Okay, I’ve heard of (and experienced) gasoline shortages, toilet paper shortages (here in Slovakia when their main toilet paper factory had a serious fire) and Dr. Pepper shortages (also here in Slovakia -- when it was first introduced, there was a limited supply, probably a test to see if there was interest enough to import it regularly, so that doesn’t really count).
But, last week was a first for me. I have been looking for coffee filters for some time now. I actually asked a sales person in an electronics store (I was desperate!), and he informed me that there is a shortage of coffee filters in our town and doubted seriously whether Zvolen (a town about 15 kilometers away) had any.
Now, coffee filters may not sound like a serious shortage, but for a coffee enthusiast (almost a coffee “snob”), this is a big problem!
I immediately resorted to my American “can-do” resourcefulness and started looking at other options - toilet paper, paper towels, cloth dish towels, cheesecloth, and more. I’ll tell you that to make a good, tasty cup of coffee without those blessed coffee filters is not as easy as it sounds!
Well, I hit upon a small tea filter that was built into a small, glass pitcher and basically poured boiling-hot water through the coffee in the tea filter. After some experimenting, I discovered that filtering it once made coffee that was too weak, but if I were to then filter the coffee again through the filter, that it made a decent cup of coffee -- in spite of the grounds that squeezed through the filter.
This was, indeed, a comfortable solution until I was airing my unbelief at the filter shortage to one of our elders’ wives at a confererence on Friday night. Upon hearing my dismay, she stated, “Hm, I’m sure I saw coffee filters at Billa” (another smaller grocery store here in town) “just the other day.”
Needless to say, I made a bee-line to Billa at the first opportunity and, lo and behold, found some coffee filters.
Okay, now I KNOW I really need some help. I’ve written an entire blog entry on coffee filters. Do I need a vacation or more serious help????
Until later...
But, last week was a first for me. I have been looking for coffee filters for some time now. I actually asked a sales person in an electronics store (I was desperate!), and he informed me that there is a shortage of coffee filters in our town and doubted seriously whether Zvolen (a town about 15 kilometers away) had any.
Now, coffee filters may not sound like a serious shortage, but for a coffee enthusiast (almost a coffee “snob”), this is a big problem!
I immediately resorted to my American “can-do” resourcefulness and started looking at other options - toilet paper, paper towels, cloth dish towels, cheesecloth, and more. I’ll tell you that to make a good, tasty cup of coffee without those blessed coffee filters is not as easy as it sounds!
Well, I hit upon a small tea filter that was built into a small, glass pitcher and basically poured boiling-hot water through the coffee in the tea filter. After some experimenting, I discovered that filtering it once made coffee that was too weak, but if I were to then filter the coffee again through the filter, that it made a decent cup of coffee -- in spite of the grounds that squeezed through the filter.
This was, indeed, a comfortable solution until I was airing my unbelief at the filter shortage to one of our elders’ wives at a confererence on Friday night. Upon hearing my dismay, she stated, “Hm, I’m sure I saw coffee filters at Billa” (another smaller grocery store here in town) “just the other day.”
Needless to say, I made a bee-line to Billa at the first opportunity and, lo and behold, found some coffee filters.
Okay, now I KNOW I really need some help. I’ve written an entire blog entry on coffee filters. Do I need a vacation or more serious help????
Until later...
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