Coming through Customs in LA yesterday, the agent asked us if the food we had declared was Tim Tams and said he'd have to confiscate them because they had too many calories!
Tim Tams are distributed in the US by Pepperidge Farm and are intermittently available at our local supermarket. All the friends we've given samples to have loved them. Looks like the Customs agents in LA like them too!
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Thursday, July 07, 2011
If you are going to charge $5 for a cappuccino...
...you ought to learn how to make a decent one. This means you, Hyatt Regency Reston. For your information a cappuccino is one third espresso, one third milk and one third foam. It's not a cup of insipid, watery brown liquid with a little foam on top!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
How I feel about breakfast
I'm often up early to talk to my colleagues in Dublin and I'm always hungry when I wake up. But I also find when I eat at 6am I need to eat again at 9am. Actually I'm just finishing second breakfast as I write this post!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Coffee as a teaching tool
Regular readers will know that I like things coffee and things geek. So I really liked this article I stumbled across today which analyses the production of coffee at Starbucks using standard information system design patterns; Starbucks Does Not Use Two-Phase Commit.
Illustrating abstract architectural concepts using real world processes is actually a very powerful teaching tool; for example, illustrating the concept of a correlation identifier by reference to Starbucks' practice of writing your name on the cup when you order.
It's a simple and effective solution, but I did have a little trouble with it when I was working regularly in the Philippines a few years ago. Filipinos are mostly accustomed to American accents; when I gave my name as Dan almost anything would end up on the cup. So I experimented for a bit until I found a name that the staff would always get right despite my Australian accent; at Starbucks Philippines I am therefore known as "Freddie".
It also reminded me of the Order Cappuccino Use Case that I used to teach how to write Use Cases; that was in South Africa where the "cappuccino with foam or cream" heresy originates.
Order Cappuccino Use Case
Basic Flow
Alternate Flow (branch at Basic Flow Step 2)
Illustrating abstract architectural concepts using real world processes is actually a very powerful teaching tool; for example, illustrating the concept of a correlation identifier by reference to Starbucks' practice of writing your name on the cup when you order.
It's a simple and effective solution, but I did have a little trouble with it when I was working regularly in the Philippines a few years ago. Filipinos are mostly accustomed to American accents; when I gave my name as Dan almost anything would end up on the cup. So I experimented for a bit until I found a name that the staff would always get right despite my Australian accent; at Starbucks Philippines I am therefore known as "Freddie".
It also reminded me of the Order Cappuccino Use Case that I used to teach how to write Use Cases; that was in South Africa where the "cappuccino with foam or cream" heresy originates.
Order Cappuccino Use Case
Basic Flow
- The Customer asks for a cappuccino; the Waiter prompts for Foam or Cream
- The Customer requests foam; the Waiter submits the order
- The Barista makes the cappuccino
- The Waiter collects the order from the Barista and delivers it to the customer
- The Customer drinks the cappuccino
- The Customer requests the bill; the Waiter delivers the bill
- The Customer pays; the Waiter collects the payment
- The Waiter returns with the change
- The Customer collects the change and the Use Case ends
Alternate Flow (branch at Basic Flow Step 2)
- A South African Customer requests Cream; the Use Case ends because that’s not a Cappuccino!
Monday, June 28, 2010
World Cup Cappuccino
In the past two years I've spent a total of about seven months in South Africa. In that time I've tried plenty of cappuccinos (including a "cappuccino" with cream).
Until recently the best of them were merely OK (and the worst of them, you don't want to go there.) About three weeks ago I discovered a really, really good cappuccino - not quite as good as the perfect cappuccino I found in Rome - but close. Here it is.
And this is the barista Clarence who makes this excellent cappucino.
Where did I find it? In the cafeteria at the Woolworths department store in Irene Mall!
Until recently the best of them were merely OK (and the worst of them, you don't want to go there.) About three weeks ago I discovered a really, really good cappuccino - not quite as good as the perfect cappuccino I found in Rome - but close. Here it is.
And this is the barista Clarence who makes this excellent cappucino.
Where did I find it? In the cafeteria at the Woolworths department store in Irene Mall!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Gourmet skiing
Marie decided to take a gourmet snow shoeing tour today so I met her and the group for lunch at Ragnars.
Here's today track. 16,762 vertical ft (season total 1,138,027 ft) in 4:00 (2:31 plus an hour and a half eating a very nice lunch). The best run of the day was the middle of Storm Peak face followed by a rarely groomed Hurricane, although as usual Closet was great as well.
