Despite a couple years of being in Brownies, I just don't have a terribly impressive amount of survival skills (though I CAN sew a mean sit-upon). This isn't something I necessarily am looking to change -- I'm just aware of it.
And for those of you that also know about Jorge, you'll remember that I frequently tout him as my key to survival for when the apocalypse comes. The guy grew up in rural farmland, knows how to light fires, spent most of his childhood barefoot and pooping in the wild, and can ride a horse bareback. Furthermore, he has uncanny and ingenious solutions to common household problems. Whenever I need to fix something, I hand it to him -- work your crazy magic, I tell him. And he does.
Well, it appears Jorge's resourcefulness has rubbed off in our 1.5 years together. Let me explain.
We recently moved into a new (mini)apartment in Lima. Though our landlord provided some basics, like a bed, and plates, and a toilet, there weren't important things like knives or French Press coffee makers.
Being that I am an American Coffee Drinker with a pound of hazelnut coffee burning a hole in my backpack, I had to remedy this situation quickly. However, the nearest supermarket only sells food -- no household products, no sprawling aisles of coffee makers, not even cheese cloth, for god's sake.
So, one our first morning in the new place arrived, I had a brilliant idea.
I wear a lot of leggings (ahem, actually maybe only leggings), and some of my current pairs in rotation are about to die. On our way back to Lima, Jorge pointed out in the middle of the Miami airport that I was essentially walking around naked since my leggings had grown so threadbare. Oops.
Time to throw them out -- or is it? I decided to use these very same leggings for a couple different purposes.
Purpose #1: CHEESECLOTH FOR COFFEE.
Purpose #2: Cloths for the sink area/cleaning the bathroom.
Okay, okay, hold your horses, you might be thinking. How can a self-respecting human being use leggings to make coffee? I'll explain.
Step One: Snip off the bottom fourth of one of the legs.
Step Two: Sew the bottom of the snipped-leg-portion shut.
Step Three: USE THIS AS A COLANDER FOR SEPARATING COFFEE GROUNDS FROM COFFEE.
Freaking. Genius.
However, our (mini) apartment, as I explained, came equipped with only the bare minimum of kitchen necessities. So on our first morning, this is what happened.
I sprinkled an appropriate amount of coffee grounds into a bowl (re: one of two bowls available in the house). Once my water was boiling, I poured this into the bowl. I let it sit for about five minutes. Then, having fastened my legging-colander to a mason jar ring using a hairband, we poured the coffee out of the bowl into the coffee cup via homemade colander.
Jorge pours bowlofcoffee into cup.
Coffee grounds remain securely in the homemade colander.
Final product: cup of coffee.
Over time, my coffee-making methods have varied. I went from strictly French Press/Keurig/locally bought to drip filter, to colander method...and now, to bowls. Some people might find this method unseemly or gross; I, however, pride myself on my big city survival skills.
Let's be honest, I might not be able to live very long once the apocalypse hits...but dangit, I know I'll be able to fashion myself a good cup'a'joe when the time comes! Provided I can figure out how to boil some water, that is.
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