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| |  "Re(1):So we're in a cafe. What do you order?" , posted Fri 19 May 05:13  
If that café is in France and it's still early in the day, I would obviously just order an espresso, maybe a sandwich if I'm hungry, something with either cheese or ham or both. I haven't come here to eat or drink, I'm here to chat with whoever I'm with for hours and hours, and we just need some civilized place to sit at.
If the waiters start to behave even more rudely than usual, it's a sign it's been 3 hours and they want us to order something else or leave, so I'd order another one to buy ourselves another hour or two.
If it's too late for coffee, around 4 or so, infusions work too. There's a fantastic North-African place in Paris (not a café) with huge sofas that engulf you, proper mint tea, grilled almonds and hookahs where you'd stay for days if you didn't have stuff to do.
Finally, there's my favourite place to finish a day in Paris (not a café), a retro-colonial bar with Caribbean food and rum to pretend I'm Hemingway or something. Pretty tacky and horribly expensive, but after such a day, I need to recharge.
If I'm in the UK.... Well..... some bottled water, maybe. A coke if the situation is dire.
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| "Re(2):So we're in a cafe. What do you order?" , posted Fri 19 May 09:09:
There is a well-documented history of the Tokyo contingent of the Cafe basing its operations at the Krispy Kreme at Shinjuku Southern Terrace, at least prior to its tragic closure and the destruction of the arcadia of our youth. In an effort to match the MMCafe site motifs as closely as possible, the customary food is coffee and donuts, and for a while, the maccha donuts, at least until that weird stretch where they would be out of them whenever I went.
I feel confident that the proper thing to order in MMC Paris would be a croque-monsieur, or more ideally a croque-madame with the egg on top. The same holds true for a hypothetical MMCafe experience in New York if the cafe/bistro were run by French people. But there are two sides of the Cafe NY coin: I think an equally acceptable scenario would be meeting at the Chinatown Fair arcade (or now, its successor, Next Level), with a soda on the cabinet and a pizza slice nearby.
MMCafe West Coast is heavily associated with Karasu in my mind, so I think that Cafe will lead us to craft beers!
MMCafe Thailand, in my imagination, involves me eating pad kaprow or pad thai aboard a boat taxi with Nobi. I would recommend those for anyone!
And when we all gather in Singapore, we shall convene at one of those wonderful outdoor food courts for shaved ice with sweet beans. Or Morning Cafe will involve Singaporean coffee (which is best (I don't even like coffee)) and KAYA TOAST.
As for MMCafe Turkiye (and now Scandanavia), Oguz is involved, so it's yoghurt to drink, yoghurt to eat, yoghurt to...ah, you know. I would also recommend we get Turkish coffee in one of those cafes and play backgammon all day there with the local old men who do the same.
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
[this message was edited by Maou on Fri 19 May 10:45] |
| | "Re(3):So we're in a cafe. What do you order?" , posted Fri 19 May 12:45
I don't like coffee but I do love cafes. So whenever i go to a cafe I usually ask for anything but coffee. Preferably local craft beers, if available. I do agree with Maou that Singapore's coffee is awesome, though!
While the best thing to have at a cafe is a nice conversation with the people you are sitting with (or next to!), there are many other pleasant things for your soul & body to be had there. It depends on the place, I guess:
In my hometown, Bilbao, and pretty much anywhere else in Basque Country, I would ask for a hot cocoa latte with a pintxo. A pintxo is a mini-meal on its own and there are literally millions of possible combinations, but my favourite variety is probably Spanish-style tortilla. It's a hearty omelette consisting on a fried potato base to which you can add any topping you might imagine. A filling and delicious meal if there ever was one; just a slice is more than enough to feed you for half a day, and makes a perfect companion for a coffee or (a cocoa latte!) at any time of the day.
In Thailand, Malaysia or pretty much anywhere in SE Asia I would ask for a tea with condensed milk and feel the bliss flowing through my veins. I remember this concoction is called teh tarik in Malaysia, but for the life of me I can't recall the Thai name for it. Anyway, it's a good thing I don't live in any of those countries because I would be drinking this thing all day, and my ever growing body mass index would soar through heavens.
In Japan I would do as Iggy says and just ask for tap water, or maybe try to convince whoever has taken me there to go to an izakaya and grab some beers instead. This rule doesn't apply to Cafe Zenon at Kichijioji, though, which is the best cafe in all western Tokyo and a place every Hokuto no Ken fan should visit once in his/her life.
