all of the above

Other than the dramas of trying to get an Social Security Number, which is like entering Brazil (the film, not the country), the biggest drama here is trying to get a decent cup of coffee.

I haven’t bothered with Starbucks because, seriously, I’m trying to find coffee not look like a douche. And most places when they say coffee they mean something that’s been sitting on the stove all day, for example dirty caffeinated water. I still haven’t made it to little Italy and that remains my one great hope after what happened today.

I walked into a “Super Food” store. Yeah, shoulda been skeptical of that one. And to my delight I saw a coffee machine, complete with pipes, steamers and taps behind the counter. I grabbed a sandwich and asked timidly if I could possibly have a double shot espresso. The girl smiled and said ’sure!’ My hopes were smashed when she opened up the cupboard underneath and pulled out a packet which she then tore, pulled out yet another packet, put it in the tap and started pouring my coffee. It was then that I noticed that there was no grinder in sight. Godamnit.

Stupid Americans and their pre-packaged *everything*.

The coffee tasted insipid.