Jay's Strange Blog

Barista Jonathan Ddumba presents to Head Judge Clare and sensory judges Miriam, Richard, Evelyn and Emma. A few weeks ago, I received a c...

Outside the world looks grey, but it's still there. 5:52am The sound of a large explosion rousts my consciousness into awareness. ...

The nightlight is kicking at Cayenne. It's nearly two a.m., the music is thumping, bodies writhe before us, a plate of grilled meat i...

A little late to the party. I've spent a number of holidays away from home but none of them has revealed itself as poignant as Thanks...

Welcome to Great Lakes Coffee - the honorary Consulate of Greece. After eating a bit too much barbecue and partying together in Houston t...

Evaluating a cappuccino. Day Two of barista training for the Uganda Barista Championship consists of mock trials. Originally, I had plan...

The prize of Eastern Africa. With 20+C weather outside, Kampala is a lovely place filled with a cacophony of sounds, briliant sights and ...

Poolside at the Kampala Serena Hotel in Uganda. After leaving my house at noon on Thursday, I finally arrived at my room in Kampala, Ugan...

Feeling the call to duty. It's been sitting on my desk for three days now. I don't even know why I bought it knowing that I was ...

Another round of Hepatitis A vaccinations. It's weird, because I've traveled quite a bit in my life but every once in a while I g...

Coconut, tutti frutti, tutti frutti and the mystery orange flavor.

Assorted pork goodies in the window at Carnitas Alfonso. One of the nicest things about Mexico is that Mexicans are not afraid of pork. ...

The sort of bolognese simmers on the stove. I'm hungry. But I don't quite have fresh ingredients on hand. Instead, the freezer...

Tutti Frutti, Coconut and Strawberry ice creams. What's missing in Baltimore is an old school soda fountain kind of joint. Not so in...

Oh, yes... It's odd to me when I think upon how the New Zealand All Blacks have not won the Rugby World Cup in 24 years. I always th...

2006 Arturo Fuente Rothschild Maduro. The problem with enjoying lovely cigars is that they tend to fly out of my humidor. I'm lucky...

Uh oh, Danger... As I was perusing the aisles of a local Asian market, I spotted something familiar, yet strange. SPAM Singles. Truth...

Nick Rhodes waves goodbye to my childhood. In 1984, I was an unhappy child. I was fifteen years old, Duran Duran was on their worldwid...

The small lobster roll at Lobster Express. A certain sign that you're in New England is not just the lobster house but the vast selec...