Mid-week miscellany: Holmes, decaf, mess

[magnetic_pole]

* As part of my current regime of more-healthy living (aided and abetted by the good folks over at game_is_on, THANK YOU, FOLKS), I've been trying to switch from regular coffee to decaf. The catch? It's surprisingly hard to get. Two of my three grocery options don't stock decaf beans at all, and the local cafes usually make only one pot that's gone by mid morning. I can and do ask for a decaf Americano, but even that's met with some eye-rolling. Is decaf no longer a thing? Is it just my young, slightly trendy neighborhood? When did this happen?

* I enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes conference Gridlock DC last weekend. I've never been to a con, but this was close to home and easy to get to. There were some great panel discussions, including one on women in Sherlock (well, the panel was on women in all adaptations, but the conversation focused on the BBC production) which cast Janine as the Irene Adler that Irene Adler didn't get to be (fascinating!) and a thoughtful paper on character development in the BBC Sherlock using themes and ideas from Harry Potter by drinkingcocoa, who's posted it over at her journal if you're interested in reading. (I highly recommend it, especially for its lyrical thoughts on boredom's meanings.) I was fascinated by the mix of younger folks who've clearly come to Sherlock Holmes through the movies and tv show and Tumblr and older folks who attend Sherlockian societies in the area and participate in a very different kind of fandom. It was great to see both groups interacting on the same panels and checking each other out, surreptitiously, in the hallways.

I also spent a couple hours walking around Old Town Alexandria, and I'd forgotten how lovely it is. (I didn't bring my camera, but you can get a sense of what it's like over at google images.) Even the modern buildings speak the architectural language of the eighteenth century. As a metropolitan region, DC's more similar to the sunbelt successes of the twentieth century than the older East Coast cities, but it still has neighborhoods like this.

There's a cute postcard that came with the registration packet with some Sherlock fanart--would anyone like it? Just say so in comments, and I'll PM you for your address.

* The better half is out of town this week for work, and I've got the house to myself, which means there are books everywhere. I don't even know why this is--our apartment's not that big, and usually it's important to me to keep the place tidy so there's somewhere to sit and eat. Is there anything you do at home when your family's not around, when the house is all yours?

Comments

[via_ostiense]

I also drink decaf, when I drink coffee at all, and have found that most hipster cafes (the kind that do pourover coffee) won't do decaf drip/pourover, but will do decaf espresso. Since they always grind espresso shots to order, it's no trouble to make it decaf or caf.

[magnetic_pole]

I've even had a couple eye-rolls at that, as if the folks behind the counter had to go search for the errant decaf coffeebeans. *sigh* Or perhaps they were just having a bad day and any order was an imposition at that point.

Randomly, since I never replied to this elsewhere, really glad to hear your friend was gracious about the wedding gift situation! That made me heart warm a bit. M.

[king_touchy]

I'm in your decaf boat. I have encountered coffee houses that cough up the decaf without too much trouble, but yeah. Hard to find sometimes. I have found decaf beans in the local stores, though the variety lacks. There are a couple roasters in my town, and they have some tasty options, like vanilla or Valencia or hazelnut beens, all decaf. I think we might live fairly close, if you're striking distance from DC? I'm south of DC. I could hook you up with some beans.

I missed the DC con by THAT MUCH. Was out of state, woe, or I would have attended.

[magnetic_pole]

Hi, neighbor! *waves* I'm in DC proper, actually, and mostly cranky about my local Giant. Which is big! And ought to have decaf of some kind! (I'm not a particularly sophisticated coffee drinker and usually just get whatever's cheapest at the store.) Do you have any tips on where you shop? M.

[king_touchy]

The roasters I shop at are mom-and-pop places in Virginia. But another place to look is at whatever organic/Whole Foods/Trader Joe's type places in your area.

Tell you what. When I make a trip to Ikea at Potomic Mills, nip down and I'll deliver you some beans. : )

[magnetic_pole]

You're going to laugh at me, but I'm one of those car-free DC folks who's never even been to Potomac Mills! My knowledge of VA is almost entirely within a mile's walk of the metro stops.

But let me know if you're ever in DC? I'm *awesome* at getting places on the bus and metro. :)

And Whole Foods is an excellent suggestion. They used to be so expensive I never shopped there, but lately prices have gone up elsewhere, and WF seems to be working harder at getting a range of options for lots of types of foods. Will check that out next week, thanks! M.