Here's today track. 16,762 vertical ft (season total 1,138,027 ft) in 4:00 (2:31 plus an hour and a half eating a very nice lunch). The best run of the day was the middle of Storm Peak face followed by a rarely groomed Hurricane, although as usual Closet was great as well.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Silver lining
When I ski as badly as I did yesterday, I'm always motivated by the fact that tomorrow will be better. Well tomorrow is today and it was indeed much, much better.
I was at the gondola at 8:40 am so I could ski the groomers while they were fresh. There was no line, although I did wait seven minutes for the Storm Peak Express to open at 9 am. It was worth it to be first down a perfectly groomed Buddy's Run.
Here's today's track. 16,540 vertical ft (season total 1,047,235 ft) in 1:59 - 8,339 vertical ft per hour which is my highest rate so far this season. It helped that I didn't ski a whole lot of bumps today - Storm Peak face and Norther was all.
I think I've earned the pancakes that Marie and I are about to have for Fat Tuesday.
I was at the gondola at 8:40 am so I could ski the groomers while they were fresh. There was no line, although I did wait seven minutes for the Storm Peak Express to open at 9 am. It was worth it to be first down a perfectly groomed Buddy's Run.
Here's today's track. 16,540 vertical ft (season total 1,047,235 ft) in 1:59 - 8,339 vertical ft per hour which is my highest rate so far this season. It helped that I didn't ski a whole lot of bumps today - Storm Peak face and Norther was all.
I think I've earned the pancakes that Marie and I are about to have for Fat Tuesday.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Pretentious BS
Apparently the world's best restaurant, El Bulli, is closing because it loses money.
If the amount people pay doesn't exceed your costs, your business is by definition a failure. You however may not be a failure; better to try an idea and fail than not to try at all. But if you've got a massive waiting list and you're too stupid to raise your prices, then you are a failure.
Yet we are supposed to get all excited about places like this, to lust after going there. Personally there's a thousand other things I'd rather do with the time and energy it would take to pursue this or many other over-subscribed events and locations. They may not provide the same bragging rights, but the choice between living your life for your own enjoyment vs. impressing other people seems a no brainer to me.
If the amount people pay doesn't exceed your costs, your business is by definition a failure. You however may not be a failure; better to try an idea and fail than not to try at all. But if you've got a massive waiting list and you're too stupid to raise your prices, then you are a failure.
Yet we are supposed to get all excited about places like this, to lust after going there. Personally there's a thousand other things I'd rather do with the time and energy it would take to pursue this or many other over-subscribed events and locations. They may not provide the same bragging rights, but the choice between living your life for your own enjoyment vs. impressing other people seems a no brainer to me.
Monday, August 31, 2009
The best hot chocolate. Ever.
Last year I wrote about discovering the perfect cappuccino.
Today I had the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted. Not best by a little bit, but the best by a long way. If this was a ten, the best I'd had before was a five.
Where was this? In Canberra, Australia at a place called Koko Black.
Today I had the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted. Not best by a little bit, but the best by a long way. If this was a ten, the best I'd had before was a five.
Where was this? In Canberra, Australia at a place called Koko Black.
Friday, December 12, 2008
The perfect cappucino
I once described my international travels to a friend as a journey in search of the perfect cappuccino.
Well I've found it this week. In Rome (Italy is after all the home of espresso and cappuccino). Made by the Filipino-Italian waiter in the dining room at the Hotel Santa Maria.
And it was no fluke. I had several every day just to be sure! Each and every one was perfect. The espresso was strong and full of flavour without being bitter; the proportions were perfect with 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk and 1/3 foam; it was served in a cup which was just the right size (American coffee chains - you know who I'm referring to - in catering to their customer's obsession with things being bigger have way too little espresso in proportion to the milk); and the foam had that perfect silky texture.
It's a lovely hotel as well.If When we return to Rome, we'll definitely stay there again.
Well I've found it this week. In Rome (Italy is after all the home of espresso and cappuccino). Made by the Filipino-Italian waiter in the dining room at the Hotel Santa Maria.
And it was no fluke. I had several every day just to be sure! Each and every one was perfect. The espresso was strong and full of flavour without being bitter; the proportions were perfect with 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk and 1/3 foam; it was served in a cup which was just the right size (American coffee chains - you know who I'm referring to - in catering to their customer's obsession with things being bigger have way too little espresso in proportion to the milk); and the foam had that perfect silky texture.
It's a lovely hotel as well.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Too many leftovers
We had dinner guests last night and we cooked enough food for twice as many people so now we have way too many leftovers to eat in the next few days.
Same problem on the mountain today. I went looking for leftovers in Wally World but with the gentler pitches the problem was too much snow. One small turn to miss a tree and you'd lose enough speed that you were stuck.
