(no subject)
I heard an NPR report the other day on the end of Neoliberalism and the rise of the first true test of Keynsianism. I have the feeling that this is an amazing historical event, the beginning of a new economic era. A majority of my college education has been about the negative effects of almost three decades of neoliberal policies and structural adjustment. It will be so refreshing to witness a change. Obviously, the rich are going to continue to find ways to funnel the money of the underclasses to their Swiss bank accounts, but at least now we have a world leader who is committed to wiping out the most blatant forms of corruption. Just listen to Obama rail against the bonuses handed out on Wall Street while the rest of the economy burns.
As for me, I've been hit by the shrinking job market. I lost my crappy retail job after Christmas. Granted, I was hired as seasonal staff, so I saw it coming. I am still a little disappointed that they didn't keep me on. I make enough money through my research position that I can feed myself and still have a little extra spending money. Still, it would have been nice to supplement this with my low paying crappy retail job. At least it would have gotten me out of the house more. For now I've been mainly reading and cooking with occasional excursions into the Massachusetts country-side for entertainment.
Yesterday I drove out to Framingham to visit the only artisan bakery in a 50 mile radius. Framingham is a pain to get to and I dislike driving out there. Getting there by I90 is stressful and has tolls along the way. Going by Route 9 takes forever because there is a traffic light every half mile. The bakery is called B&R Artisan Bread, though you would not know this by looking at the building. It's located in a non-descript strip mall and has no business sign anywhere. The windows are papered over and the only clue that the place is a store is the tiny wooden "open" sign hanging from the door handle. You must know exactly where and what this store is or you will miss it completely. Most of their customers are restaurants who order wholesale but they are open to the public for small orders. The selection I found on a Friday afternoon was quite scant. I picked up half a loaf of pain levain for $5.50, which is expensive by anyone's standards. But this place is a classical French bakery plopped in the middle of a suburban wasteland. I am willing to pay a lot for a chance to eat their pain levain. It was everything I wanted: sour, tangy and moist crumb encased by a crackly crisp crust. Pure pleasure in bread form. I ate it plain and then I ate it with slices of cave aged gruyere and avocado. If I had to subsist on this alone, I would live a satisfied life.
On the way back from Framingham, I braved the traffic on 9 so I could stop by Armeno Coffee Roasters. The front of the building where the store is located is small, but you can see the roasters through an open doorway. The inside and immediate vicinity of the store smell like coffee, which is how I imagine heaven must smell like. One entire wall is taken up by bags of freshly roasted beans. Upon spending a minute or two gazing at the selection, I was greeted by a small, gray-haired man who offered to answer any of my questions. He was good. I would point at bags and he would tell me how they tasted: bright, fruity, neutral, earthy. I grabbed half pound bags of the Brazilian Bourbon Santos and the Sumatra Mandheling French Roast. So far I have sampled the Brazilian and I think it is delicious. I can only drink fresh coffee black and this stuff is so fresh it's almost orgasmic. Deep, smooth and earthy with a hint of dark chocolate. Josh thinks it tastes burnt, which I find disappointing. He likes coffee so much, that I wish I could share this bag with him. I don't get the burnt taste at all, but maybe he's more sensitive to certain tastes than I am. Oh well. I'll just have to drink it all myself :)
As for me, I've been hit by the shrinking job market. I lost my crappy retail job after Christmas. Granted, I was hired as seasonal staff, so I saw it coming. I am still a little disappointed that they didn't keep me on. I make enough money through my research position that I can feed myself and still have a little extra spending money. Still, it would have been nice to supplement this with my low paying crappy retail job. At least it would have gotten me out of the house more. For now I've been mainly reading and cooking with occasional excursions into the Massachusetts country-side for entertainment.
Yesterday I drove out to Framingham to visit the only artisan bakery in a 50 mile radius. Framingham is a pain to get to and I dislike driving out there. Getting there by I90 is stressful and has tolls along the way. Going by Route 9 takes forever because there is a traffic light every half mile. The bakery is called B&R Artisan Bread, though you would not know this by looking at the building. It's located in a non-descript strip mall and has no business sign anywhere. The windows are papered over and the only clue that the place is a store is the tiny wooden "open" sign hanging from the door handle. You must know exactly where and what this store is or you will miss it completely. Most of their customers are restaurants who order wholesale but they are open to the public for small orders. The selection I found on a Friday afternoon was quite scant. I picked up half a loaf of pain levain for $5.50, which is expensive by anyone's standards. But this place is a classical French bakery plopped in the middle of a suburban wasteland. I am willing to pay a lot for a chance to eat their pain levain. It was everything I wanted: sour, tangy and moist crumb encased by a crackly crisp crust. Pure pleasure in bread form. I ate it plain and then I ate it with slices of cave aged gruyere and avocado. If I had to subsist on this alone, I would live a satisfied life.
On the way back from Framingham, I braved the traffic on 9 so I could stop by Armeno Coffee Roasters. The front of the building where the store is located is small, but you can see the roasters through an open doorway. The inside and immediate vicinity of the store smell like coffee, which is how I imagine heaven must smell like. One entire wall is taken up by bags of freshly roasted beans. Upon spending a minute or two gazing at the selection, I was greeted by a small, gray-haired man who offered to answer any of my questions. He was good. I would point at bags and he would tell me how they tasted: bright, fruity, neutral, earthy. I grabbed half pound bags of the Brazilian Bourbon Santos and the Sumatra Mandheling French Roast. So far I have sampled the Brazilian and I think it is delicious. I can only drink fresh coffee black and this stuff is so fresh it's almost orgasmic. Deep, smooth and earthy with a hint of dark chocolate. Josh thinks it tastes burnt, which I find disappointing. He likes coffee so much, that I wish I could share this bag with him. I don't get the burnt taste at all, but maybe he's more sensitive to certain tastes than I am. Oh well. I'll just have to drink it all myself :)