I was introduced to truffles at the original Dilettante’s Chocolates on Broadway in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle, Washington, in the early ’80’s. The delicacies were the size of a baby’s fist and expensive even then, but worth it. They were so rich and flavorful I would take a tiny bite and let it melt in my mouth before taking the next morsel. The Hungarian recipes were made with only the finest ingredients and you only needed one because it was nice to let the flavor stay in your mouth for a time. Continue reading “Chocolate Lovers Delight”
I do like my coffee most any time of day but I’m not one to pay for it away from home. I will admit to paying the price when I am out for the evening, in an airport or visiting a hospital. A frothy cappuccino is my first choice off the coffee menu but as I sit here thinking, I am wondering what the draw is of the foam. I do like the flavor and have been known to use my finger to get it out of a cup when no spoon is provided (much to the chagrin of the people I am with) but really, why the foam. I guess I will never be able to explain that. I’ll just go on enjoying it. Continue reading “Love That Foam”
Coffee has been around a long time. The earliest evidence of it appears in the middle of the 15th century in the Sufi monasteries around Mokha in Yemen. It was there coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed. Yemeni traders brought coffee back to their homeland from Ethiopia and began to cultivate the seed. Continue reading “Make Mine Decaf”
September 29, is National VFW Day and National Coffee Day. It was hard to choose which to write about, so I decided to do a little of both.
The VFW was established on September 29, 1899, by a group of veterans from the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection. It has since grown to be the nation’s largest group of combat veterans. They continue “to honor the dead by helping the living.” The VFW promote patriotism, good will and youth scholarships. They also provide military assistance and community service programs, promote youth activities and volunteer many hours in their local communities.
VFW membership since its inception has been instrumental in the establishment of the Veterans Administration, the creation of the national cemetery system and passage of the GI Bill. Through the VFW, veterans honor veterans and serve their communities. On National VFW Day, take a moment to recognize all the VFW does in your community.
I borrowed those two paragraphs from the National Day of calendar because I wanted to share the background of the organization and what it does. The one common statement I keep hearing in the Veteran’s Writing group I attend is that the military is a brotherhood, in combat you take care of the guy next to you because you have to and he does the same for you. People that have never served will never understand that brotherhood and when a military person leaves service that is often what they miss most, someone they can talk to that “gets it.” The VFW provides that unified group working together for the good of others. The American Legion is another brotherhood of veterans. They have my utmost respect and you can bet they all stand at attention when the National Anthem is played!
On to coffee…before someone doth protest….American’s are obsessed with coffee, why do you think we have a Starbuck’s, Dunkin Donut’s, and Tim Horton’s on every other corner. And we all know about McDonald’s extra hot coffee. Personally, I make mine at home and take it with me. I’d rather spend five dollars on a single serving of ice cream. We all have our priorities.
May I suggest, to celebrate VFW Day and Coffee Day, you share a cuppa with a vet and say, thank you.
Sue Spitulnik 