[king_touchy]

I think it'd be great to meet up sometime. I've been wanting to revisit the spy museum for ages. We could get a cup of coffee somewhere cool, maybe. There has got to be some interesting cafes in DC. When I do drive up, I'll bring decaf beans from Rostov's. Pick one!

Decaf: http://www.rostovs.com/coffee.php?decaf

Flavored decaf: (Seville orange is my personal favourite) http://www.rostovs.com/coffee.php?decaf&origin=6

[magnetic_pole]

Thanks so much for offering! The orange sounds interesting--I've never had anything like that. Next time you're town, definitely let me know (and if you're able to pick up a bag on the way, I'll reimburse you). Nothing better than an excuse to sit in a coffee house and chat. M.

[king_touchy]

Well, I'm going to DC tomorrow and Wednesday. Would you like to meet up? I've got a little something for you.

I'll be there overnight and I've got great flexibility. Email me, and I'll email you back with my cell, if you want to get together.

kingtouchy at gmail

[torachan]

From the seller side, I stopped carrying decaf beans at my store because it simply didn't sell. So maybe people are drinking decaf less.

[magnetic_pole]

Ah, that's really interesting to hear! So perhaps there really has been a sea change over the years? I remember it being everywhere when I was younger, but didn't start drinking coffee until I was thirty or so and didn't start decaf until recently, so I many not have had a good read on the situation. M.

[dueltastic]

I suspect the Vry Srs Coffee Drinkers go on about the different taste of decaf, a lot of the studenty and professional people who drink it are drinking it in large part for the caffeine, and decaf still contains too much caffeine for people who are genuinely sensitive to it, since IIRC it's really only half the level of caffeine, not zero caffeine. So it probably satisfies precisely no one.

[magnetic_pole]

I think the folks at the cafes nearby fall in that studenty and professional demographic, definitely, and decaf still has 5% to 10% of the caffeine, so anyone with a sensitivity can't drink it. But wasn't it once a thing for middle-aged folks trying to cut back? I seem to remember that from my childhood.... M.

[dueltastic]

Yeah, it was more common once upon a time. I think "cutting back" has got a lot more all-or-nothing since then.

[out_there]

Is there anything you do at home when your family's not around, when the house is all yours?

Leave dishes everywhere. Seriously. Apparently the thing I love doing when the house is mine is essentially eating, leaving pots int eh sink, and taking my meal to bed/the couch with a good book and leaving the dishes wherever I was.

I discovered that after a weekend of mum being away I had to check nearly every room to collect all those dishes and get them washed, dried and put away before she returned.

As far as personal rebellions go, it's a little bit pathetic.

[magnetic_pole]

Not hugely rebellious, no, but it sounds relaxing, lots of lounging about with food and books. What could be nicer? :) M.

[kelly_chambliss]

I'm surprised to hear about the lack of decaf. It's not something I've seen in Rural Hamlet; there still seems to be plenty of decaf available, both in beans and brewed. (In fact, I was quite put out at a fancy dinner at my college last spring [for a visiting dignitary], when the ONLY coffee on offer after the meal was decaf. What?? Thanks, but never mind, I said.) In NYC, on those few occasions when I went to Starbucks, they always had a decaf variety on offer. (I'm not sure about the other NYC coffee shops, though, since I don't ask about decaf).

Maybe you're right, and it's an age thing. I apparently look so old to the kid baristas that in the last few months, I'd say that two out of three times when I order coffee, the servers have started asking brightly, "Decaf or regular?" I was rarely asked this question in my younger years.

Is there anything you do at home when your family's not around, when the house is all yours?
Since I'm the neat freak in the family, I take advantage of alone time to keep the place tidy. There are no empty plates and cups sitting around on my watch!

I also eat ice cream straight from the carton.

[magnetic_pole]

Maybe you're right, and it's an age thing. I apparently look so old to the kid baristas that in the last few months, I'd say that two out of three times when I order coffee, the servers have started asking brightly, "Decaf or regular?" I was rarely asked this question in my younger years.

Heh. When I was that age, a heading-into-middle-age coworker once challenged me, "How old do you think I am?" I had no idea and grasped around for the oldest age I though I could suggest without insulting her. "Twenty nine?" She laughed and laughed and laughed.

The chains are always good with the decaf, for some reason. Less emphasis on different varietals (is that the word?) and specialized tastes, more on serving the masses with one dark, one light, one hazelnut, one decaf. Also, someone over at LJ reminded me that more folks are buying those Keurig cups, which might account for the loss of decaf beans.

Ice cream from the carton! I like that. M.