I’ll give you a glimmer of hope that Yes, I’m still alive! September has been such a chaos of travel that, well, I haven’t seen my own kitchen in a month. One of the things I’ve been up to is traveling out to San Francisco for Blogher Food 2009 last September 26. I went there a few days earlier to check out the city, and let me tell you — it was one of the best decisions I made this year.
It was sunny and breezy last Wednesday while I was waiting for my roommate, Kristina, of Tennessee Locavore:
I loved San Francisco…the buildings, the food, ah…!
I’ll have more to post later, photos and audio from the Blogher Food sessions I attended. Stay tuned!
We are in the process of updating our blog theme, so if you see something not working that’s probably why. Thanks for your patience. :)
You might be saying — “Joy, it’s Christmas. Why are you talking about coffee tours?”
Well, friends, if you’re looking out the window and you can see this –
[Note: That sound at the end is not my breathing, it was the gush of wind!]
Wouldn’t you rather be thinking of sunshine, Hawaii and something warm — like coffee? I’ve been so busy here with all the Christmas shopping, work (which, trust me, tends to get really hectic before Christmas…why, whyyyy?), and tryingto plan for the Christmas week ahead. I only even got our Christmas menu down pat last night! Now that I looked at the calendar and saw 21, I am starting to panic. Dan is coming here soon, and since then, we are going to be crazy busy with parties, food, and squeezing in time to do some tourist-y things. I’m severely nervous of how everything is going to turn out. I’m an OCD wreck like that!
I can’t leave you all behind though, not after the sudden-hiatus debacle of Fall 2008 when we seemed like we fell off the face of the earth. No, no, I promise. I’ve been cooking and baking a lot, and I even made sugar cookies to satisfy the sweet Christmas tooth. But I see everything Christmas-y in the food blogging world already and I am sure you will find great recipes among our food blogging friends. I will get to writing about cream puffs before Christmas, I hope. Because, that’s a super awesome treat which my mom used to make (she needs to get her baking mojo back!!! Hello, calling mom.).
Ok, for now…where were we? COFFEE! Oh, not just coffee, but Kona coffee.
Last October Dan and I visited the Bay View Farm coffee farm in Honaunau, HI. It was a really hot and bright day as you will notice in the photos below, but we braved it. And Dan The Tea Drinker and Non-Coffee Drinker enjoyed it. Hehe.
We were greeted by a really nice fellow who also happens to be a musician. Them talented people. Anyway, so he took us around the area and facilities for a better understanding of this beloved coffee that has wowed coffee lovers from all over.
It all begins with this, the hand-picked coffee cherries:
And for the curious, this is what a coffee plant (tree?) looks like, looking so lush and happy (hard not be if you live in Hawaii):
Their Kona coffee cherries are harvested from different small local farms. It is locally owned and operated. Farmers leave their harvest here:
We witnessed the guy who dropped off these two sacks, as our tour guide nodded to him. Everybody knows everybody. There’s nothing here that resembles a big manufacturer or factory:
At the end of the day after all the cherries have been delivered, it will go through chute for a soaking process called wet milling.
The beans will be separated from the coffee cherry pulp.
The husks that have been separated are sent here right outside the building:
They are later taken back to the fields to be used as a fertilizer. The wet-milled, soaked green coffee beans are then brought to this drying deck for sun-drying. They are raked every hour for a week for them to fully dry. A week!
Once dry, they bring the beans to the next processing facility where the green beans are removed from the parchment [manly hands courtesy of Dan]:
The coffee beans are then sorted according to size, weight, and defects. Apparently, those with defects are sent to those who make “Kona coffee blend”. The primary Kona coffee grades are the Peaberry, Extra Fancy, Fancy, #1, and Prime.
After all that long process these sorted beans are packed for inspection, and sale or roasting at the farm’s own facilities:
And that’s the tour! Thereafter we enjoyed our own cups of coffee and bought bags to take home.
I hope you enjoyed this coffee tour via Gourmeted. Have a cup of hot coffee this afternoon and relax in the midst of the busy holiday week. Now I have to go back to reality and do some chores. :-) Aloha!
