A painting of me

Made Better in Japan. ⇒

   10 February 2012, mid-morning

“My boss won’t let me make espressos,” says the barista. “I need a year more, maybe two, before he’s ready to let customers drink my shots undiluted by milk. And I’ll need another whole year of practice after that if I want to be able to froth milk for cappuccinos.”

Only after 18 years as a barista in New York did his boss, the cafe’s owner, feel qualified to return home to show off his coffee-making skills. Now, at Bear Pond’s main branch, he stops making espressos at an early hour each day, claiming that the spike on the power grid after that time precludes drawing the voltage required for optimal pressure.

I love this (insane?) quest for perfection. A great example of this are Japanese jeans, which out-American in every way the American jeans they are copying. This comes up in the article as well.

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Comments

  1. Makes me want to move there. One of the more interesting denim shops here, Blue in Greene, is run by Japanese people.

  2. Now that I’ve read the whole thing I see they mention Blue in Green.

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