Wellington flat white on Starbucks menu

Wellington's coffee invention adopted in the US

We gave the world Lorde, pavlova, and now - according to the Wellington man who says he invented it - the flat white coffee.

Global coffee empire Starbucks listed the flat white coffee on its United States and Canadian menus this month. It was already available in England and Australia.

According to the Starbucks website, the flat white is thought to have been created in the 1980s in Sydney, Australia, though there are claims of it being in Melbourne earlier.

A statement from Starbucks said the flat white "became a coffeehouse staple in the UK and is now a budding favorite among coffee aficionados in the United States and Canada".

The statement, though, made no mention of New Zealand.

The real history of the flat white is murky, with the name seemingly preceding the drink as we know it and the drink itself changing from city to city.

But Wellington hospitality stalwart Fraser McInnes claimed he invented the exact flat white being used by Starbucks.

Rather than considering legal action he was "chuffed" to see his invention being drunk around the world.

It was New Zealand's "greatest contribution to the world's cuisine since the pavlova", he said. His flat white - a double shot of espresso topped with a silky layer of foam on top - came about when he was trying to make a cappuccino at Cafe Bodega in Willis St in the summer of late 1989.

It was the end of summer and there was not enough fat to properly froth the milk. "I went over to the customer and said Sorry, it's a flat white."

His business partner then listed the flat white on the menu blackboard.  

It might have been a failed capuccinno, but it immediately became immensely popular, spreading around Wellington's cafes.

Craig Miller, whose book Coffee Houses of Wellington is about to be launched, has several different stories.

Starbucks, on the other hand, declined to comment.

Quote of the day.

"I knew he wasn't interested when he ordered a steak with mashed potatoes on the side."

-- A leading Republican strategist on the need for candidates to slim down if they were serious about contesting Hillary Clinton for the United States presidency.

Eating with your fingers

There was an interesting question posed to Peta Mathias, our local agony aunt, in the paper this weekend. The letter writer had done a lot of entertaining over the holidays (as we all do) and had noticed that the young folks preferred to eat with their fingers.  Is this a new fashion?  Why ignore the lovely silver cutlery?

Her answer was quite inspiring, really. Fingers came before forks, as we all know, but there is also such a great connection between your body and your food that (Peta says, and she would know, being a gourmet cook) it actually tastes better when you eat it with your fingers.

And it is unbelievably nice and sexy for someone to pick up a tasty morsel and slip it between your lips. "This," she says, "is what mothers do with their children and it speaks of trust, love and acceptance."

It is the reason we all love fish and chips and pizza.

But there are Rules, she goes on.  If you provide finger food, you really should provide a finger bowl, too, preferably with rose petals floating on top, so you can rinse those fingers.

Never lick your fingers.

And use your right hand.  In so many countries it is considered nasty to eat with your left hand that you may as well get into the habit.

This all made such sense to me that I looked up google to see if any other gurus had debated the thorny issue.  And I found one in no less than the New York Times.

It tells the story of Julie Sahni, who won a competition that would take her from India to Europe, where she had to learn the European way of coping with food.  She had to learn how to use a fork!

“Eating with the hands evokes great emotion,” she said. “It kindles something very warm and gentle and caressing. Using a fork is unthinkable in traditional Indian eating. It is almost like a weapon.”

And now (this article is three years old, but presumably the idea still holds) some fine restaurants in New York subscribe to the view expressed by Peta Mathias and Ms. Sahni, that eating with the fingers "heightens the sensual connection to food."

So, young folks, keep on using your hands to dig in.  Not only does it heighten the delight, but your hostess should take it as a compliment.

Handling hostile reviews

"I need some protection from all the reviews," emailed George Clooney to a Sony executive, after wincing from criticism of his film The Monuments Men.

"We will protect you by making money .... it's the best revenge," emailed Sony back -- which, when you think of it, is not a bad answer at all.  That 50-shades writer must have thought that often.  What did they use to call it?  Laughing all the way to the bank?

The anecdote has triggered all kinds of responses, including a meditation in this week's DomPost insert "Weekender" -- which, of all things, looks at restaurant reviews.

Apparently a chef in Auckland became so incensed at reviews of his Nourish Group restaurants in the magazine Metro that he took out a full-page advertisement announcing that all Metro food critics were banned from his doors. The ad featured a recipe for "Metro Food Critic Testicles," saying their reviews were "out of step" and that they were playing "a childish game ... Balls to them," it concluded.  At which Metro editor Simon Wilson responded by sending him a pair of coconuts, and a note saying, "They're bigger than you think."

Now, that is childish.  He had many other valid points to make. Metro food critics pay for their meals, visit at least twice, and must not know the proprietors or chefs at any of the establishments.

