29 February 2008

someone else's piano

There was a time in my life, not that long ago, when I worked for someone that owned a grand piano. We worked out of his home. It was a large condo with the equipment we needed to produce a still formulating idea of a kids' educational show. His daughter was also my responsibility, and we would often times take walks in the park or play with the pool balls on the pool table when working came to a standstill or the day was just that nice. Sometimes the dad and daughter would not be around, and I'd be in that house by myself. And this is when I would play.

I was embarrassed to play at any other time, mainly due to the mastery of the owner of the instrument. How do you paint in front of Rothko? How do you sing in front of Fitzgerald? So instead I poked around in the cracks of silence I would find in that home in those days. The way the sound filled the air was startling at first... the power of such a large organic instrument intimidated me, but it was this intimidation that lured me closer.

My time there ended before I could know the piano well. I hope one day to meet it again, when the time is right and I dont have to wait for the cracks of time to open up in secret.

25 February 2008

I've been back a week now. I can't help but count the days that pass, if not to just simply remind me that I was across the world those days ago. It's surprisingly easy to forget. If there is anything that is a reminder, its the lull and down-feeling I have adopted upon return. It has been an uphill battle regaining a sense of time and structure. My work schedule is sporadic, and Georgia allergies have my up late into the night... I can't help but feel helpless, as if the "what next?" question begs at every turn and all I can do is shrug. A sense of impermanence, transition, and limbo permeate my thoughts.

I cant concentrate on anything, so I find myself wasting time in the pages of the Internets. I have found larger clumps of my time spent leafing through old threads on coffeed.com, or browsing through blogs of baristas I've never met but maybe someday will, reading about japanese cooking on justhungry.com, and repeating Jose Gonzalez videos on youtube on an open browser page as I have yet to bring myself to purchase his records.


By the way, my cat watches TV and eats Japanese candy and sometimes plays the keys:


I dont know where I'm going with this. I guess I just felt a little obligated to not drop off the face of the Internet.

I'm working on new aprons. Inquire if you so desire.

19 February 2008

on stateside

It's my fourth day back and I'm still sleeping during the day, waking up at 3am just in time to watch bad infomercials and reruns of Reno911. Disoriented, to say the least.

Last night we had a cupping of the coffees I brought back from Honey Coffee last week. Unfortunately the 12 hour flight and week between roasting and cupping may have done a number on the beans because most of the coffees lost what I knew of them from the shop. Coffees once powerfully bright and balanced lacked anything interesting to speak of. It was all so roasty. It's so strange how these coffees once tasted so light and now just fall heavy on my mouth.

The week between leaving the Izaki family and coming home to the states was spent in Tokyo with my boyfriend, David. He flew out to visit, and we met at Narita Airport. The reunion was special, but it was of course a little weird speaking fluent English for the first time in a month. I met a few foreigners on my way in Fukuoka, but they were always short conversations. Now I was back with my best friend and chatting had to be caught up. We did things like visiting the Imperial Palace and eating ramen... and we trecked an hour outside of the city to hunt for Ozu Yasujiro's grave. It was tucked into a temple full of national treasures off the train stop Kita-Kamikura. Its breathtaking beauty keeps me from inaccurately describing it with words, and even pictures fail to do it justice. Alas, you can view photos from here, and the rest of the trip here.

And here is the last photo taken at Honey... see you soon, miss you all so much.

the hentai

08 February 2008

on moving on

Tears were shed today as I realized how close I am to leaving this place. Tomorrow is my last full day here. Today was quiet yet emotional. Hide and Izaki were out of the shop today, so the general volume was pretty low. Around 3 or so we received a call to let us know that the results for the JBC Finalists were in. This would tell who made the top 10th tier of the 160 candidates of the JBC. As we read down the list, we saw Manu Coffee (one of Honey's customer shops), and as we read her name (Yasukawa) and cheered her name outloud (Yasukawa-san), she walked into the shop. It was surreal, and we all cried. And then I cried harder because I remember how special this moment will be for years to come, and how I didn't want to let it go. Later in the evening, Yoshi-san would ask me if I was crying because Yuko and Yasukawa were crying, or if it was because I was sad of my upcoming departure. It was mixed, but mostly the later. Unfortunately, the remainder of the list did not include Hide's name. We did not talk about this, nor has anyone mentioned it since.