A Talking about Japanese History sword in hand
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| | "Re(5):So we're in a cafe. What do you order?" , posted Sat 20 May 04:47
quote:
In other moments of the day, according to my mood, I may either have a plain espresso or an espresso with a splash of grappa or anisette.
I've never really liked grappa as a digestive (I'm more of a limoncello person, if only because my grandmother made some) but I recently got into frangelico and I'm a believer now (first because it gets sickening if you drink too much, so it prevents you from drinking the bottle, and also because every time I drink some, it reminds me of that academic study on how Fra Angelico, the early renaissance painter, was the first abstract artist in the western world).
What's your opinion on Frangelico? I'm not a fan of mixing alcohol with coffee, but I think it could go very well with it.
Any alcohol with anis is an abomination that needs to be thrown into the Eternal Lake Of Fire.
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| "Re(6):So we're in a cafe. What do you order?" , posted Sat 20 May 05:16
Iggy, sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't seen Frangelico in any bar/cafe yet, nor in the liqueur section of any shop...I had to Google it °_° I'm sure I'd like it to bits because I really like the taste of hazelnuts, and I agree with you that it should mesh well with coffee, because it's often said that a good cup of coffee may have a hint of hazelnut in its flavor. Thank you for this enlightening discovery.
As for your thoughts on anise liqueurs, OUCH >_< I love them, and maybe it's a family thing, since my maternal grandfather loved it as well, and my father thinks they're the best to pour a splash of in a cup of coffee.
Ore no...kachi da!!
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| | "Re(1):So we're in a cafe. What do you order?" , posted Sat 20 May 11:57:
quote:
One of the things which occurred to me while I was in a physical cafe was how few times I've been with MMCafers in physical cafes!
Say we're in cafe. It could be in Thailand, it could be in Europe, it could be in the USA, it could be in Japan, it could be anywhere! What do you order?
Bonus question: what would you recommend another MMCafer to order?
Real-life cafes are great and I'm down for anything that's available. I have no idea how many breads donuts I have eaten in my life, but they probably outnumber Dio victims. Beignets are nice, on that topic. Any kind of coffee is great, but I often like milk with coffee. For a quick drink, I like a cortado. A flat white or a latte can be nice when there's more time to chat. Or I can just drink a few cups of whatever is on hand, really. I sometimes a nice Earl Grey with whole leaves in an over-the-cup strainer, which is best when a lovely hostess pours for me. Baklava is really good when it's available. Little egg salad sandwiches can be nice, I feel like I had some good ones at London Heathrow airport?
Alcohol is another story but I feel like I should weigh in on anisettes. Unlike Iggy, I am down for some ouzo (but probably only if someone else orders it).
Edit: Also, thanks to those who mentioned Turkish coffee. I just did a map search of my new neighborhood and found a nice spot that literally gives it to you on a silver platter. I plan to try their cafe in the near future!
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[this message was edited by Mosquiton on Sat 20 May 12:10] |
| | "Re(2):So we're in a cafe. What do you order?" , posted Tue 23 May 02:40
quote:
One of the things which occurred to me while I was in a physical cafe was how few times I've been with MMCafers in physical cafes!
Say we're in cafe. It could be in Thailand, it could be in Europe, it could be in the USA, it could be in Japan, it could be anywhere! What do you order?
Bonus question: what would you recommend another MMCafer to order?
Nowadays with the influence of Starbucks, a lot of coffee houses serve dark-roasted coffee which almost tastes like it's.... burnt.  So without being too picky, anything medium-roasted and most preferbly regional is what I'd order. As long as it comes with good conversation!
In New York, I would probably ask for a cappucino or espresso together with a bagel sandwich. Of course you can find bagels practically anywhere nowadays, but they're iconic for New York which has some of the world's best. Everyone has their favorite local bagel shop, and you can find them in various varieties that fits your taste buds.
In Tokyo, given that it's not a coffee growing country, it's more about the Japanese cafe experience let it be Cafe Zenon or UFOTable Cafe. I've yet to go to a butler cafe!
As Maou was saying, MMCafe's traditional meeting spot used to be Shinjuku's Krispy Kreme, which has now turned into a LINE SNS shop and a Max Brenner Chocolate bar that runs various collaborations. We need to find a new meeting lounge!
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| "Re(1):So we're in a cafe. What do you order?" , posted Tue 23 May 11:52
quote:
One of the things which occurred to me while I was in a physical cafe was how few times I've been with MMCafers in physical cafes!
Say we're in cafe. It could be in Thailand, it could be in Europe, it could be in the USA, it could be in Japan, it could be anywhere! What do you order?
