Last Blog Entry!

Comments I have made on other blogs:


1.  On Breanna's Blog - the entry was called, "Ergonomics" and it was dated 1/10/11.  Link: http://breannaquinn.blogspot.com/2011/10/ergonomics.html?showComment=1318901037815#c6191131207278835739

2.  On Stu's Blog - the entry was called, "Why I need my chickens" and it was dated 10/10/2011. Link: http://stupearce.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-i-need-my-chickens.html?showComment=1318899404782#c5025526249881394431


3. On Kylie's Blog - the entry was called, "Labour" and it was dated 9/10/11. Link: http://kylie009.blogspot.com/2011/10/labour.html?showComment=1318899805640#c6771693333630513731


4.  On Jazmine's Blog - the entry was called, "Aesthetics" and it was dated 23/10/11.  Link: http://participationinoccupationbyjaz.blogspot.com/2011/09/aesthetics.html#comments


5. On Hannah's Blog - the entry was called, "Final Baking Blog..." and it was dated 18/10/11.  Link: http://doweneedforks.blogspot.com/2011/10/final-baking-blog-bit-delayed-because.html?showComment=1318900519175#c6675460530102667118




Overall Reference List:

Collins, S. Timothy. (2011). Barista coffee humour.  Article Source, retrieved from:  http:/EzineArticles.com/5718631

Creek,J., & Lawson-Porter, A. (Eds.). (2007). Contemporary issues in occupational therapy. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Department of Labour Website (2010).  A guide to the health and safety in employment act 1992.  Crown Copyright.  Retrieved from: http://www.osh.govt.nz/law/hse.shtml. 


Mahy, M. (1988). The door in the air and other stories. London: JM Dent & Sons Ltd.  


Visser, M. (1992). The rituals of dinner. London: Viking, The Penguin Group.

Blog Entry #6 17/10/11

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS - When choosing my activity, I wanted to choose something that I felt passionate about as I thought that it would be easier for me to break down an activity that I was interested in.  Not only was I correct, but I also found it a learning experience breaking down the art of making coffee! I found out a lot about myself in relation to the task, and also a lot of which is really incorporated in the task that I had never thought about before.  As I work around 25-35 hours per week, it was a very practical activity to choose as I had plenty of time to carry it out and really break down the activity.


INTERPRETATION OF THE ACTIVITY - I believe that a lot of people who have not worked in hospitality, or know much about what being a barista involves, thinks that it is not hard to make a cup of coffee!  I was interested to find out, so I asked a few of my friends who I thought may have this belief, and sure enough, they thought that it can't be that hard and that they would be able to learn in a day or two who to do this activity.  It is interesting to hear other people's interpretations, and when I asked about making the patterns on top, one friend stated that she had watched a barista make her a coffee before and she just, 'wiggled the milk in to the coffee and it made a pattern.  Looked easy enough.'  Yet, when I have helped teach new staff at work how to make a coffee, it always takes them a couple of months before they are able to start making patterns!
As I have talked about previously in my blog, some people view coffee making as a part of their job, some people view it as simply a drink to enjoy and some people view it as a work of art.  I read a short story by Margaret Mahy (1988) called, "A Work of Art" (p. 36-49).  This story is about a mother who bakes her son a cake for his birthday and does a wonderful job of icing it.  It then gets noticed and is taken to a gallery as an art piece as it is so wonderful.  But in the end, of course it is eaten by her son and family and friends as, even though how wonderfully beautiful it was, it was a birthday cake and was meant to be eaten.
This relates very nicely to my activity because even though the coffees can be very pretty, they are made to be drank.  This quote is from the story by Margaret Mahy (1988) (p.43), which is about the cake but explain what I am saying in relation to making coffee very nicely;
"It is functional art - this cake is meant to be used, and yet the artist shows instinctive awareness of texture and balance.  She interprets the quality of cakeness and test her creation against traditional concepts."


