When talking with fellow Minnesotans around breakfast time, I often get the uneasy feeling that the term “great cup of coffee” is going to make its way undeservedly into the conversation. As in my wife’s Grandma Johnson saying, “I’m glad you liked the dry toast. Would you like a great cup of coffee?”
Half of my in-laws – bless their souls – are 100 percent Norwegian. Living up to the Norwegian culinary stereotype, they flavor their mashed potatoes with hard water and complain about the strength of herbal tea. They are big and they are tough, but get into a feud with their family and an army of Johnsons can be dispatched with a pinch of pepper; so you can imagine what their coffee is like.
Not that any other ethnicity in Minnesota is known for its collection of dangerous, knife-wielding spices stored in the pantry, but one would think that with all of the innovations made by Juan Valdez and Mr. Coffee, we’d at least know how to make a cup strong enough to furrow Earl Grey’s brow. Instead, most Minnesotans wouldn’t recognize a good cup of coffee if it was painted orange and hurling a Volkswagen at them – something a good cup of coffee should be able to accomplish with ease.
Read: Community Voices: Anyone got a good cup of coffee?
