girlfiend

I live in the outskirts of the city, and my particular neighborhood is primarily working class and residential with one long, main street of stores. Many of the stores are pretty crappy- a few dollar stores, a 7-11, Dunkin Donuts, Payless, a Subway, a check cashing joint, nail salons, pizza places and hoagie shops. A few are old-school- an Italian bakery we love that also serves cappuccinos and lattes, barber shops, small luncheonettes, an independent paint store, a little carpet store, a shoe repair place, a travel agent and other places that look run down, but at least aren’t terrible chains, car dealerships or pawn shops.

Many young, good-looking people (much like myself and Boyfiend) have moved to the neighborhood in the past few years and are seeking to improve the area. A young couple owns an art gallery and instrument repair shop and there’s a new agey sort of gift shop as well. Of course there are a number of locals who are against improvement because they don’t want it to turn into another expensive artsy community. For a number of reasons, some which make more sense than others, people don’t want the neigborhood to be gentrified. So this coffee shop opened and people on a philly message board have been fighting it tooth and nail, complaining about the brand of coffee they’ve chosen to carry and how expensive it will be and saying they want everything to stay the same and they want the neighborhood to stay working class and the stores to stay crappy.

But the coffee shop is beautiful inside and out. It’s so pretty it looks out of place on the street and I just want more pretty places to open so I’ve defended the place on the board because in all honesty, the prices aren’t any higher than any other coffee shop- they’re actually cheaper than where I work- and if you want a cheap cup of coffee to go you can get one at the 7-11 or the Dunkin Donuts, or even at the little Italian bakery across the street.

Unfortunately, pretty as the place is, the coffee sucks. One day I got a latte and it was fine, but nothing special. The next day I ordered a mocha and it was undrinkable. I tried a bit of their regular coffee and nearly spit it out it was so bad. I certainly hope they get their act together. I really want the business to make it, so more people will open small shops and businesses that I’d like to frequent. But their coffee is horrendous. How on earth do you open a coffee shop without the slightest idea of how to brew a decent pot of coffee? My mocha was so weak and tepid, it was like sugar flavored bath water, but when I complained the poor boy making drinks thought it was because he added too much espresso. It saddened me to the core.

The other night, all night long, I dreamed of making lattes, and teaching them how to do it correctly. In my dreams I walked behind the counter and told them exactly what they were doing wrong, and exactly how many shots of espresso (two) should be in a 12 oz latte. I explained how to froth milk for a cappuccino and told them that macchiato and a latte are two entirely different drinks. If only I were brave enough to do it in real life.