This evening we had a sayonara party at another izakaya. This one is famous for its cuisine and ability to attract foodies and rockstars from around the world. It was spectacular. Pictures from around the world lined the wall, and it felt authentic. As if theyd been there. And Im sure they had. An Izaki family friend, Tod, had recommended the place and even joined us for dinner. I loved the way he makes the Izaki family laugh. Its effortless. We were all in tears from laughing so hard, and I felt at home. This feels like home.

Before coming to Japan, it seemed like I wasnt really coming here. That maybe Id been lying to myself or that I was just going to California to see my family. But the flight was almost 3 times as long as the flight to san fran, and this time the people I was staying with were not familiar. Now the tables have turned, and returning to Octane seems unreal. Lying in my bed with Bruce at 2080 seems like a dream from long ago, even though its only been a month since Dave and I were lounging around with the cat, playing Wii until the hours became too small, or watching Tokyo-ga until the menu screen woke us up in the middle of the night.

Thankfully I feel like my time is done here. I feel accomplished, as if my time was properly spent, and that I have nourished whatever it was that sprang up two years ago when I was here last.

on moving on, I'm looking forword to visiting Momoko in Tokyo along with the rest of the Zoka cats. I want to see Ozu's grave in a snow-filled cemetery. I want to eat ramen with dave on a cold winter evening on the brim of the sumida river. This iwll come next week. And we will move on after that with only memories to bring back.

Have I mentioned that the Izaki family just falls asleep wherever they happen to be?

Izaki passed out.

07 February 2008

milk and cookies

They seem like an obvious combination, but when the topic came up at the end of dinner, Hidenori's and Yuko's faces went blank.

"You really dip cookies into milk???"

Uh... yes. How else would you eat them? I told them that most popular was the chocolate chip varietal, but that others like myself enjoyed the Oreo, or even the Kiddo if you swing the vegan way. At this, Hidenori immediately called his brother who was on his way home and asked him to pick up a pack of cookies.

Yasuhide returned with two rolls of chocolate chip cookies that measured less than an inch in diameter. I said they'd suffice, but that I'll make them some real american cohoclate chip cookies before I leave.

Hidenori started dropping them into his glass of milk and grabbed a spoon. He thought this was genius, as if he was the first to ever reinvent the american ideal of milk and cookies, but I soon reminded him of american cereal. Cocoa puffs seemed to ring the familiar bell, which then justified milk and cookies as an appropriate breakfast meal. Yum.

06 February 2008

dosing-uppu

Dear generic help column in your local paper,

The beautiful thing coffee gives us is its ever changing attitude and form. This beauty can sometimes be a curse, as I have occasionally felt with the single origin spro at Honey, but it allows us to constantly revise our methods and look for new ways to approach old and new problems.

I bring this up because last night Hidenori was working on his routine and asked me "Ani, why you dosing-uppu? Why?" I though the answer was simple... "Some espressos taste better when you use a higher gram amount in the basket, and some espressos taste good when you use a lower gram amount. I dont always dose-up. It's case-by-case. You decide how you want the espresso to taste." But for some reason I kept hearing in the continuing conversation between Izaki and Hidenori, "Muzakashi neeee..." (It's difficult, isn't it...)

I was getting frustrated. What's difficult? Please, let's talk. Let's work it out. We might have some differences but that's always the best part about this, right? Instead of trying to hash it out, Izaki follows up with what feel slike another element of Japanese coffee folklore. Long ago there was a barista in Australia that felt the "space" between the espresso and the shower screen on the group head would cause unrest within the basket during extraction. By eliminating this "space" through dosing up, the mesh and packed espresso touch and then keep the espresso in place during extraction. Times have changed, as they usually do, and my definition of "dosing up" now means adding more espresso to the basket than initially dosed, simply to have a higher gram content (and what that further implies). Where is the Coffeepedia when we need it?

Hidenori and I are on the same page when we use the term "dosing-up," but what am I missing here?

-Frustrated in Fukuoka

05 February 2008

Fukuoka's cafes are abundant yet lacking. The only ones using specialty coffee are those who buy from Honey Coffee, so going out for "new" tastes creates some challenges. Yesterday's holiday gave me an opportunity to try two cafes: Manu II and Dalahast. Manu creates their own blends while Dalahast buys commercial coffee, yet sometimes the owner will come to Honey to buy coffee for himself.