Reference List

Mahy, M. (1988). The door in the air and other stories. London: JM Dent & Sons Ltd.

Blog Entry #5 - 10/10/2011

This week in class we looked at three headings called Labour, Work, and Play.  To focus on the activity of making coffee, I am going to focus on 'Play'.  I have talked about the enjoyment that I get out of doing this activity and this topic is an opportunity for me to elaborate on this.


PLAY - Although I go to my job of making coffee to earn money (labour), and I work and create (work), I also go to play! This week was rather quieter than usual, so I only had a few coffee's at a time to make.  This meant that I was able to take more time on making them than I would during busy times when there is a line of coffees to make and we are busy.  Quieter time = a couple of coffees to make at a time = experiment and play!!!
Since I did not have to rush, I took my time making the coffee's which was a lot of fun for me as I could experiment making new and different patterns on top, and it was also fun for the customers to receive their coffee which had a new and interesting look!
As it is Rugby World Cup time, I noticed that an Australian supporter had come in and ordered a latte.  I decided to make a statement in his coffee and show my support for the NZ team! I poured the milk slowly and wriggled it through the coffee, starting slowly and then got faster, and finally pulling the milk stream down through the middle of the pattern to make a 'silver fern'! I watched as the coffee was taken to his table and he let out a big laugh and said, "Look at that!! A silver fern!!" He looked over at me and asked, "Can you make a kangaroo next time!!".  I laughed back.  This really shows a type of play and fun you can have in the activity of making coffee, and it also draws back from the topic around communication and connection, bringing people together through laughter and humour.

Blog Entry #4 - 06/10/2011

SPIRITUALITY - Making coffee can not only just be a very spiritual experience for the customer/drinker, but it is also a spiritual experience for myself.
I love to do this activity when I have had a rough/busy/hard day studying or doing tech work, as making coffee sends me in to a rhythm I am familiar with and puts me at peace.  Even when there are many orders for coffee's and it gets busy, I am still in my zone where I am familiar with and rather enjoy the busy times.
I like to have a steady list of coffee orders to make, as the process soon becomes a nice rhythmic flow.
As for the receivers of my coffee, they too experience a sense of their own spirituality.  Some people drink coffee to calm them selves during a stressful day, others drink it to stimulate themselves and get ready for a busy day, and some people drink it simply to enjoy it.  People have often said to me that they look forward to the first sip of their coffee each morning as it helps to waken them up and gets them started for the day, Other's say that it has a very peaceful effect on them and drinking their barista coffee each day is their treat and time to relax.
Either way, I believe that coffee has a sense of meaning to all coffee drinkers, each to their own and it is a very spiritual moment for all drinkers, whether they choose to look at it like that or not.

Blog Entry #3 - 29/09/2011

AESTHETICS - I made a lot of coffees today for a lot of people and really focused on the beauty surrounding the activity.  The aesthetics of making coffee touches all five senses.  The smell of the coffee grinds and the prepared coffee, the beautiful artwork created on top, the texture of the milk, the sound of the coffee machine, grinder, and milk stretching and hissing together makes a beautiful harmony and the taste of the coffee can be delightful!
I have always been a slightly 'arty' person and I think that to be a barista, you need some sort of an artistic flair to really appreciate and create good cups of coffee! I love making coffee and feel a great sense of pleasure when I know I have made a really good one and that someone will be experiencing the pleasure of enjoying that cup of coffee.
Shared sense of pleasure? Yes definitely!  A lady came up to me today and said, "You make a really good coffee, I really enjoyed it! Thank you! I will be back again!"  Hearing feedback like this from customers is very rewarding and makes you feel really good, proud and happy that you have made a difference in somebody else's day.