It’s summer and is it too obvious that cooking has been taking a back seat? In blogging years, this would have been MIA or a long sabbatical. If it were years ago, I’d be posting a “hiatus” message. [Bloggers from the days of yore: remember that?]
I’ve been seeing friends and keeping up with all the festivals the summer brings into this sun-deprived city of Vancouver. There’s the dragon boat festival last weekend. Believe it or not, carnival/fair food is one of my guilty pleasures. Roasted corn on the cob — gimme, gimme! Who can think of cooking when you can stuff your face with vendor food from these events? And in this multicultural city, there’s no shortage of delicious stuff to sink your teeth in — there’s Greek, Indian, Chinese, Thai, etc.
There’s also the Coastal Jazz Festival this time of the year and I went with a couple of good friends to see Kenny Colman last Monday night. It was a nice evening of music, wine and martinis. That’s how we roll.
Aside from that, I’ve been helping another good friend launch her Yoga Body products. Go check it out! We are going to be a vendor at the Camp Moomba Yogathon on July 12th. If you’re in town, drop by and say Hello. Try out the sprays and go buy some for your family, friends, and girlfriends. Even boyfriends!
What else…work, meetings…and all that jazz that comes with life. You know. ;-)
Cooking will commence soon, I promise. I have an alcoholic soup coming up and a classic Filipino cheesy bread treat called Ensaymada. Hang in there fellow hungry foodies!
I was at Granville Island with my mom (that’s her reflection) last Saturday. I love that place because of all the interesting (artsy) things you can see and buy. We walked passed this art gallery and this one caught my eye. Are they trying to catch something?
Speaking of ‘interesting’, that same afternoon there were nude bicyclists leisurely riding around the island. No, I do not have photos and you are very welcome. Haha. Only in Vancouver, people. I could see that happening in Seattle, too. But then again, they’re not #4 World’s Best Places to Live. I gloat. :) [C'mon, forgive me this one time...haha. I'm not complaining about the weather.]
Anyway, I’ll talk about food later. I promise! For now, off to enjoy some Belgian waffles and yummy cheeses. Yeah, who cares about Friday the 13th?
I used to hate Mondays like the plague. I had anxiety attack-like symptoms that petrify me during Sundays that I don’t even get to enjoy that day. I know several people who dread Mondays and just know it’s going to be another ‘case of the Mondays’. Wow, way too many M-words. I’m happy to say that I’ve freed myself from that crutch.
My strategy the past few years? Schedule fun things that I like for Mondays, so I’ll have good things to look forward to,Like this:
This afternoon I’m going to get a few of these incredibly delicious donuts to bring for Dan. This is my absolute favorite donut in the whole world, and that says a lot because I’ve eaten hundreds of them. [Scary.] If you’re ever in Vancouver — as if I haven’t given you enoughreasons to go — don’t forget to visit Granville Island. I’m also seeing a good friend later to talk about exciting things (haha).
A few readers of this site know about my penchant for snail mail and letter writing. I have penpals, as well as friends who request that we write each other through letters. We enjoy the fading art of handwritten words, crafty things, and art that fit into small package. Instead of dreading to see piles of bills, we look forward to getting each others’ mails. Love it! Even when I travel, the mailing goes on. I make it a point to send post cards — and lots of them!
Yesterday I went to Granville Island (the artsy fartsy district with good food — I’ll talk more about that later) and passed by the Postcard Store there to get a few–what else–post cards! And they’re going out to you!
If you’d like one, let me know in the comments section and I’ll email you back to ask for your address. I’m doing it this way so others will know if they still can join in the fray. :D I’ll send the posties to the first 5 commentors (for now). Update 4/21: The postcards I have for now are all accounted for. More later.
Cheers, and enjoy your Sunday!
P.S. And yes, we did have snow, sleet, and rain in some parts of Greater Vancouver. My good luck goes to the runners of the Vancouver Sun Run. No one was expecting winter-like conditions this weekend. Yikes.
