The quest for coffee
I dont' know if your realize how much I need coffee. I don't even say 'enjoy coffee',
because it's more of an addiction than anything else. I just cannot stand starting the
day with a warm cup of tea, or this nescafe 3/4 milk garbage. I need that
mini-defribulator action that a cup of black coffee brings (like in 'Requium for a dream'
that little clip after they shoot up and that close up of their pupils dilating....yeah like that).
So like any junkie I found myself in the oddest of places trying to score a fix.
I went to see my connections at'Barista', it's a starbucks knock-off. They sell coffee.
They know me because
a) I'm in there 3 nights a week
and
b) I kind of stick out in the crowd.
"Any chance you guys might know where I could get a coffee pot?"
>>"No, very hard..."
Typical dealers, why hook you up the source?...they're making money here.
I went in every electronics store in Pune, they kept trying to sell me teapots and
nescafe instant...
By midafternoon Sunday I was pretty sure the word was out that the white guy was
looking for some magic weirdo tea kettle.
I drew little pitures on napkins, I tried to explain...
"no see ...it has to drip down to make the coffee"
At one point I was in a tent with a dirt floor that had little copper things hanging from
the beams. In an attempt to close the deal, the owner put a cheese grater on top of
a coffee cup...no that's not gonig to work.
One guy came sooo close, he had an espresso machine, he said his cousin might have
what I wanted and was ready to take me there on his motorcycle.
This was store number 15 or so....
I weighed my options...
Decisions....decisions....
The clincher was when the dude kept saying
>> "in the camp very close 15 minutes"
Ok dude ...."the camp"? ....that's just too much.
Finally at store #19 on Sunday afternoon, I was doing my little act on how coffee is
made. Again, they held up tea pots...
Then, an ancient man who was watching the cricket match in the back turned around....
>>"Ah...Ahmherikan kaffe makeer"
"Yes! nahi tea...coffee". (I pointed to him as if the old man had just won at a game of charades.)
He nodded.
I was half waiting for him to start saying something like:
"Yes many moons ago when I was but a boy, another
was here like you...", but instead he just limped over to the shelves in the back
He reached for a dusty box...label all faded, and there it was,
an honest to god coffee machine. Oh course later I found out it's Italian made,
so it's engineered all ass backwards (e.g. you have to push the pot into the unit
before the coffee will drain into it). But it makes coffee.
I returned to Barista triumphant, and bought a bag of their espresso.
The clerk just smiled.
Tomorrow I will shower in coffee then I will drink two pots of coffee.
I will be jittery with caffine, and somewhat back to normal.
because it's more of an addiction than anything else. I just cannot stand starting the
day with a warm cup of tea, or this nescafe 3/4 milk garbage. I need that
mini-defribulator action that a cup of black coffee brings (like in 'Requium for a dream'
that little clip after they shoot up and that close up of their pupils dilating....yeah like that).
So like any junkie I found myself in the oddest of places trying to score a fix.
I went to see my connections at'Barista', it's a starbucks knock-off. They sell coffee.
They know me because
a) I'm in there 3 nights a week
and
b) I kind of stick out in the crowd.
"Any chance you guys might know where I could get a coffee pot?"
>>"No, very hard..."
Typical dealers, why hook you up the source?...they're making money here.
I went in every electronics store in Pune, they kept trying to sell me teapots and
nescafe instant...
By midafternoon Sunday I was pretty sure the word was out that the white guy was
looking for some magic weirdo tea kettle.
I drew little pitures on napkins, I tried to explain...
"no see ...it has to drip down to make the coffee"
At one point I was in a tent with a dirt floor that had little copper things hanging from
the beams. In an attempt to close the deal, the owner put a cheese grater on top of
a coffee cup...no that's not gonig to work.
One guy came sooo close, he had an espresso machine, he said his cousin might have
what I wanted and was ready to take me there on his motorcycle.
This was store number 15 or so....
I weighed my options...
- On the one hand I was looking at another week with no coffee in the morning. And the real possibilty this might lead me to kill someone.
- On the other hand I would have to ride back seat on a strange man's motorcyle through indian traffic to lord knows where.
Decisions....decisions....
The clincher was when the dude kept saying
>> "in the camp very close 15 minutes"
Ok dude ...."the camp"? ....that's just too much.
Finally at store #19 on Sunday afternoon, I was doing my little act on how coffee is
made. Again, they held up tea pots...
Then, an ancient man who was watching the cricket match in the back turned around....
>>"Ah...Ahmherikan kaffe makeer"
"Yes! nahi tea...coffee". (I pointed to him as if the old man had just won at a game of charades.)
He nodded.
I was half waiting for him to start saying something like:
"Yes many moons ago when I was but a boy, another
was here like you...", but instead he just limped over to the shelves in the back
He reached for a dusty box...label all faded, and there it was,
an honest to god coffee machine. Oh course later I found out it's Italian made,
so it's engineered all ass backwards (e.g. you have to push the pot into the unit
before the coffee will drain into it). But it makes coffee.
I returned to Barista triumphant, and bought a bag of their espresso.
The clerk just smiled.
Tomorrow I will shower in coffee then I will drink two pots of coffee.
I will be jittery with caffine, and somewhat back to normal.
