One of my fairly new coworkers came into my office not that long ago and said, “There isn’t much of a lunch culture here, I notice.”
“You’re right,” I said. “I guess most of us do just eat at our desk.”
I rarely have time for a leisurely lunch out of the office. I often bring something tasty from home anyway, and, at least in my case, I’m still operating under the habits of my last job, which never provided much time or opportunity for lunch unless there was some sort of officewide celebration happening. And even then, well, let’s just say that I spent most of one of my own clients’ go-live parties working at my desk while shoving celebratory food in my mouth. Good times.
But what I do tend to take, out of the office, is an afternoon coffee break. My coworker Kim and I sneak down to the Starbucks on W. Grand Avenue in Oakland between Broadway and Telegraph, and spend 15 or 20 minutes chatting in the sun at one of the sidewalk tables.
But with the onset of the Eat Local Challenge, that built-in break, which I quite enjoy, has fallen by the wayside. Although I did make an exception for locally-roasted coffee, Starbucks, um, does not provide that as an option. There is a deli not far away that serves Tully’s coffee, but I’m pretty sure that’s roasted in Seattle.
A few days into October, Kim stopped by my office to see if I wanted to take our regular break.
“I can go with you, but I can’t drink the stuff at Starbucks this month,” I said.
“I know,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye. “But I have three ideas.”
We dashed out of the office, in search of locally-roasted brews. Stop one was the one I thought most promising: Mama Buzz Café, a local joint that serves up a heaping side of cool art alongside its coffee, soups and other delicious treats. I’ve been wanting to get to Mama Buzz since I moved to Oakland, but somehow it hadn’t made my regular rotation.
At the counter, Kim asked the question after she noticed me behaving like a wallflower. “Where is your coffee roasted?”
The barista rattled off an impressive fair trade and organic pedigree, but an international roasting origin. No dice for me.
“You can get something,” I said to Kim. “Really, it’s fine.”
“No,” Kim said. “I have two more ideas.”
Off we went, a few blocks away, to a little café that, as it turned out, was not yet in business. The door was open, but inside, workmen were still hammering up fixtures and installing signage. They blinked at us, and we turned around and kept going.
Our last stop was a coffee shop that had opened, but was still so new they did not even have tables yet. A harried guy behind the counter was so flustered by our questions about the coffee’s origin that he finally shoved a cup of coffee into Kim’s hand and told her she didn’t have to pay for it. I declined anything based on the vagueness of the response.
Despite the disheveledness of the operation, Kim and I put it on our possible list for future visits. After all, our constant choice of Starbucks has usually more to do with its immediate proximity to our office than its array of beverage options.
We returned to the office, where, Kim discovered, the free coffee was so bad it was undrinkable. An opening-jitters anomaly? We’re hoping so. Regardless of their coffee origins, I’m all for supporting a new local business in downtown Oakland, so once the Eat Local Challenge is over, we’re going to give it another try.
on Oct 15th, 2008 at 8:11 am
FYI, Peet’s roasts locally (I worked near their former roasting plant in Emeryville for a while).
on Oct 15th, 2008 at 9:49 am
And, of course, if you find a spot that serves Peerless or Mr. Espresso, you can’t really get any more local than that!
on Oct 15th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Girl, your dedication is admirable.
When it comes to caffeine, the beast in my head screams: GIVE IT NOW… and my good intentions go running the other direction.
Good work. You deserve a double shot.
on Oct 15th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Are you really being 100% local? I’m impressed. I am trying pretty darn hard, but I still need my tea in the morning.
on Oct 15th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Ayse, oh, now, THAT is good information. V. good information.
Fatemeh, yes — either one of those would be awesome. This end of town, though, is tricky!
Jennifer, you know…it’s funny that I timed this post for today, ’cause, well, today? My intentions may run in the other direction for sure. There’s going to be a point today when the need may overwhelm the desire for locavorism…
on Oct 15th, 2008 at 10:17 am
We’re really lucky in Alexandria, VA. There is a local roaster in Falls Church called Beanetics – they wear labcoats and everything! I hope you find a local-to-you roaster soon!
on Oct 15th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Sam, I’m definitely not being a purist…trust me. At work, I’ve been dipping into the tea they offer here (but not the coffee), and I’ve definitely, um, fallen off the Eat Local wagon a few times already this month, last night’s Ethiopian dinner included…
Eva, there are definitely some great ones in this area…the problem is that none of them supply the coffee shops right around my office! I’m getting a fix in the morning — fixing myself a huge mug of locally roasted blend before I leave for work, but it’s the little break to run out for coffee that I miss the most!
on Oct 15th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
I’m famous! I was sure we would succeed with one of those 3 options. If only we worked next to Cole Coffee….mmmmm, now that is coffee.
on Oct 17th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Kim, it was all such inspired thinking. But still, we can only give it the college try. Now that I’ve discovered salt in my caramel coffee, I don’t know that I can give that up, anyway…
on Oct 20th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
I feel your pain.
We’ve been lucky to find a few sources for locally roasted coffee around here… but none of them are close to where I work, so I’ve resorted to bringing coffee from home and brewing it in the office.
on Oct 21st, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Foodhappens, I thought about doing that, but decided I didn’t feel like sharing my coffee with the entire office. It is, perhaps, an exhibition of my only-childness…
on Oct 27th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Blue Bottle coffee is local, and you will go broke drinking it.
Peerless is local, and you will go ecstatic drinking it. Hit Jack London Square, right off the last main Oakland Bart stop, for both the incredible farmer’s market and a cuppa joe. In Peerless, you can see the roasters and grinders behind the window in the wholesale shop.
on Oct 29th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Plot_thickens, I haven’t actually tried the Blue Bottle coffee yet, partially because I fear it will be so good I’ll never be able to go back to the regular stuff again. But soon…I will have to make it happen. And I do love Peerless, for sure!
on Nov 9th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
You absolutely must try Awaken Cafe! They have locally roasted, organic, fair trade coffee. Also, their baristas make the best designs in the foam, like this sweet little heart. Ever since Awaken opened, I haven’t gotten my caffeine fix anywhere else in downtown Oakland. They’re committed to sustainability and to the community. Plus, they always have beautiful art on the walls.
on Nov 10th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Becks, I definitely need to give them a try — I saw your post about them, I think, not long after I posted this — I really need to get my butt in there and try their brew. They sound amazing!