Here’s a little diversion from food: views of my city! I’m still here, and as Dan has mentioned, until the end of the month. Here’s why — I’ve earned myself a painful award for over-working in front of the computer: radiculitis. I’ve been getting regular treatments, and have been strongly advised to avoid the computer as much as possible, thus the lack of blogging. It’s not fun waiting and watching the slow progress, which I thought wouldn’t come after three weeks. Anyway, I won’t delve on that…just wanted to let you know what’s going on, and warn you not to be like me!
Let’s talk about Vancouver and one of my favorite places to go to on the weekends — Stanley Park. It’s a thousand acre park that’s almost like an island, but not really. It’s this huge mass of land protruding into the sea, so you can see water all around it. Although you can get your nature fix pretty much anywhere here, this is my favorite go-to place.
Last Saturday I rented a bike and went around the park. It was a beautiful spring day so everyone was out enjoying the sunshine. It’s an afternoon that Vancouverites wouldn’t miss sitting in couches at home. At least, one would think with the amount of people roaming that day.
I love the seawall goes around the park, which gives me a different view at every turn. Sometimes, it just takes my breath away.
Before we started this website, Dan and I used to send photos from our phones to friends and relatives saying, “Wish you were here” when we want to share food and restaurants we’re trying, or places we’re visiting. Now, we get to say that to all of you and share images of our experiences. I love being able to do it. The beauty from the simple things, such as a relaxing day, a beautiful afternoon, the burst of colors from nature, good food, new experiences, etc., is overwhelming to keep to oneself. I think it’s criminal not to share it. We hope you like them!
The first thing that greeted us when we entered the Pike Place Market were the flowers. Cheap flowers! We’re talking about $5 to $10.
Pike Place Market is a very popular tourist spot in Seattle, that each time we mention that we’ve been to that city, we’re asked if we went there. This time we’ve finally trekked down to the famous Pike Place Market. Where do we even begin to show you the area, its quaint stores, restaurants and cafes, and the abundant market?
Here’s the street view from the corner of the fish stall where the vendors give everyone a “show” of tossing fish, and occasionally throwing a fake fish toy to viewers (which sends people screaming and gasping) for kicks.
We flew in to Seattle this morning, that’s why. I didn’t know what I was thinking, booking a flight at 7:10am, fully knowing that we’re both not morning persons. We got up at an ungodly hour, usually the time when I just start to dream. We were in line at the security check at 6:30am and we got out barely making it to our zone’s boarding. The line was the longest I’ve been in and I was afraid we’d miss our flight. In all of my previous flights the officers ask who have flights coming up in the next 30 minutes so they’ll be able to get to the front of the line. This morning I heard a couple of them tell passengers who were saying they were going to be late that they would have to ask permission from the people lining up — yes, each one of them ahead of you. At that time of the day, people are not happy to let you get passed them. That was interesting.
After a challenging pre-flight, we were welcomed by my parents and were blessed with a beautiful sunny, and picturesque day in Seattle:
There were tons of people downtown, especially in and around Pike Place Market. I almost forgot it was a weekday afternoon with all the crowds.
We ate a lot. Oh noes. My dad has a fat calculator gadget thing that I blatantly refuse to hold, especially after all that food. Don’t add insult to ‘injury’.
More pictures to come, of course. For now, rest assured we are not missing in action. But we definitely are eating in action! Harhar.
Notes on photos:
1. View from the plane before landing.
2. Pike Place view. And no, the one on the left is not my dad. Not the one with the mohawk either. Hehe.
We flew in to Seattle this morning, that’s why. I didn’t know what I was thinking, booking a flight at 7:10am, fully knowing that we’re both not morning persons. We got up at an ungodly hour, usually the time when I just start to dream. We were in line at the security check at 6:30am and we got out barely making it to our zone’s boarding. The line was the longest I’ve been in and I was afraid we’d miss our flight. In all of my previous flights the officers ask who have flights coming up in the next 30 minutes so they’ll be able to get to the front of the line. This morning I heard a couple of them tell passengers who were saying they were going to be late that they would have to ask permission from the people lining up — yes, each one of them ahead of you. At that time of the day, people are not happy to let you get passed them. That was interesting.
