We live here now.

Froth Cafe

Sarah’s family has a few cottages littered throughout the township of Tiny, Ontario. During this trip back to Ontario, while the Blue Jays have traveled out of town, we’ve spent most of our “down time” in and among those cottages. I have really enjoyed the disconnected time, as it has given me the chance to read The Four Hour Workweek and come up with some new ideas for the next phase of our retirement.

More than this, we recently found out about Froth Cafe, located on Main St in Penetanguishene, about 15 km from the cottages. We’ve only managed two trips there so far, but early returns have looked good for the fledgling cafe.

In short: very good espresso drinks, fresh and bright decor, very pleasant staff, commitment to quality over speed.

Sarah and I visited Froth looking for espresso drinks: Sarah her cappuccino and I my latte. We walked into the shop and immediately noticed the bright, airy feel. Light-colored wood and clean glass dominate the decor. On the blackboard behind the counter, the cafe’s proprietors set a relaxed tone: if you want fast food, then please go elsewhere. I loved it straight away. We ordered our coffees, chatted with the staff for about 10 minutes, and enjoyed what we drank.

We visited a second time, me bringing some technology to keep me busy while Sarah and her family went shopping for clothing for an upcoming wedding. I found it a delightfully relaxing place to sip a latte or two while working away, seated on one of their big, comfortable lounging chairs.

Overall, I really enjoy Froth Cafe, and find it a shame that we might not have the chance to visit it again soon. If you have a cottage in the Penetang area, please visit them and buy some coffee and food. If you live in the area, please support this fine new establishment to help them survive the winter and provide the community with something better than fast food and burnt coffee.

So we’ve been living in Dauphin for nearly a week now, and while I noticed this in Dauphin, this is not a statement about Dauphin. It is a statement about the North American obsession with mediocrity.

Sarah and I spent a week in Como, Italy where I attended XP 2007, a software conference. Part of the Italy experience was the beautiful coffee, notably espresso and cappuccino. If you’ve never had the European coffee experience, I will say that it is marked by one major philosophical difference from my everyday experience at home: quality over quantity. Specifically, an Italian cappuccino is perhaps 20% the size of what Starbucks sells, and there is almost literally no way to compare the flavor. The closest I can get is the difference between coffee from a standard drip coffeemaker and coffee from the Aeropress. You simply have to experience it to relate.

So I was walking past 7/11 here in Dauphin and saw a sign for the “SLURPuccino… where the SLURPEE meets cappuccino.” I nearly fell over. This is what’s wrong with my fellow North Americans: they’d rather have a lot of a mediocre experience than a small amount of a superior one. That’s not original; I read it somewhere on the web, but can’t remember where and am too lazy to find it. Some blog somewhere. It’s true.

I’d rather have a small amount of a superior experience, thanks. No SLURPuccino for me.