
having flat whites and later cappuccinos in New Zealand with a teaspoon of
sugar but now I thankfully have kicked that habit. The Australian version of a cappuccino is
creamy enough to have a fantastic flavor combined with the proper espresso that
is not burned. Austrlians have never heard of a decaf coffee.
I have no real memory of
espresso coffee in the states. I always swore to myself that I would never
become a coffee drinker and I never was until I was 28. I was especially spoiled when it came to
coffee when I worked at a construction site in Double Bay. The Double Bay neighborhood was full of small
cafes with excellent coffee boasting brands such as Lavazza and Vittoria. I
would tell myself every day that I was saving my money by having a cup of
instant, but I would usually break down on my morning break and fork over $3.50
to get my fix. When Emily and I landed in San Francisco I was excited to
compare all of the American coffee with my new knowledge of Australian
coffee.
Emily is quite a food critic herself. She was raised to appreciate
fine dining in some if the South’s finest restaurants in Charleston and
Greenville, South Carolina, where she grew up. She has definitely rubbed off on
me, we don’t eat out often but when we do we make it a special occasion. She introduced me to such things as tapas, confit,
pâté, antipasti,
and of course our best meal out ever, homemade gnocchi at a restaurant down the
road from us.
Our Australian acclimated taste buds were hit by American culinary
staples full force on our first week in the country. We stepped into a café in California after we
just arrived and were shocked by the prices because they were half of what we
were paying in Australia. Additionally, the café was packed but it was
extremely quiet because everyone was on Apple laptops or tablets with
headphones, everyone! We ordered a
prosciutto pizza which I thought was extremely salty, but eatable. The coffee
was strange at this café because you were supposed to fill your cup with drip
coffee to your liking and have the barista add the milk. Needless to say it was
extremely gross and weak. Our first proper
meal out was fantastic sourdough bread bowls of clam chowder on San Francisco’s
Pier 39. Despite the upscale interior of
the restaurant we were shocked at what everyone else was ordering. The portions delivered to the tables around
us were massive enough to make up three main dishes in Oz. I even glanced to
the table next to us and saw a respectable looking woman wearing a bib like a rib
connoisseur! I ordered a cappuccino after the meal and was shocked when I received
a cup of strange bubbly foam. I should have sent it back but I didn’t (I was
tired and needed a coffee!).
On the morning we left San Fran, I scoured the
little Italy neighborhood we were staying in for a takeaway coffee only to find
very few places open in the morning. One sharp looking hole-in-the-wall looking
coffee stand only served drip coffee! The barista had a homemade rack setup
where he poured hot water out of a tea kettle over minced coffee beans in a
paper filter directly into the cup the customer was holding. I finally found a
very busy authentic café but I should have known it was terrible because the bakery
cabinet was full of jam donuts and gingerbread men. I ordered two cappuccinos and was extremely disappointed
with the watered down result. San
Francisco did redeem itself when we found an excellent taqueria where we shared a burrito and feasted on $1 chips with homemade salsa and guacamole.
Chicago has been just as interesting with food. Emily’s
friends treated us to our first American hot dog in years at Portillos. Em and
I were happy with just one apiece, but her friend ordered us two each just to
remind us that we were in the land of the large again. The Wieners were great and I was craving
another all evening. We got our deep dish pizza fix at Giordano's. Emily only
finished half a slice and I put way two, but I was the most stuffed I had been
in years. I jumped on the chance to
order a bottomless!! iced coffee, but of course it was just a very stale glass
of drip coffee poured over ice. We had leftover pizza the next morning but I
had come to the conclusion that deep dish is just not for me. The pizza seems to just be full of gunky
cheese with a few veggies mixed in. I would much rather have New York style
extra crispy crusts. Another Chicago night found us eating in a basement bar
munching on a giant pretzel rolls that we were dipping into nacho cheese and
sweet mustard. Em hated both and I went after the cheese, the sweet mustard is
extremely gross. Every night this week I have wanted to scrape my tongue
because it feels like I have salt oozing back into my mouth from all of the
processed food we are eating.
Just about when I was about to give up in my quest for good
coffee, I tried Duncan Donuts latte coffee and it has sadly been the best I
have had so far. The donut I had grossed me out because I am not used to the
sweetness. The lady behind the counter (I will not call her a barista) asked me
if I wanted cream or sugar with my latte. I am not sure if she was being serious
or just very tired.
So far we have been terrible tippers, and always seem to loose our loose change. We are struggling with the weather and looking foreward to returning to Australia. Later today I will be in Omaha and I’m sure more shocks to
the system will be in store for me. I
already have gotten my American sweet fix in so hopefully by the end of the
week I can resume my regular diet that does not include so much processed foods,
and hopefully some good coffee!