The second Manu cafe is much like the first with old wooden furniture and bar. Smoking is allowed in the tiny space, which, despite my loathing for smokey clothes, actually made it seem like the "genuine coffee house feel" that exists deep within my imagination. I met the younger sister of one of the competing Manu baristas from Tokyo. Sister baristas! Score! (Did I mention my little sister got a job at Starbucks?) Manu II is a Honey customer, but they make their own blends for espresso. The baristas seem pretty smart and often come by Honey for coffee talk and cuppings. I had an espresso and a french press of the same coffee blend. The blend is a work in progress, but I was impressed with what they'd accomplished so far.

We went to Dalahast next. Izaki said the coffee isnt' very good, but they have very nice furniture. He was right! I must say it was pretty weird being in a Scandanavian themed cafe in Japan. They have a little boutique in the front of the cafe with an assortment of antique and modern goods from that part of the world.. including the beloved cafesolo! We had an espresso and an iced ginger peach tea. Unfortunately it's freakin cold here, so the iced tea may have been better in the summertime..

Yasuhide and I are watching a soccer game on tv right now... Thailand and Japan. Japan is about to win it. Its at a stadium near Tokyo and the snow is HEAVY. I'm a little wary of my travels out there next week. Its going to be cold, and unlike my entire trip thus far, I will not be constantly in artificial environments. Hello, sweaters I forgot to bring. Even the cats out here wear sweaters. I'm not kidding. I feel left out of the sweater club.



In other news, I was interviewed today on a radio station called LOVE FM for their segment called "Around the world." The interviewer was an american from San Fran that had come by the shop earlier in my stay here. He asked me about my past in college radio, how my homestay was going, and what I was doing at Honey. The interview will air sometime in March. Jake, the DJ, said he could send me a copy of it as Japanese radio-streaming is illegal. Pretty cool being on that side of the microphone. When I mentioned I missed being on the air, he said they needed an american female host. wow. how awesome would that be? Except that id be dropping everything ive worked for the past two years. Maybe in another life.

signing off.

03 February 2008

from beginning to end

We left by bullent train for Osaka around 7pm. It was just Yuko and I as Izaki and Hide left two days earlier to get settled in and practice. the three hour trip was smooth and effortless. I was reminded how much more i love riding the bullet train than flying, and my mind was put at ease when remembering i am taking a 7 hour trip to tokyo in just a week.

It was freezing cold when we got there. A little rainy and windy kept us moving fast to the hotel. The place was huge and dec'd out as a wedding location. I had a hotel room to myself for the one night there. It seemed luxurious at first, but quickly became lonely as I realized none of the six television channels were in English. A long bath made the night go by better. The place was built on a hot spring, so the bath water was natural spring water. Amazing.

The next day was strangely like the previous one where no coffee was provided nor could we find any decent places close by. This venue was even stranger than the tokyo one.. it was at the Osaka school of culinary arts, which seems appropriate, but the room was WAY to small. There were only 20 small stools available to sit on, and the rest of the folks had to cram in the tiny hallway outside and watch through the windows. Even worse was the layout of the competitors. The room was a long rectangle, and instead of placing the competitor stations at the head, the two were spread out lengthwaise. This created a neckpain experience as you could only watch half of the competitors depending on what side you were sitting at. Further humor came in the completely saran wrapped floor. Awesome. And no, these stools were not comfortable.

the floors at the osaka JBC

Performances varied as much as they did in Tokyo. I got to see the champion from two years ago perform, and he made it look so easy. His tables were clean and minimal.. only a couple of towels where they needed to be. no crazy place settings. A pro, no doubt. The crowds all squeezed in the room for this one.

two years ago champ

Hide's performance was noteworthy. He was quick and agile, well polished, and passionate to say the least. Later on I asked Izaki what blend they finally used for competition and he says he didnt know! It was a mistake blend from practice, but he says it tasted delicious so they went ahead and used it. What a champ. I wouldnt have such balls, but the judges say he did well. We will find out next week if he made it to finals. I wish I could be here for it..

Hidenori's caps

I met plenty of talented baristas and other coffee professionals from all over the country, many of whom will be at this year's USBC/SCAA. I'm a little nervous to say the least about seeing them on home turf. Izaki has talked me up so much, I only hope I can live up to his words.




Unfortunately, these are some of the last photos from my trip. That night my camera decided to take its last blow. Internal electrical problems seem to be whats up. Heading out to camera repair spot tomorrow.
My last photo to share is from dinner that night. It is black seasame ice cream. Oishi....

My last photo.