• More Memphis

    April 4, 2008

    Well, after 2 weeks, I finally broke down and did some grocery shopping.  Much to my chagrin, Memphis is without a Trader Joes :(  Come on TJ, get with it, bring the goodness to the Mid-South!  Instead, there seem to be 2 main options for the average grocery shopper: Kroger and Schnucks.  I decided to try Shnucks first. It’s a nice store with a good selection of stuff and let’s face it, a pretty fun name!  Maybe a bit pricier than Kroger from what I hear, but they seemed to have decent sales on the sort of stuff that I end up buying.  Also, they give you 5 cents off of every gallon of gas for every 25 bucks you spend, a nice perk.  But, the best part of the shopping trip was coming across Ugly Mug coffee.

    This was big for 2 main reasons.  First, I have never really been a coffee drinker.  I’m one of those guys who needs plenty of milk and sugar to make coffee palatable.  But, a few weeks ago I had my first cup of coffee with nothing but a bit of flavored creamer and really enjoyed it.  I reasoned that this would be my gateway to being a real grown up coffee drinker and was excited to finally have the opportunity to buy some of my very own coffee and give it a shot. Second, Ugly Mug is a local Memphis coffee company.  Not only do I like to buy locally whenever I can, but this is a company that is looking beyond the trendy fair trade fad to even deeper issues of sustainability and economic development.

    Here’s me enjoying it –

    Side note – this was also the first time I have ever used a personal coffee maker.  I bought the wrong filters, but made it work and had no idea how much/many(?) grounds to use to make 2 cups of coffee.  How do you figure that out – guess and check?

    In other news, I was traveling down the road the other day and drove by this…

    Yeah, I just don’t really know what to do with that.  The statue sits outside the facility for this church, which, aside from my assumptions about the presence of the statue and the cost involved, I know nothing about.

    Ah, life in Memphis!

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    Posted in: coffee

Recent Comments

  • Matt said...

    1

    HAHAHA Welcome to Memphis JR. Now you should go see the 7′ Buddha.

    04/4/08 3:34 PM | Comment Link

  • JR Rozko said...

    2

    Sounds like a call for a group outing to me!

    04/4/08 3:36 PM | Comment Link

  • Eric said...

    3

    I wondered when you would first see that monstrosity…

    Again, welcome to the Bible belt…

    eg

    04/4/08 5:16 PM | Comment Link

  • Alex Rozko said...

    4

    Coffee!!!

    This is where you call your environmental coffee connoisseur little brother. Which by the way the rule of thumb is 1 tbl. spoon or spoon scoop of grounds per 1 cup o-java. I always do a little more for that darker taste. Also, I’m not sure what kind of maker you got bought, but they make metal filters so you never need another paper filter again.

    That statue is really scary.

    04/5/08 8:35 PM | Comment Link

  • Carrie Babcock said...

    5

    Is it crazy in Memphis with all the March madness going on?

    04/7/08 11:47 AM | Comment Link

  • JR Rozko said...

    6

    Yeah, pretty crazy. I think they are expecting some riots and stuff like that downtown if Memphis wins – which is ironic since the U of M basketball team going to the NCAA finals finally puts Memphis on the map for something other than crime – go figure??

    04/7/08 4:36 PM | Comment Link

  • Kale said...

    7

    JR,
    I am also a coffee NUT, I drink the stuff everyday and can’t live without it. Alex is right, use the metal filter and just wash it after each use..saves money and resources. Second, I saw the coffee you bought was already ground, the best tasting coffee is when you buy whole beans and grind it yourself right before you make it. Not only does this put a wonderful smell in your kitchen, the coffee tastes so much better. I reccoment a burr grinder, where all you have to do is set the number of cups you want and it grinds it automatically to the number of cups you want. Plus you can adjust the strength of the coffee too. Another note, if you buy coffee don’t ever put it in the freezer like some people say, because the oils on the coffee beans will dry out (which is where you get the flavor from). Hope all this was helpful :) Love your blog by the way…..oh yeah we shop at Kroger.

    04/8/08 1:20 PM | Comment Link

  • JR Rozko said...

    8

    Dude, thanks for all the tips. I will keep all that in mind as I get more and more into the coffee thing.

    I’ll try Kroger the next time I go shopping.

    04/8/08 1:29 PM | Comment Link

  • Sarah Christoph said...

    9

    hi JR. Welcome to Memphis!… and the surrounding areas. I'm in Collierville myself and was checking out the lhchurch website (I go to another church but have visited the high school for a lh service) when I saw the news of your arrival and for some reason ended up finding and reading a lot of your blogs. Good insight! It is always a big deal to move to a different city and be the "new guy"- so even though you don't know me, I just wanted to say welcome and God bless.  

    04/8/08 8:28 PM | Comment Link

  • JR Rozko said...

    10

    Hi Sarah, thanks so much for your comment and the welcome – much appreciated.  Hope our paths cross at some point.

    04/9/08 9:42 AM | Comment Link

  • JR Rozko said...

    11

    The addition problem really has nothing to do with spammers, I just don't want idiots who can't even add commenting of my blog!  The statue is at least 50 feet tall, probably more.  How the heck did I double that paragraph – my editor must have missed it – fixed now though.  I'll do my best not to shatter with extreme prejudice your 5k record, but no promises.  Hey, how long does it take before you become totally accustomed to sticking your nose in your kids crotch to see if there's something in there that shouldn't be? 

    04/10/08 5:39 AM | Comment Link

  • Sean said...

    12

    Dude, what is with the addition problem to leave a comment?  I had to break out the abacus.  how does that protect from spam any way?  Are the computer nerds not able to add?
    Anyways,  coffee=good.  Our boy is finally growing up.  I feel that you have already been given the tools you need to successfully brew up some coffee.  As for the statue, how big is it?  If it is less than 20′ I would be disappointed.   They should be proud that the gift of the cross can so easily be conformed with the gift of the French.
    Also: did you know you put the same paragraph in there twice?   I was all excited for two more main reasons only to be let down.
    Just to make this comment even longer. . . Julie’s mom is in town and asked about you.  And I hear you are running a 5k.  Me too! Oh wait, no, I am sitting.  I used to do those, and should probably start again.  My best time was 23 min.  Just look forward and not at the ground, it’ll be easier.
    That should do.  later.
     
     
     

    04/10/08 10:26 AM | Comment Link

  • Sean said...

    13

    The nose test is deeply ingrained in human nature, it is natural instinct.  You don’t think twice about it the first time your kid wears a diaper.

    04/10/08 7:04 PM | Comment Link

  • Suzi said...

    14

    JR,

    Yeah – you've joined the coffee club!  Dunkin Donuts is my favorite –and they sell it at the grocery stores now.

    We definitely miss you here.  But, it's awesome to see what's going on in Memphis.  Keep us posted!

    04/14/08 3:14 PM | Comment Link

  • Nathan said...

    15

    The City of Memphis paid for that statue. Isn’t THAT scary?

    04/23/08 4:38 PM | Comment Link

  • Nathan said...

    16

    FYI for those who don’t live in Memphis: The photo didn’t capture the shackle and broken chain that is on the statue’s left foot. She holds the Ten Commandments and the incription reads: “AMERICA RETURN TO CHRIST”
     
     

    04/23/08 4:41 PM | Comment Link

  • Jim said...

    17

    Thought you might like this site it is the Q&A for the Statue. Interesting read.
    http://www.thestatueofliberationthroughchrist.org/q&a.swf

    04/29/08 1:52 PM | Comment Link

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