My petty gripe: I don't begrudge your coffee addiction – but do you have to be such a bore about it?
Does it really need a mention on your dating profile, as though a fondness for hot brown liquid is a personality trait?
Is a coffee not truly a coffee unless it's conjured from scratch by a barista? And do you really need to be such a grump in the morning if you don't get it?
Should you really be entitled to an extra hour's work break so you can stand in a lengthy cafe queue both morning and afternoon? (Before you delay yet another work meeting in favour of a protracted caffeine-foraging mission, let me introduce you to the office espresso machine and – don't give me that look – this jar of instant coffee.)
Sure, you want an excuse to gossip with your colleagues*, get some fresh air, get your daily steps in or leave your lonely work-from-home station to have the only in-person interaction you'll have all day. All very worthy causes.
But then on the weekend you'll make me tag along with you while you search for another overpriced cafe coffee just 20 minutes after you imbibed the first because the milk in the first cup of joe was under-steamed and you simply can't continue with your day until you've overridden that abomination with a quality flat white.
Or on our camping trip you'll snub the moka pot-brewed campfire coffee and jump in your car and drive out of the wilderness to the nearest town to buy an artisanal long black in a takeaway cup. Waiting for you to return from your one-and-a-half-hour round trip ate up most of our precious morning, Peter!
Granted, I don't know much about latte art, but I do know swans belong at liberty on shimmering lakes, not confined atop your morning beverage.
As the world descends deeper into economic hardship, environmental doom and the clutches of authoritarian nutjobs, coffee snobbery inexplicably endures and strengthens, like cockroaches after the apocalypse.
Apologies if I sound a bit bitter, tired and irritable, as though I have a mild headache coming on. Perhaps a shot of single-origin locally roasted ristretto will sort me out.
* This article does not reflect any of my Guardian Australia colleagues – I love you all
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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Chef's secret: Why scrambled eggs are ALWAYS better at restaurants - and it's not what you might think
Scrambled eggs are one of the simplest dishes a home cook can learn to make. And yet, there's often a vast difference in the quality of scrambled eggs cooked at home compared to those served up at a café or restaurant. A post in a foodie forum on this very subject ignited passionate online discussion after a man asked 'Why are scrambled eggs at restaurants always so good?'. He detailed how 'amazing' scrambled eggs taste when he ordered them at a café or restaurant, but lamented being unable to 'replicate them at home'. He praised the brunch favourite for having a moist texture and soft, mild flavour, which was in stark contrast to his homemade version, which he said usually 'tends to be dry and have a stronger flavour'. The home cook also noted that scrambled eggs at a café 'stick' perfectly to the toast, while at home the eggs 'just fall off' the bread. The community quickly chimed in to help, with the post attracting almost 1000 responses. Initially, the presumed answer was that restaurants cook their scrambled eggs with 'an ungodly amount of butter', or added lashings of salt, milk or cream. But surprisingly, many professional cooks disagreed. They explained that in the specific instance of scrambled eggs, the difference between homemade and professional quality often boiled down to technique - rather than fancy additional ingredients. One detailed reply from a professional chef read: '[D]efinitely no milk or cream in the eggs. Just eggs scrambled up until they're homogeneous.' The chef offered a detailed step-by-step explanation for achieving this perfect scrambled egg consistency - starting by beating the eggs well in a bowl with a whisk. 'Once my egg pan is hot (water sizzles away but doesn't dance), I put in a couple of nice knobs of butter, like at least a tablespoon or so, and let the butter melt and coat the pan. 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The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
I tested all the supermarket cinnamon swirls – the tasty winner was £1.20 cheaper than M&S
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Not cheap either, for supermarket own buns, these were noticeably pricey compared to others. Rating: 2/5 Cinnamon Buns x 2, Tesco, £1.80 VERY tasty buns from Tesco that are full of flavour. I thought they were just as enjoyable as anything you could buy from a fancy bakery. They are generous in size with lots of height and volume and covered in cream cheese icing. When you bite in they are soft, tasty and plump. There is also a visible amount of brown sugary cinnamon running throughout and plenty of topping – but it is not so much that the treats become sickly. They are very sweet but they look lovely and smell delicious. They are a great price, too. Impossible not to wolf down in one go. Perfect with a cup of coffee in the sunshine for the cafe experience without the inflated cost. Rating: 5/5 Cinnamon Buns x 2 Asda, £1.74 A LOVELY dark golden hue gives them that fresh bakery appeal that should start to make your mouth water. 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The Guardian
22-07-2025
- The Guardian
My petty gripe: I don't begrudge your coffee addiction – but do you have to be such a bore about it?
I get it: you really like coffee. And you have an addiction. I'm not judging that. You're beholden to Big Bean, hopelessly hooked on the world's most consumed psychotropic drug. But, err, do you have to be such a bore about it? Does it really need a mention on your dating profile, as though a fondness for hot brown liquid is a personality trait? Is a coffee not truly a coffee unless it's conjured from scratch by a barista? And do you really need to be such a grump in the morning if you don't get it? Should you really be entitled to an extra hour's work break so you can stand in a lengthy cafe queue both morning and afternoon? (Before you delay yet another work meeting in favour of a protracted caffeine-foraging mission, let me introduce you to the office espresso machine and – don't give me that look – this jar of instant coffee.) Sure, you want an excuse to gossip with your colleagues*, get some fresh air, get your daily steps in or leave your lonely work-from-home station to have the only in-person interaction you'll have all day. All very worthy causes. But then on the weekend you'll make me tag along with you while you search for another overpriced cafe coffee just 20 minutes after you imbibed the first because the milk in the first cup of joe was under-steamed and you simply can't continue with your day until you've overridden that abomination with a quality flat white. Or on our camping trip you'll snub the moka pot-brewed campfire coffee and jump in your car and drive out of the wilderness to the nearest town to buy an artisanal long black in a takeaway cup. Waiting for you to return from your one-and-a-half-hour round trip ate up most of our precious morning, Peter! Granted, I don't know much about latte art, but I do know swans belong at liberty on shimmering lakes, not confined atop your morning beverage. As the world descends deeper into economic hardship, environmental doom and the clutches of authoritarian nutjobs, coffee snobbery inexplicably endures and strengthens, like cockroaches after the apocalypse. Apologies if I sound a bit bitter, tired and irritable, as though I have a mild headache coming on. Perhaps a shot of single-origin locally roasted ristretto will sort me out. * This article does not reflect on any of my Guardian Australia colleagues – I love you all
