Yesterday morning, I was in a mad dash to work, as usual. I was in dire need of caffeine, so I ran in "the hut," of which I do not know the real name. We, and by "we" I mean foreigners, have created its name over the years. It is just a small convenience store about the size of a cubby hole. I wanted to get my daily shot of espresso. I prefer Starbucks Americano Doubleshot Espresso, but I was just searching for anything with the word "espresso" written on the can, cup, bottle, etc. I finally found a Korean brand of coffee with espresso written in English. I bought two cups and went merrily on my way. I was ten steps outside of the hut when I took my first sip. Slimy chunks of espresso slid up my straw and into my mouth. I immediately thought "This espresso has gone bad!" and spit it out on the sidewalk (or
pavement for my English/Irish friends). I thought I was going to retch, literally. I looked at the expiration date printed on the cup, which was several weeks away, then meticulously examined the rest of the cup.
The small white print in English reads "Exclusive coffee of original latte with jelly espresso." Coffee with chunks of gelled espresso??? What mentally deranged person thought this was a good idea??? And who did this company use as a taste tester? Andrew Zimmern???
As the SBS foreign correspondent on the street, I do NOT approve.