Blog Entry #2 - 22/09/2011

COMMUNICATION - Today while I was making barista coffee's, I focused on the communication aspect of it all.  As the cafe became busier and busier, the place was suddenly becoming flooded with conversation and communication.  As another staff member doubled up with me on the coffee machine, I noticed how we communicate with each other to get the coffee's out as quickly as possible, but also ensuring that they are to their usual high standard.  I was preparing the coffee's and doing the shots, while the other barista was preparing the milk and pouring it in to the coffees.  Our conversation is very short and sharp and clear, so that we understand where each other is at and there are no confusions.
Our typical communication sentences were like this;
"I'm doing shots for three have here cups, 2x cappa's and a flat white so I need 3 blue milk done", and "Theres two takeaways; a large trim cappuchino and a small trim hot chocolate, so you do the green milk and ill do the next order for the soy latte and long black."


I noticed when I looked around the cafe that everybody was engaged in conversation with each other looking very happy, sipping away on their hot drink.  Customers were socialising with each other, sharing similar interests, and enjoying their time around there coffee's.  Collins, S. Timothy (2011) is a barista himself and said, "Working as a barista is a great occupation and an opportunity to join others in the spontaneous and natural enjoyment of friendship and conversation around a cup of coffee."


I smiled as I noticed how this activity was bringing people together to socialise and share a sense of connection.



I read a quote from Visser (1992) which said, "We use eating as a medium for social relationships: satisfaction of the most individual of needs becomes the means of creating
community".  I understand that yes we do use eating as a medium for social relationships, but I would like to challenge this quote as to adding that we also use drinking as a medium for this also.  As I have broken the activity of making coffee down, I now understand the relationship that the activity can bring people in to.  The satisfaction from drinking a coffee, certainly becomes a means of creating community within, and relationships that form.



REFERENCE LIST


Collins, S. Timothy. (2011).  Barista coffee humor.  Article Source, retrieved from: http://EzineArticles.com/5718631

Visser M. (1992). The rituals of dinner. London: Viking, The Penguin Group

Blog Entry #1 - 14/09/2011

I have never thought about ergonomics when I make barista coffee.  But, with the thought of this topic on my mind today while I was doing this activity, a few things crossed my mind. Caulton and Dickson (2007) said that ergonomics underpins the ability to make slight invisible adjustments to an activity to adapt to the needs of those taking part.
This is so true! When I take over from making coffee's from other staff members I ever-so-slightly change things to suit the way I prefer to do it!

This is a short clip of myself at work pouring milk in to a shot of coffee to make a flat white -

PERSON

•    Whilst making coffees at work today, I was thinking how confident I felt in doing the activity and what my skill level would be.  As I have been making coffee for around 6 years now, I am very much in my comfort zone at work as I know the equipment, the surroundings, the staff, and the organisations of things well and even a lot of our regular customers!
•  The sense of agency is very important in this activity for me.  I feel very in control and really enjoy doing it! I love to make different patterns in the coffee and making them look attractive as well as tasting really nice!  Today though, we were very rushed when we weren't expecting it, so I was starting to feel a little bit over whelmed.  I felt as if all of the customers were ordering different types of coffee to make it harder for me! Trim latte, decaf soy mocha, flat white, double shot long black with hot soy milk on the side, macchiato with trim, hot chocolate, trim vanilla flat white....!! Although I am experienced in making all sorts of coffee, the amount of different orders with different types of milks needing heated up meant that it took longer to do, therefore the coffee order line would pile up.  I was pleased when another barista at work returned and we both made the coffees together which sped up the system and was a lot less stressful on myself!
• In saying this, I do love work when it is busy.  I love making coffees the most when it is at a steady pace with constant 5-6 coffees to make at a time.  This makes the time fly without being too overwhelmed by a large line of coffees ordered!
• I am only able to make barista coffee at work as the machine's are very expensive to buy.  It would be great to have a machine at home but I cannot justify the expense of having one.  And if I ever did buy one, I would only get a good, proper machine which is around $2,500.
• There is a large degree of responsibility that falls on the barista.  The coffee is expected to smell, taste and look attractive along with being the correct temperature (60% unless asked for hotter or colder) and to be made appropriately to what was specified in the order.  If the barista makes coffee to send out to customers which does not meet these criterion, the customers may not come back which could lead to the business failing.

