Politically incorrect cheese

Its hard to think that cheese could ever give off any notion of a racist remark, its goodness when added to various dishes makes people tingle in delight in consuming such cheesy goodness such as pizza, pasta, cheese omelettes, and nachos. It’s almost God’s gift to our taste buds to such allure of a taste. However, if you walk down the aisle of your local Woolworth’s or Coles, you’ll find this packaged product of sliced heaven:

Cheese said what???

If you don’t not know, ‘Coon’ is an ethnic slur used towards African Americans and Aboriginal Australians. The origin and meaning of the slur Coon is rather ambiguous. It is usually thought to be a diminutive form of the word raccoon, which is of course a small and ugly animal. Naturally to refer to people as ‘raccoons’, is very demeaning and dehumanizes them to a large extent.

Thus,why coon is an ethnic slur.

Of course, a product could not go on sale with a name that offensively suggests that this ‘tasty’ cheese comes from a black guy.

The product is said to be named by its American founder Edward. W. Coon, of russian origin, and he patented a method, subsequently known as the Cooning process, for fast maturation of cheese via high temperature and humidity.

There is certain skepticism around the existence of Edward Coon, as he places a branding mythology like the KFC colonel, or Famous Amos (chocolate “crack” chip cookie creator). Australian Anti Racism activist Stephen Hagan has said that he has been unable to find evidence that Edward Coon was a famous cheese maker, contending that the name came instead from the black wraparound in which it was originally sold.

Whatever it is. Its cheese. And cheese is awesome. I highly disregard that a large corporation like Dairy farmers would manufacture a product that would blatantly impair a racial term and get away with it for as many years as the product has been around.

But, it’ll never stop in my opinion to be that ‘racist cheese’ which somehow I feel slightly guilty whenever I’m consuming a slice, it’s like I’m supporting such an ethnically incorrect product. But who cares, I fucking love cheese.

SQUIRREL SHIT COFFEE @ ANOMALI COFFEE JAKARTA

100% Indo - Asik!

Anomali Coffee in South Jakarta is a premier joint to visit for coffee connoisseurs who would like to try a variety of local beans harvested around the Islands of Indonesia. They specialize in only Indonesian coffee beans, and strive to promote the uniqueness and richness of Indonesian coffee and present their motto to ‘Support our Local Coffee’.

Fuck Starbucks.

As you step inside the cafe, you are welcomed by the warm allure of freshly roasted coffee, the feeling of sophistication of a ‘authentic’ coffee shop that is reminiscent of those found in Melbourne, San Francisco, and London.

What is unique of the cafe as I reinstate, is that the coffee is locally produced, and 100% Indonesian. So you are treated to the best coffee beans in the world. The prices are shockingly affordable, and they are smoker friendly (as of the rest of Indonesia – which is awesome!)

However, what caught this writers eye, was the most expensive coffee that they serve – Kopi Luwak.

Hit the wikipedia link above for more detail of how the actually they process the coffee, I will just put a by step by step summary, on how Kopi Luwak is produced:

1. Coffee berries spread around the ground.
2. Hungry squirrel/weasel roams around for food. Discovers Berries (hooray!). And gobbles away.
3. Digestion happens. The beans remain undigested, but the berries are enriched by the animals bowels.
4. It shits it out.
5. The coffee beans are collected, rigorously washed and sun dried (Killing any possibilities of poo bacteria such as e.coli).

I’m still pretty sure that most readers are still thinking “That sounds cool, but why the fuck would I drink squirrel shit?” Well my friends, it seems that a lot of people do, in a research found in the book “The Gospel According to Starbucks” it reveals:

Kopi Luwak was the most expensive coffee in the world, selling for between $100 and $600 USD per pound, and is sold mainly in Japan and the United States by weight, and served in coffeehouses in Southeast Asia by the cup.

Wikipedia:

Examples of selling by the cup:

One small cafe, the Heritage Tea Rooms, in the hills outside Townsville in Queensland, Australia, has Kopi Luwak coffee on the menu at A$50.00 (=US$33.00) per cup, selling approximately seven cups a week, which has gained nationwide Australian and international press, creating over $5 Million AUD of media attention for this rare coffee.^[3] In April 2008, the brasserie of Peter Jones department store in London’s Sloane Square started selling a blend of Kopi Luwak peanut and Blue Mountain called Caffe Raro for £50 (=US$99.00) a cup.^[4]

This is the Shit! (literally)

It was 100,000 Rupiah or 30 malaysian Ringgit for a cup of coffee. But I paid for it.

I have to say that my background with understanding and tasting coffee is zilch. I enjoy and prefer my 3 in 1 Nescafe, than any frappe latte or berrylicious espresso. However, I rely on my tongue to judge to what tastes good – and my taste buds were invigorated with such richness that was not experienced by any coffee I had consumed before.

It felt like these squirrels shat out a little piece of heaven on my tongue.

And Put Simply, It was delicious. And if I had mo’ money’s I would’ve bought another cup.

(In a relevant moral statement, is that you should always open your boundaries to new things – even if it is drinking squirrel shit, because you learn a unique perspective on new and old things, and you invigorate all your senses by trying something Different)

Thank you, Anomali Coffee for enriching my experiences, and I hope all the best with your operations, I strongly believe that your joint has to be one of the best cafes I’ve ever been to, and the most memorable. And to our beautiful tour guides, Anggra and Mila for taking us there.

Expect a visit from me again to your cafe next time I pay a visit to Jakarta. Its a Beautiful Place.

Happy Customers.