Annie Chang/Staff

Being an avid coffee drinker, my goal is to try coffee from every country I visit, and international coffees in the States also easily grab my attention. When Semih, a dear Turkish friend of mine, asked me if I wanted to experience Turkish coffee one night at 11 p.m., I desperately wished I could — but, of course, that would mean no sleep that night. A couple of days later, I headed over to try the coffee that was constantly on my mind. Little did I know, drinking Turkish coffee had its own little ritual.

Semih began to make the coffee as soon as I entered his apartment, and I immediately started snapping photos. I was very interested, and everything grabbed my attention. He added a pure powdery coffee into hot water that was sitting in a cezve, a small copper Turkish coffee pot that makes about two espresso-sized cups of coffee. Traditionally, the cezve is held over flames and embers, but because his apartment only had an electric stove, he just rested the cezve on that. After a couple of minutes, Semih added some sugar into the coffee. He told me that it depends on personal preference: Some people drink it black, and some like it with sugar. He heated the mixture of coffee and hot water until it boiled and said that if it was done perfectly and taken off the stove the second it started to boil, there would be delicious coffee foam at the top of the cup. No cream or flavoring was added after the coffee was poured into the cup, and it was an intense, dark color characteristic of a perfect cup of pure coffee. The taste was deliciously bitter, with an almost grassy or charcoal-like note that differed greatly from regular black coffee in the United States. The bitterness was so unique that to add more sugar or cream would have overpowered the coffee taste. After drinking the coffee, we ate pieces of Turkish dessert, a type of starch gel and sugar with different flavors and pistachios or fruit jelly inside.

Then it was time for fortune-telling, in which the saucer is turned upside down and placed on top of the coffee cup. This combination is circled clockwise three times and then flipped over, so that the saucer faces up and the cup is upside-down on the saucer. A coin is placed on the cup to make it cool faster. The point is to leave the coffee residue in the cup so that it forms ambiguous patterns. My intrigued self could barely wait to see my fortune. Here’s what Semih told me:

-  There was a large part of the cup that was white: I had a pure and innocent heart.
- He saw the figure of a bird: Someone would come visit me soon.
- There was something not so pretty in the shape of a dead fish: Something would scare me.
- A bit of leftover coffee would not stop running although we were not moving the cup, which was quite strange: I was easily led by others and convinced by them, and my opinions were easily swayed.

After the fortune-telling from the cup, it was the plate’s turn. He told me to make a wish before the fortune telling started, then allow one drop of coffee to run down the back of the plate. The speed of the drop represented how fast the wish would come true, and the closer it got to the middle of the plate, the more likely it would come true. Unfortunately, my wish would start to look like it was coming true, but it would not. Reminding myself that I am not superstitious, I was fascinated by the ritual and did not let the wish bother me. Many things were revealed, and I am waiting to see whether anything comes true.

Contact Annie Chang at achang@dailycal.org

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Berkeley foodies have plenty to be excited about, from fine dining on Fourth Street to cheap eats in the Asian Ghetto. But they really go gaga over the slightest mention of secret menu items, even ones at big chains. Who wouldn’t? Around Berkeley, Starbucks, CREAM and Jamba Juice have sweet secret beverages to try, so here’s an inside look at some of these hidden treats.

At Starbucks, there are the “red tux mocha” and the “cinnamon roll frappuccino.” The red tux mocha is half white chocolate mocha and half regular mocha with raspberry syrup. The mocha’s flavors were beautifully layered in a reddish-brown concoction reminiscent of one of my favorite desserts, red velvet cake. At first sip, the raspberry flavor excites the taste buds, and after a couple of seconds, the subtle white chocolate mocha flavor comes through. I usually dislike mochas because their heavy chocolate flavoring drowns out the taste of the coffee, but this drink balanced the mocha with different layers of flavors that pop at the exact right moments. Meanwhile, the cinnamon roll frappuccino is vanilla bean frappuccino with cinnamon dolce syrup, and it tasted like I had just taken a bite out of a warm and delicious cinnamon roll. The best part: It leaves a pleasant creme brulee aftertaste. While the flavors in this drink were also layered, the effect was more subtle. The entire experience was like eating two desserts in one go, except in smoothie form.