ENVIRONMENT

• I have worked at my work for 2 years now, so I am very familiar with the environment.  This helps me to feel at ease with the activity as I know the equipment well and where everything is and where to find things.  It makes it hard when people who have not worked there long, puts things in different places and changes settings on the coffee machine as it then becomes somewhat unfamiliar to what I am used to and the flow of work does not run as smoothly.
• The first thing I did today, before I made my first coffee, I cleaned up the area around the machine, and I wiped the bench that I work on.  This is because I prefer a cleaner and tidier environment to work in and it also means that coffee grinds and chocolate powder do not get on to the bottom of the cups!  For me, this means that I can happily finish my coffees and have them taken out to the customer with pride.
• Having the environment clean and tidy also has a positive impact on customers who order takeaway coffee as they often watch and observe the making of the coffee.  The positive impact occurs because when they see the tidy and clean environment, they can see that you take pride in what you do, being making their coffee.
• The clean environment also includes political aspects such as meeting health and safety regulations.  Awareness around health and safety in connection with food and drink is more common these days and therefore customers can be very conscious about the environment their coffee is made in. The Department of Labour Website (2010) says that  it recognises that successful health and safety management is best achieved through good faith co-operation in the place of work and, in particular, through the input of those doing the work
• The social environment is also very important where I work when making coffees.  All wait staff employed at my work are under a 'Casual' contract and we have only one staff member who works there full time with their main responsibility at work being Barista.  As this is what she is contracted to, it is  important for staff to be aware that she is the main barista and during the rush hours of 1000-1045hours, 1200-1300hours and 1500-1530hours, she should be the one making the coffees.  During these rush hours when it is very busy, it is then usually my job to be the one to help her with coffees.  Out of respect, I always ask her if she would rather for me to do the milk or to do the shots.  We work really well together as we have been working as a team for two years.  The other staff are very important in the social environment as we all work together and communication is key.

ACTIVITY

• It is possible for this task of making barista coffee in different ways and for the outcome to be the same.  But the differences must be very slight.  It comes down to preference I believe.  Some barista's prefer to steam the milk before they do the shots and some like to do the shots forst and then steam the milk.  Personally, I prefer to do the shots first and then steam the milk at the same time, as this means that I can keep an eye on the shot while doing the milk, and they will both be ready at the same time which I believe makes a good hot coffee.
• Other preferences are when barista's put chocolate powder in to their milk and steams it all up together to make hot chocolates.  I prefer to spoon the chocolate powder in to the cup and mix it with a tiny bit of hot water or hot milk until it dissolves, and then steam the milk and pour it in to the cup.  I prefer that way because there is no risk of the powder blocking the steaming nozzle, and I think that you can make pretty pictures in the hot chocolate when doing it my preferred way.
• It does take a long time to build up correct skills and knowledge to make barista coffee.  I am lucky that I learned at a young age and kept learning new things all of the time.  There is a lot more to making the perfect cup of coffee than people think.  This includes things such as knowing about the machine and settings to use, which grind to use, which coffee beans are supposed to pour which way (eg. some are supposed to pour slower and thinner than others), what the colour of a good shot should look like, how to steam the milk correctly for different types of coffee ordered (eg. milk should be stretched (foamed up) more for a cappuccino than it should for a flat white, having a good knowledge of the different types of coffee, how to pour the milk into the coffee cup to make the foam come out first or the thinner milk and also doing it in such a way to make a coffee et etc).

REFERENCE LIST

The reference for; Caulton & Dickson (2007), came from:

Creek,J., & Lawson-Porter, A. (Eds.). (2007). Contemporary issues in occupational therapy. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Department of Labour Website (2010).  A guide to the health and safety in employment act 1992.  Crown Copyright.  Retrieved from: http://www.osh.govt.nz/law/hse.shtml.