Coffee and Tea and the Java and Me

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a coffee fiend. I love coffee (I’m also much nicer when I’m caffeinated), which is why I’m always on the prowl for good coffee shops. London does have Starbucks, a surprising amount of them actually, they really seem to be everywhere. Of course Starbucks isn’t exactly anything new. But if I need a piece of home, I can just pop in a Starbucks. Two other big chains here are Cafe Nero and Costa. I am a fan of both. Costa I think is my favorite, and there’s one fairly close to our flat. Come to think of it, there’s probably a Costa as well as a Starbucks on every block. But Costa has a nice atmosphere and they don’t play music unnecessarily loud like Starbucks does.  

In general, the coffee in London is stronger than regular coffee at home, which I do not have a problem with. It’s typically made with milk, which is also a plus, and isn’t nearly as sweet. Of course, it is possible to order American coffee, but why bother? When in Rome, do as the Romans, or some other such cliche. I do not recommend the coffee from Fresh Cut. First off, why it’s called Fresh Cut I have no idea. Shouldn’t it be Fresh Cup? True the coffee is cheap, only 1pp, but it tastes like it only costs 1pp. It’s bitter and not so enjoyable, plus, they don’t exactly give you a full cup.

I’ve been drinking more tea here too. I don’t know why really, it’s not any different than tea at home. I think I’m just drinking more because we have it in the flat, and it’s good, so why not drink it. Plus, there is not coffee maker in the flat, so tea is the next best thing. We do have instant coffee...but that’s not my style.

Speaking of tea, I highly suggest going to enjoy an English tea. Scones with clotted cream and jam is one of the best combinations ever thought of. I know, clotted cream sounds less than appealing, but it’s very tasty. The scones are better than any I’ve had in the states...well, except for that Great Harvest bread place maybe. But these scones were smaller and sweeter and buttery with raisins. They’re absolutely delicious.

Fruit stands everywhere in the city, just randomly on the streets. It’s quite nice actually. The fruit is good, and not too expensive. But a word of caution: watch out for bugs. Ashley and I bought a box of raspberries the other day, which were really good, aside from the little green worm perched on one of the berries. I’m sure he meant not harm, but I wasn’t too keen on having him on my food. Bugs are a great source of protein, I know, but I decided to pass on that delicacy.

Another warning: if someone offers you “Indian sweets” just say no. Yumnation at Bloomsbury Square makes fantastic smoothies (I highly recommend the Cranberry Daze: cranberry juice, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries), but their Indian sweets, which supposedly “taste like fudge!” are bad. I don’t even know how to describe them, but they are certainly not fudge. It’s more crumbly, and the green, which I foolishly assumed would taste something of pistachio, tasted more like it had been infused with Pine Sol. Not a pleasant experience. Joe seemed to like it well enough, but I advise against it.

I’m not totally turned against trying new food, although for the most part I anticipate sticking mostly to the familiar.