CREAM is famous for its ice cream cookie sandwiches, and it also offers an expansive milkshake menu. But you can be creative and ask for the cookie shake, which is a blend of your choice of ice cream and cookie. Just a heads-up: Not all employees recognize the cookie shake by name, so be prepared to describe it if you order one. As expected, picking the right combination of cookie and ice cream is crucial. Not looking to get too wild and crazy, I picked a chocolate chip cookie and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and the shake ended up tasting exactly like if I had eaten the ice cream cookie sandwich version of this combination. The finished product was way too sweet, and it was very difficult for me to finish. The cookie chunks sank down to the bottom and were impossible to get without a spoon, so I ended up drinking a vanilla shake with some chocolate pieces here and there then eating cookie pieces afterwards. In hindsight, I should have chosen a coffee ice cream and chocolate chip cookie; the roasted bitter flavor of coffee would counter the sugar in the chocolate for a better balance.

To round out my secret-menu beverage run, I hit up Jamba Juice and ordered a Fruity Rocks smoothie, which was supposed to taste like Fruity Pebbles cereal. When I took my first sip of the purple, berry-color drink, my mind went to cherry Skittles. After about half the cup, the taste became increasingly familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Finally, 20 minutes later, I realized that it tasted exactly like Smarties candy, which always makes my mouth feel a little dry. This effect was not too enjoyable, but I continued to walk down Telegraph Avenue, sipping on my thick, fruity smoothie because, as a kid, Smarties were among the few nonchocolate candies that I really liked. The nostalgia made the experience worthwhile.

My friends always say that I’m adventurous when it comes to food. You know that feeling of an adrenaline rush when you’re on a roller coaster when the wind charges at you? That’s the feeling I get when I eat something I’ve never tried before. Squealing and screaming occur with both food and roller coasters, and taking the pass less traveled with cuisine usually comes with rewarding surprises. Secret menus exist to be dug out, and the adventures are definitely worthwhile.

Image source: Jed Schmidt under Creative Commons

Contact Annie Chang at achang@dailycal.org

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Sangria is a great drink for summer because it rivals good beer and pairs well with any dinner. It’s delicious and very hard to mess up. One bottle of wine can make enough for 8 to 12 servings, depending on the sweetness desired. Also, you can make really good Sangria with $4 wine. Live a little! (We recommend not using Two-Buck Chuck for Sangria because each bottle is just a bit too tart and dry.) Here’s a recipe that is cheap, quick and delicious.

Ingredients:
1 bottle of red wine
1/3 cup of brandy
1/3 cup of lemon juice
1/3 cup of orange juice
1/3 cup to 1 bottle of lemon-lime soda or sparkling water (depending on sweetness)
2 lemons, sliced
2 oranges, sliced
1 lime, sliced
Sliced fruit of your choice (we highly recommend peaches, cubes of watermelon or both)

Directions:
1. Pour wine into a large container.
2. Combine with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Stir twice.
4. Cover container.
5. Refrigerate for two hours.

Tips:
Use seasonal summer fruits, and cut into bite-size pieces.
The longer the fruit sits in the Sangria, the soggier it gets, so don’t let it sit for more than 24 hours.
There is not a significance difference in taste between $4 wine and more expensive varieties, given that most of us college students are used to Tw0-Buck Chuck. We find that Blue Fin at Trader Joe’s works wonders.
If preferred, you can make a bitter batch of Sangria and let your friends add more soda or brandy to their own servings.
Experiment with sweeteners! Use coconut rum instead of brandy or honey and mint lemonade instead of soda.

Have any suggestions or secrets for the ultimate sangria? Post them below!

Image source: Kevin H under Creative Commons

Contact Josh Escobar at jescobar@dailycal.org.

The post How to make a (collegiate) sangria appeared first on The Daily Californian.

It’s Friday night, and after a nice warm day in Berkeley, what better way is there to cool down than with a margarita? One of our favorites is the Cadillac margarita, which is as easy to make as it is to drink.

Cadillac Margarita

1-2 shots tequila
1 lime, squeezed
1 shot triple sec

Shake, pour over ice and enjoy. If you want it to truly be the “Cadillac of margaritas,” use good tequila and Grand Marnier instead of triple sec. But if you’re an average college student, you’ll do just fine without.

If you want a nicer margarita this evening, Comal on Shattuck Avenue is the place to go. With an open patio and a fire pit, it’s the perfect place to relax on a warm evening. It specializes in a variety of fine tequilas and have fantastically elegant margaritas (among other tequila cocktails, such as its famous swizzle) for $9. The eatery uses Cimarron Blanco tequila, orange-scented agave syrup and lime.

Image source: basykes under Creative Commons.

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