But taking out that ad was a big mistake, too.  The chef in question now wishes he hadn't acted on the spur of the moment.  And what he said has food for thought for us all, book writers included.

"Often reviews have some really good points and you learn from it and grow the business. ... You can't win against reviews.  You're best just to shut up, accept it and look at it objectively."

Belated wisdom, but noteworthy nonetheless.

Are cruise ships really polluters?

My blog post about the dire ratings of cruise ships, as reported by Friends of the Earth, has attracted a great deal of interest on FaceBook. People have pointed out that cruise ship passengers don't stop flushing toilets after they get home, and, what's more, they go back to driving their cars.  Others have pointed out that whales produce a lot more poop than people do, though whale poop might be a lot better for the planet.  Suddenly, swimming doesn't seem all that attractive.

Rick Spilman of Old Salt Blog has produced a great deal of evidence that FoE have their facts wrong, in that many cruise ships have a better sewage treatment system on board than most of the ports can boast -- that when it rains in many civilized places, raw sewage floats down the streams and drains to the sea. He quoted a blog post he had made about it, and here, with his kind permission, it is extracted.  (This is the link the entire post.)

Here is yet another case of the media taking a wildly inaccurate sets of claims about ships at face value.  The news media has been touting a new study by the environmental group Friends of the Earth. The title of the FOE press release of December 4th makes their claim quite clear — Cruise ships flushed more than a billion gallons of sewage into oceans again this year.  And who is FOE? Their website claims that “Friends of the Earth is a bold and fearless voice for justice and the planet.”  They may be “bold and fearless,” but do they have the first clue about ships?  Or are their claims just so much, err… sewage?

Could the cruise lines really be dumping all that sewage?

The FOE press release claims that “cruise ships flushed more than a billion gallons of sewage into oceans again this year” Is that possible?  The answer is no.  The billion gallons referenced is FOE’s estimate of the total sewage generated on all cruise ships in one year. To claim that all the raw sewage produced was then dumped into the ocean is a wild exaggeration at best. Calling it a boldfaced lie might be a more accurate characterization...

Ultimately, FOE gives too much away when it expresses it preference in shipboard sanitation. In their ‘Cruise Ship Report Card’ they write: “The last and most environmentally protective method is for cruise ships to hold treated sewage onboard and not dump near our sensitive coasts and marine protected areas.”

So if FOE prefers that cruise ship retain sewage in holding tanks, where will the sewage ultimately go?  It will have to be pumped ashore to be processed in shorebased treatment plants. And this is where FOE misses the point.

When cruise ships are tied up to a pier in New York or Miami and it starts to rain, there is a very good chance that raw untreated sewage will start flowing int the waters of either harbor.  But it won’t be coming from the cruise ships.  The sewage will be flowing directly from the city sewers.  The title of a Newsweek report from last summer, summarizes it perfectly — If It’s Raining, NYC’s Raw Sewage Is Probably Pouring Into the Waterways.  New York, like many cities, has a combined sewage and rain water system. In heavy rains, the system overflows and carries sewage into the harbor.

Miami, a major cruise ship port, has similar problems. Just this April, Miami-Dade County and state and federal regulators entered into a consent decree to begin a multi-year $1.6 billion repair to the very leaky sewage system.

It is not just New York and Miami with sewer problems. According to the EPA there are over 770 cities in the United States where sewage flows untreated into the waterways when it rains or snows heavily.  And what is the effect of these sewage overflows? Last summer over 1 in 10 US beaches was unsafe for swimming due to seawage contamination.  As reported by USA Today: The EPA estimated that up to 3.5 million people become ill from contact with raw sewage in swimming water each year.

As I said, it doesn't really encourage one to dive into the water.  Read the rest for an extremely well-argued post.

Facebook's REAL book promotion

Believe it or not, Mark Zuckerburg has declared this the year of the BOOK.

The founder of Facebook recently announced that his challenge for 2015 is to read a new book every other week. Taking it a step further, Zuckerberg has invited others along for the journey by creating a Facebook page called A Year of Books in which community members are encouraged to read the same book every other week and participate in public discussions.

Zuckerberg has asked that only those that have actually read the books and have relevant points speak up and to stay on topic, the group will be moderated.

The books he chooses will have an emphasis on learning about different cultures, beliefs, histories and technologies. The first one up is The End of Power by Moisés Naím, a book that explores how the world is shifting to give individual people more power - something that was traditionally held by governments, militaries and other organizations.

Zuckerberg said the trend of giving people more power is one that he believes in deeply.

The book club idea seems to be a pretty big hit thus far. As of writing, the community page has more than 100,000 likes and the first book on the docket is temporarily out of stock on Amazon.

Cruise ships' poor pollution ratings

Perhaps the visits of cruise ships (one pictured in Wellington) are not the blessing the town bean-counters keep on saying.

