One Sixteenth

Hi Stephanie!!! Good to see you drop by the LJ! Per the cafe au lait, I came across this website on a weird quest about absinthe...and the author talks about the difference between cafe au lait and caffe latte...as only someone from N'Orlin's could.

http://www.gumbopages.com/food/beverages/cafe-au-lait.html

I need to do a post on food and such soon...

warm regards,
sharon

Hey Sharon,

I tried to make comments a few weeks ago on your LJ site. I kept getting the anti-spam thingy and it never let my comments go through. I didn't have any trouble with it last night, though.

One of these days I'll update my blogroll and then I'll remember to drop by more often.

Oh, and thanks for the link. Okay, chicory. But what the heck is the difference between steamed milk and half scalded milk? I mean, really? It's been been too long since I've been to Cafe du Monde. Maybe it's time for a research trip. Yeah ... that's it ...

Hey, a while ago you wrote that Climbing Parnissus was helping you make decisions about classical education, and that you weren't actually classically educating. That piqued my interest. I'd love to read a blog entry on that. I'm still trying to figure out just what classical ed is, but since I have a pitiful local library and have to ILL a lot of things, I feel badly about ILL-ing this type of book, too. So, in other words, it is lower on the totem pole and I never get around to ordering it. So would you be a dear and wax eloquent and informative?

;-)

I'm planning on it, Sarah. I want to actually finish it first, and get some of my thoughts in order. Climbing Parnassus is basically an argument in favor of a liberal classical education in general, and learning Greek and Latin in particular. It has certainly sold me on the importance of this kind of education because, in a nutshell, it is liberal classical education that preserves western civilization. I think western civilization is worth preserving, and I think that much of what the public schools do today works in the opposite direction. His other compelling argument is that a thorough grounding in the classics frees the mind from the slavery of fashion; certainly western society could use a little less slavery to fashion ... especially the U.S.

And for being what it is, the book is a surprisingly easy read.

The only real difference is the name

What, are you trying to invoke the wrath of Pam?

I'm with you, Steph. The absolute best b'day present I ever got was a Krups pump espresso machine. I absolutely do not leave the house for work before having two double-shots. The first in the morning is pure ambrosia.

I beg to differ about cafe au lait and latte being the same. Cafe au lait has chickory in it. Though the American stuff they like to call Cafe au lait is just coffee and hot milk. Also, cafe au lait has creme in it, not milk. I have found though that Silk does pretty good if I don't have creme; which usually I don't, but I always get the Community coffee with chickory. The chickory buzz is one you'll never forget.

Pam
(rightiously indignant)

Okay, you're right, upon further research I found this difference between latte and cafe au lait: A latte is generally 75% milk, while cafe au lait is 50-50. And a latte seems to start with espresso, while cafe au lait seems to start with coffee. (Which brings up the important question, which gives you the better caffeine buzz?)

I know I'm treading on heretical grounds (ooh!), but chicory is not a defining factor. Chicory is used in N'Orleans-style cafe au lait, yes, but chicory coffee is a type of coffee, and au lait is a style of fixing the coffee. ("Fixing" - good Southern term, there.) Outisde of LA people fix cafe au lait *without* chicory.

I figure that Pam has either passed out from indignation, or is waiting for me with a pitchfork :) I will not, however, deny that the quintessential cafe au lait is served at Cafe du Monde with chicory and cream.

Daryl, mine is also a Krups, but it's steam-driven. The pump-driven one will happen one day :)

Ok, another book to put on hold. *sheesh* If anyone at the Pentagon has been tracking my suspicious activities, I am in a world of hurt. ;-) John Lott, Charlotte Twight, Stephen King, tons of stuff about wet concrete, and all these awful "how to indoctrinate your children yourself" books! ROFL. Ah, fun stuff. I, too, am anxious for your "eloquent waxing" on the topic of Climbing Parnassus. (That really didn't sound right, I know, but it sounded so cute in my head!)

Zorak and I had an espresso maker once. We got rid of it b/c it was too small. It didn't make nearly enough at a time and just frustrated us. LOL. Enjoy yours! And don't forget the ever-necessary "mocha latte"!!

Dy

Skim milk holds the best froth, ime. If you were closer I'd drive over and show you how to do it, its all in the wrist ;-)

I am using skim milk. I'm supposed to be doing something with my wrist? I'm holding the pitcher of milk under the steam nozzle, with the nozzle in the milk. Am I also supposed to be making swirling motions with my wrist ... or what?

I swirl my pitcher (which I keep in the freezer, don't ask me why, its all part of my coffee ritual ;-) around (clockwise when the moon is full ;-) and then up and down, holding the nozzle right near the top of the milk as I finish it off. Does your machine have a pressure guage on it that you can see? I don't froth while pulling a shot and then I must wait while the pressure comes back up to get a good froth. Damn, now I need to go make a cup. I'll have to ice it since it is so hot and humid today ;-)