Here's the original comment on Reddit if anyone is curious!
She seems cool.
We urgently need more young people in politics, so this is nice to see. Here's an excerpt from her website:
My name is Cecilia Lunaparra and I am a queer, Mexican-American woman running to represent Berkeley City Council District 7, which encompasses the UC Berkeley campus and most of the Southside neighborhood. I am a UC Berkeley senior studying Urban Studies and History, and I am strongly committed to representing our community while centering the needs of young people and our most marginalized community members.
I'm just now learning they're Canadian! Thanks for sharing, love me some Mother Mother.
I agree, sometimes I like to just let the milk do its own thing and disperse freely. It can look real cool!
IMO latte art is kinda overrated and overemphasised anyway. I've had great cups that looked like blobs, and masterpieces of latte art that tasted bleh. I'd take the former over the latter every day of the week.
Haha sorry, Maritimer brain has a different definition of "east coast" 😅 I haven't been to the city in a while so my knowledge of the café scene isn't quite up to date but I have a couple suggestions!
Café Olimpico (the one in the Mile-End) is a pretty iconic spot, it's like the grandaddy of MTL coffee.
Café St-Henri is another classic.
Café Lali is a newer place I went to last time I was in Montréal and I quite enjoyed it. Smaller, one-barista operation, which I always find delightful.
Hey, everyone starts out horrible at latte art! If you're looking to practice, Emilie Bryant on YouTube has a bunch of great tips and lessons that helped me out a lot when I was still learning :)
I must say though, it's a lot easier for baristas to refine their latte art than home enthusiasts. Unless you have a huge, coffee-addicted family, you're just not feasibly going to get as much practice as someone who works in a café :P
That's cool! I'd love to learn more about that side of things. My current boss has a side-hustle as an espresso machine repairman; I should really ask him to show me a thing or two.
Depends where you're headed! I'll just list a few random spots off the top of my head (without getting too dox-y haha)
In Grand-Pré, NS, there's Just Us Coffee House, which is a coffee co-op with a focus on fair-trade and sustainability.
In Sackville, NS, there's Cranewood Bakery and The Roost Café which I've both been hearing good things about.
If you're in Moncton, NB, definitely check out Epoch Chemistry, especially if you're into lighter roasts. They roast in house and their baristas are very knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend their coffee tasting flight!
If your trip brings you to the Acadian peninsula (which I recommend on its own, lovely places and people around there!) La Boulangerie Grains de Folie in Caraquet is a must, as well as Aloha Café in Lamèque.
I'm intrigued, what do you do?
And yeah, I have no patience for pretentiousness or snobbery. Sharing something like good coffee with someone is a lot easier if you approach it with enthousiasm and understanding rather than a false sense of superiority.
I had an experience when I was younger and just getting into specialty coffee where a barista made a snarky comment after I ordered an americano. I didn't get a drink from a café for like two years after that. If someone comes into my café and is clueless about coffee, I'll share my knowledge if they seem interested, or suggest whatever's closest to their usual chain coffee shop order if they just want caffeine. I don't get the judginess.
Pic semi-related; one of my better tulip stacks. I don't often think to take pictures of my latte art, and even if I did my current spot is usually too busy to take the time for proper photos.
I know tulips are somewhat basic, but aesthetically they're definitely my favourite kind of latte art.
Ooo, that sounds like a real fun trip!
If you're doing some cycling, I'm doubling down on the Acadian peninsula recommendation. They have a network of great bike paths that connects the biggest towns and brings you across some gorgeous views.