Two cruise ships docking in Wellington this week have been given "failed" grades for their air-pollution standards by an international environment group.

Data on the Voyager of the Seas and Seabourn Odyssey are included in the latest Friends of the Earth's Cruise Ship Report Card that ranks 16 major cruise lines and 167 cruise ships.

Two other liners scheduled to dock here are rated failures for not just air pollution but for sewage systems that basically pour the stuff into the open sea.

FOE produces ratings on four environmental criteria--sewage treatment, air-pollution, water quality, and transparency.

"With ships that can carry up to 7000 passengers and crew, these floating cities pollute the air we breathe and the water we use," the California-based group said.

So how do they rate our visitors?

Voyager of the Seas scores C-minus, for failing on air pollution.  It's owner, Royal Caribbean, is rated D.

Seabourn Odyssey scores C-minus, too, while owner Seabourn Cruise Line gets a D.

The problem with both these vessels is that their dirty diesel engines keep running, to keep electricity flowing while they are in dock.

On February 25, the Crystal Serenity will arrive, complete with its double-F rating. Its owner, Crystal Cruises, scores F for absolutely everything.

Glamour ship Queen Mary 2, arriving in March, scores just C-minus, while its operator, Cunard, gets a D.

Each day a cruise ship is at sea, says the group, it emits more sulphur dioxide than 13 million cars, along with an awful lot of soot.

And a ship carrying 3000 people generates 568,000 litres of sewage a week.

Want to look at the full report card?  HERE IT IS

NZ Navy's No. 1 dies

There's a story behind this humble man.

A Royal New Zealand Navy legend, Shiu Hang Che or "No 1", has died aged 88.

In a "Crossing the Bar" notice, the Royal New Zealand Navy said Shiu, "the
Navy's much-respected No 1", had died peacefully at the North Shore Hospital
on Monday.

"RIP No 1 and Bravo Zulu," the notice said, using the flag code for well
done.

Virtually everybody who has served aboard New Zealand warships will have
sailed with him.

And in the senior service where crisp uniforms are an absolute requirement,
Shiu played a vital role in shipboard life.

He had been laundryman, a civilian posting, on nine New Zealand navy ships
and served in two conflicts aboard them - the Korean War and Malaysia
Conflict.

"Where ship go, I go," he told the New Zealand Herald 18 years ago when he
first came ashore.

"Sometimes it is dangerous, you don't know what time you will be killed."

Chief of the Navy Rear Admiral Jack Steer attended a ceremony at Devonport
Naval Base in August to celebrate Shiu, whose last seaborne posting ended in
1996 with the decommissioning of HMNZS Wellington.

He continued working, serving at the shore training base HMNZS Philomel.

His first ship in 1947 was the Royal Navy's St Brides Bay. He served on six
Royal Navy ships which had a contract with Hong Kong laundrymen to serve the
fleet based there.

New Zealand picked up the system and Shiu joined the New Zealand Navy as a
civilian in 1957.

He sailed aboard the Royalist, Rotoiti, Pukaki, Taranaki, Blackpool, Otago,
Waikato, Canterbury and Wellington.

For almost 40 years of his career he lived on board ships even while
alongside in Devonport, returning to his family in Hong Kong for one month a
year.

On Canterbury the ship visited Shanghai in 1987 and Shiu got to spend four
days with his family.

He became a New Zealand citizen in 1989 and in 1992 he bought a house here.
His wife Boon Shau and one daughter Wai Lai moved to New Zealand, leaving
his three sons behind in Hong Kong.

When he was 70, Shiu said there was hardly anybody in the navy who did not
know him.

"Everyone says hello - I am granddad to them," he said.

"Everybody call me No 1 ... that's a pretty good name, No 1."

Picture:  Shiu with Chief of the Navy Rear Admiral Jack Steer.

Three NZ crime writers at TIBE

Cross-posted from Craig Sisterson's Crime Watch

Three Kiwi crime writers to feature at Taipei International Book Exhibition

Three acclaimed but very different authors who were longlisted for the 2014 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel lead a 22-strong contingent of New Zealand writers, illustrators, and graphic novelists at the Taipei International Book Exhibition next month. New Zealand is the theme country of the 2015 Exhibition. 

Eleanor Catton becomes the first Man Booker Prize winner to ever attend the Taipei International Book Exhibition (Book Fair), and she will bring hints of crime and murder mystery to the New Zealand theme alongside Paul Cleave and Joan Druett. Cleave was the 2011 winner of the Ngaio Marsh Award and a multiple finalist, whose dark Christchurch-set thrillers have featured on bestseller lists in several countries. He was also a finalist for the Edgar Award last year. His latest novel, FIVE MINUTES ALONE, has become available in New Zealand today.