It was a little more skied out on the steeper slopes although there were still some stashes on Shadows, Lights Out and Kuus's Cruise.
I skied lazy and tired today - I suppose all the powder days this week have caught up with me - which means I wasn't nearly as aggressive with my line as I would like to have been, but it was still a great day.
Same problem on the mountain today. I went looking for leftovers in Wally World but with the gentler pitches the problem was too much snow. One small turn to miss a tree and you'd lose enough speed that you were stuck.
It was a little more skied out on the steeper slopes although there were still some stashes on Shadows, Lights Out and Kuus's Cruise.
I skied lazy and tired today - I suppose all the powder days this week have caught up with me - which means I wasn't nearly as aggressive with my line as I would like to have been, but it was still a great day.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Premium airline review
In the past two months I've had the opportunity to sample business class on Cathay Pacific (LA to Hong Kong), Qantas(Brisbane to LA) and Air New Zealand (LA to Brisbane via Auckland, and (international) first class on United (Beijing to San Francisco).
I'd rank them as follows:
1. Air New Zealand business (brand new, and flat beds with very pleasant and attentive staff)
2. United first (old and shabby with ancient staff, but flat beds)
3. Qantas business (reasonably new, but angled flat beds and indifferent staff)
4. Cathay Pacific business (old, non-flat beds, but very nice staff)
United have just announced that they are about to begin a major upgrade of their premium cabins, finally introducing flat beds which will give me a decent business class alternative to Qantas between LA and Sydney.
Cathay have also begun an upgrade and are going to a similar style seat to the Air New Zealand which is great.
Hidden in a recent Qantas announcement about the fitout of their A380s due to be delivered next year is also the news that that are making some adjustments to their business class seat to deliver a truly flat bed (it looks like the same product spaced a few inches further apart and adjusted to remove the annoying angle).
I also discovered today that my new Qantas Platinum (Oneworld Emerald) status entitles me to use Qantas First Class lounges. So I'm sitting here in the Qantas international first class lounge at Sydney airport on my way to Wellington New Zealand and I can tell you it's really nice. Check out this entrance with a living wall of plants.
And I just had a lovely sit down meal complete with espresso coffee and this fantastic desert, all complementary of course.
I'd rank them as follows:
1. Air New Zealand business (brand new, and flat beds with very pleasant and attentive staff)
2. United first (old and shabby with ancient staff, but flat beds)
3. Qantas business (reasonably new, but angled flat beds and indifferent staff)
4. Cathay Pacific business (old, non-flat beds, but very nice staff)
United have just announced that they are about to begin a major upgrade of their premium cabins, finally introducing flat beds which will give me a decent business class alternative to Qantas between LA and Sydney.
Cathay have also begun an upgrade and are going to a similar style seat to the Air New Zealand which is great.
Hidden in a recent Qantas announcement about the fitout of their A380s due to be delivered next year is also the news that that are making some adjustments to their business class seat to deliver a truly flat bed (it looks like the same product spaced a few inches further apart and adjusted to remove the annoying angle).
I also discovered today that my new Qantas Platinum (Oneworld Emerald) status entitles me to use Qantas First Class lounges. So I'm sitting here in the Qantas international first class lounge at Sydney airport on my way to Wellington New Zealand and I can tell you it's really nice. Check out this entrance with a living wall of plants.
And I just had a lovely sit down meal complete with espresso coffee and this fantastic desert, all complementary of course.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Macquarie Pass
I'm flying out of Sydney to Beijing tomorrow so today we drove from Canberra to Sydney a distance of about 300 km or 160 miles, which is similar to the distance from Steamboat to Denver, but a lot flatter!
We took the scenic route through Macquarie Pass. It's quite a bit slower but well worth the extra time if you can spare it. Stop at the cafe in Robertson at the top of the pass located in the old cheese factory. The Devonshire Tea (scones with jam and cream) is fantastic. You can get scones in the US, but they're scones in the same way that American Football and Aussie Rules are the same thing.
We took the scenic route through Macquarie Pass. It's quite a bit slower but well worth the extra time if you can spare it. Stop at the cafe in Robertson at the top of the pass located in the old cheese factory. The Devonshire Tea (scones with jam and cream) is fantastic. You can get scones in the US, but they're scones in the same way that American Football and Aussie Rules are the same thing.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Paris
It doesn't get much better that skiing chest deep snow and visiting Paris in the same week.* I'm here for some meetings Thursday, Friday and Monday (meaning I get to stay over the weekend!)
Of course I couldn't do that without bringing my lovely wife who has been out visiting some of the sites that she missed on our last visit in 2001 (well actually visiting all the galleries and art museums that I refused to go to). Yesterday it was the Musée D'Orsay and today the Rodin Museum.