Bonus question: what would you recommend another MMCafer to order?
Being in the middle of a Japan trip, I'm realizing just how much I now associate the Cafe with physical Japanese cafes, which I'm sure Professor had in mind when establishing this wonderful place! Even though I'm not much of a coffee drinker these days, I'm very impressed at how seriously coffee making is taken by Japanese cafes!
As for a drink, I'll strongly suggest a newer favorite of mine, an iced soy milk matcha latte. The earthy beaniness of the fresh soy milk matches surprisingly well with the delicacy of the matcha. At current temperatures, serving it on ice is a must!
quote:
MMCafe West Coast is heavily associated with Karasu in my mind, so I think that Cafe will lead us to craft beers!
Hum, craft beers have a little bit reached a tipping point of large brewery consolidation, so instead I'd suggest a cider made from an exotic fruit, which is all the rage now!
You have to carefully reproduce the world of "Castlevania" in the solemn atmosphere.
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| "Starducks and other cafe spots" , posted Wed 24 May 16:08:
quote:
One of the things which occurred to me while I was in a physical cafe was how few times I've been with MMCafers in physical cafes!
Say we're in cafe. It could be in Thailand, it could be in Europe, it could be in the USA, it could be in Japan, it could be anywhere! What do you order?
Bonus question: what would you recommend another MMCafer to order?
You know what? I don't think I ever answered this question ever since I've known this site. Ha!
For the Japanese cafe/bakery I go to, I quite often get the strawberry milk. If it's hot, I'll get kakigoori. Regarding food, it depends on whether I need vegetables badly at the time or if I'll have some down the line, and the dessert is random. (I don't get melon pan a lot actually because I know that it's popular, and I don't want to be the person that'll make a person's heart drop because of the lack of melon bread.) I love their tomato basil bread and okonomiyaki bread given its limits.
If I go to Paris Baguette, which is rare, I get a cronut, which is a donut with a croissant texture. If it's hot, I need patbingsoo. There are multiple in my city and neighbor cities. I don't go to them often.
The Korean bakeries here and in nearby cities from my experience, especially Paris Baguette, don't have the drawing power of the Japanese one I go to. As weird as this is shown, I need choices with vegetables. I don't recall having those choices.
If I go to Starducks--I mean Starbucks or any other western cafe, which is rare also, that depends. Early in the day: a tall hot chocolate or decaf with half and half and sugar. I get regular coffee, it takes me a week to get my sleep schedule back to normal. For food, I get a scone, but I almost never get food at these spots, and the times I do, I get them against my own will. Later in the day: a vanilla frap.
Oh. I prefer tea over coffee. At least I can drink multiple types of tea straight. Can't type the same for coffee. I don't know how my father does it, and with regular also.
Ah, the bonus question. I suppose I'd tell a fellow member to get matcha milk? I have a friend that loves this drink, and he wishes that a cafe in San Francisco would have this.
[this message was edited by Seizya on Wed 24 May 18:33] |
| | "Re(3):So we're in a cafe. What do you order?" , posted Thu 25 May 10:07
quote:
Nowadays with the influence of Starbucks, a lot of coffee houses serve dark-roasted coffee which almost tastes like it's.... burnt. So without being too picky, anything medium-roasted and most preferbly regional is what I'd order. As long as it comes with good conversation!
In Sweden, even regular quick coffee feels like rosted four times. Since Fika is huge here, Swedes take their coffee seriously. Im suspecting certain someone is from Scandanivia!
Also if you happen to go to Turkey, do try to find local coffee chains rather than Starbucks or other western chains. You can taste flavoured types of Turkish coffee. Damla Sakızlı Turkish Coffee surprisingly good.
quote:
As for MMCafe Turkiye (and now Scandanavia), Oguz is involved, so it's yoghurt to drink, yoghurt to eat, yoghurt to...ah, you know. I would also recommend we get Turkish coffee in one of those cafes and play backgammon all day there with the local old men who do the same.
Yoğurt is criminally underrepresented in the café's and I do not like this newly popping up, rare frozen yogurt type places. The yeast they use is worse than supermarket yoğurts and too much fruity cream breaks the balance of "blessed by yoğurt / ruined the yoğurt" scale.
In my hometown I go for Bici Bici, a very niche snow dessert we have uniquely in Adana for the summer.
In winter, Bici swaps with Sahlep, a hot beverage made of orchid bulb/root dust.
But if you have sweet tooth, you should try "Tatlı" stands.
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"Re(1):So we're in a cafe. What do you order?" , posted Thu 1 Jun 11:13