Druett is a renowned maritime historian who crime fans adore for her Wiki Coffin tales - intriguing murder mysteries set on 1800s sailing ships. Her latest mystery, THE BECKONING ICE, made the longlist for last year's Ngaio Marsh Award and was praised by judges for the intriguing character of Wiki Coffin, her humour, and the way she crafted the fascinating setting of life about the US Expedition with great detail and understanding without overwhelming readers with nautical jargon.

The Taipei Book Fair runs from 11 February to 16 February at the Taipei World Trade Centre Exhibition Halls, and visitors can see the attending author launch books, sign autographs, and give talks. Other New Zealand authors in attendance will include Witi Ihimaera (best known internationally for Whale Rider), beloved children's author Joy Cowley, award-winning children's book writer and illustrator Gavin Bishop, and graphic novelist Tim Gibson.

In a press release, the head of the New Zealand theme country project, Upstart Press's Kevin Chapman (who was formerly the head of Hachette in New Zealand, and a driving force behind the very successful New Zealand pavilion at the Frankfurt Book Fair), said his team "hopes to create a platform for conversations between New Zealanders and Taiwanese". In Taipei, the New Zealand pavilion design is inspired by the tokotoko (Maori talking stick) - with three tokotokos around the pavilion meaning anyone inside as the authority to talk. 

New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei Director Si’alei van Toor said that she hopes the upcoming Book Fair strengthens bilateral cultural ties and shows Taiwanese the rich culture of New Zealand. “New Zealand and Taiwan have a lot in common," she said. "We’re both island economies with strong links to our indigenous peoples." Chapman is looking forward to showing that New Zealand, acountry well-known for stunning scenery, agriculture, and rugby, also has a rich cultural side. The annual Taipei International Book Exhibition is one of Asia’s largest book fairs. More than 1,000 publishers, writers, illustrators and experts in the publishing sector from around the world participated in this year’s fair.

The Millennium cockroach

Remember the panic at midnight on December 31, 1999?  Come now, it wasn't all that long ago. Are you sure you don't remember it?  Everyone was scared stiff that the computers would fail as they tried to turn 99 into 00, and planes would fall out of the sky. And it was all meant to start in New Zealand.

The DomPost carries a memory prod today, penned by Alex Fensome.

AT one minute to midnight on December 31, 1999, a group of media, techies and government personnel sat together in a bunker underneath the Beehive.

As the clock ticked round to launch the new millennium, they waited in readiness for a disaster.

Midnight came and nothing happened. The lights stayed on. ATMs did not spew out wads of cash. The toilets still flushed.

After 30 seconds, they celebrated with handshakes and New Year wishes. The Millennium Bug appeared to have come to nothing.

"There are fireworks over Wellington and the lights are still on," Y2K Readiness Commission chairman Basil Logan told reporters upstairs, as he was overshadowed by a dramatic display of pyrotechnics.

"I guess Wellington is in good shape."

Because New Zealand was the first developed country to see the millennium, it was seen as a global early-warning station or a guinea pig.

There were fears the change to the year 2000 would see mass malfunctions in critical systems across hospitals, air traffic control, sewerage, power, communications . . . the list was practically endless.

According to doomsayers, it would all be caused by the computer programs' inability to cope with the date change from 99 to 00. At the very worst there were fears that ageing missile launch systems in the United States and Russia would turn the world into a nuclear fireball.

The Readiness Commission, set up by the National government, tried to raise awareness of the problem and get organisations - particularly councils - to get themselves fixed up.

It spent $2.5 million warning the public to get ready to go without water, power and sewerage for three days after midnight on December 31.

They used "Ken", an animated cockroach, to spread the message. It worked. Throughout 1999, both The Evening Post and The Dominion ran dozens of articles about Y2K readiness.

Millions of dollars were spent on fixes and back-up plans by businesses - Telecom spent more than $100m on Y2K, while national grid operator Transpower had six helicopters on standby to fly technicians around the country if needed.

In December, there was a run on portable toilets in Wellington, as people worried the sewerage system would break down. The Readiness Commission and civil defence ministry set up a monitoring centre in the Beehive, staffed by more than 50 people, for Millennium Eve.

Of course it turned out nothing happened.

Globally, billions had been spent on Y2K readiness. There were some minor glitches, but nothing like the apocalypse some had predicted.

It is still not really clear whether the lack of incident was down to preparation, or if there had never been much to worry about at all.

"It is tempting to look back on the Y2K warnings and dismiss them as exaggeration or even conspiracy," The Dominion wrote on January 2, 2000.

"Perhaps the auspicious date encouraged some dark millennial fears. But a simple programming bug pushed the world into uncharted territory of risk and the minor faults that have emerged since January 1 tend to vindicate the work done."