She also snapped this impressive shot of Les Invalides. A bit fancier than any veterans hospital I've seen in the US or Australia!
We've also been spending plenty of time enjoying the wonderful food and atmosphere of the ubiquitous French cafes, bistros and restaurants, so I'll have to ski extra hard when I get home.
* Actually it does get better because I also found out this week that I'd received a nice bonus as a reward for a successful 2006.
Of course I couldn't do that without bringing my lovely wife who has been out visiting some of the sites that she missed on our last visit in 2001 (well actually visiting all the galleries and art museums that I refused to go to). Yesterday it was the Musée D'Orsay and today the Rodin Museum.
She also snapped this impressive shot of Les Invalides. A bit fancier than any veterans hospital I've seen in the US or Australia!
We've also been spending plenty of time enjoying the wonderful food and atmosphere of the ubiquitous French cafes, bistros and restaurants, so I'll have to ski extra hard when I get home.
* Actually it does get better because I also found out this week that I'd received a nice bonus as a reward for a successful 2006.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Valentine's dinner
Marie and I celebrated our 22nd Valentine's Day together tonight with a very nice dinner at the Catamount Golf Club's restaurant. Every course was a delight, but for me the lobster risotto was the highlight.
I hope this one stays in business, because the restaurant where we celebrated Valentine's last year seems to have closed down.
I hope this one stays in business, because the restaurant where we celebrated Valentine's last year seems to have closed down.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Beijing
After three days in Hong Kong we are now spending two days in Beijing. Unfortunately most men in China smoke. Not in the office, but definitely at lunch. So while I was locked away in a smokey dining room being slowly asphyxiated by my Chinese colleagues and customers, Marie was out visiting Tian'anmen Square (we've been here once before and already visited the two most popular sites, namely the Great Wall and the Forbidden City which are both fantastic).
Tonight we're going out with my colleagues to a local reasturant for - what else - Peking Duck!
Tonight we're going out with my colleagues to a local reasturant for - what else - Peking Duck!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
More old friends
We live in Colorado and our German friends Bert and Claudia live in Switzerland. So what would be the chance of meeting them on our flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong? About 100% it seems. So here we are out to dinner together in Hong Kong along with their kids Julian and Laura.
We had some great Chinese food, despite the fact that nobody in the restaurant seemed to speak any English, something which seems be more common in Hong Kong each time I return.
We had some great Chinese food, despite the fact that nobody in the restaurant seemed to speak any English, something which seems be more common in Hong Kong each time I return.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Malaysia
I'm in Malaysia this week, specifically in Putrajaya which is the new capital on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. I flew in yesterday from Brisbane on my favourite airline (Singapore Airlines) via my favourite airport (Singapore's Changi). The US could really learn something from Asia on how to run airlines and airports so that the entire experience is not something akin to torture.
It was quite a strange feeling being back in Singapore for the first time since we moved from there to Steamboat in April 2004.
Given that one of my main complaints about Steamboat (of which I have very, very few you understand) is the lack of good Asian food, I'm in culinary heaven. Malay food is such a fantastic mix of influences with such complex flavours it's at the opposite end of the spectrum to traditional American food which is big on calories and fats but generally low on taste. I made a point of hitting the hotel gym this morning so I can indulge guilt free!
It was quite a strange feeling being back in Singapore for the first time since we moved from there to Steamboat in April 2004.
Given that one of my main complaints about Steamboat (of which I have very, very few you understand) is the lack of good Asian food, I'm in culinary heaven. Malay food is such a fantastic mix of influences with such complex flavours it's at the opposite end of the spectrum to traditional American food which is big on calories and fats but generally low on taste. I made a point of hitting the hotel gym this morning so I can indulge guilt free!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Breakfast in Canberra
If you're in Canberra and looking for somewhere for breakfast, check out Milk and Honey. It's in Bunda St, next door to Gus's Cafe.
For 13 Australian Dollars (about $10 US, and that includes tax and there's no tipping - yeh) I got an excellent cappucino and the biggest and best fruit platter I think I've ever had (but I still miss the sliced mango I used to get every morning when I was working in Manila, Philippines). A major improvement on a very ordinary buffet breakfast at the Crown Plaza hotel for twice the price.
For 13 Australian Dollars (about $10 US, and that includes tax and there's no tipping - yeh) I got an excellent cappucino and the biggest and best fruit platter I think I've ever had (but I still miss the sliced mango I used to get every morning when I was working in Manila, Philippines). A major improvement on a very ordinary buffet breakfast at the Crown Plaza hotel for twice the price.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)