Once Upon A Grind read & discuss. Chptrs. 32 thru 61.

[Tina]

No rush if you're not at this point. Feel free to post if you are. Just don't want to hold up the PI's who are ready to move forward. ;-)

For myself, I'm just starting this section. Like first page in. lol Red certainly took off from the coffee shop in a hurry!

[Tina]

That Almond Milk Custard sounds heavenly! But what the heck did Clare ingest to have those trippy episodes? She thinks it must be in the coffee. What say you?

[Anastasia]

Love the food descriptions- only problem is that it makes me hungry. I'm thinking of trying out one of the recipes this weekend as we have Australia Day holiday. I'm finding some of the russian translation inaccurate. When Red keeps saying Ya budu ryadom it actually does not make sense because the sentence is incomplete. It translates to I will be next to or nearby as in physical position To say I will be next is a different phrase- ya budu sledoshaya. For Mike and Clare to have the same vision, I think is stretching it a bit far I think.

[Tina]

Interesting bit you have there, Anastasia. Perhaps author used online translation program and just like spell check, it's not always spot on.

Yes, having same dream is a bit unlikely. Unless we're to take this as hint that Mike and Clare are in tune with each other or right for each other and that's why their daydreams are similar. Maybe this will figure into plot and we'll find out the why.

[Anastasia]

Translations are difficult as the same word can have different meanings depending on the context- especially in the English language. Also differences between countries even using the same language eg thongs in Australia are what Americans call flip flops

[Tina]

I totally get your meaning, Anastasia. Thongs vs flip flops and all.

[Tina]

LOL On the marriage proposal.

[Allison]

Tina wrote: "LOL On the marriage proposal."

Oh yes - and the reaction! Priceless! Personally I thought the proposal was adorable (I should be so lucky) but apparently not all think like that.

[Tina]

Women seem to be the ones who get the importance of a decent proposal. Some men, yes, but mostly it's a daydream for women.

Wow, Clare is brave to keep indulging in that special coffee blend. Maybe she really likes having those weird dreams. lol

[Allison]

Tina wrote: "Women seem to be the ones who get the importance of a decent proposal. Some men, yes, but mostly it's a daydream for women.

Wow, Clare is brave to keep indulging in that special coffee blend. M..."

Yup, my husband proposed to me...kid you not...during a commercial break when we were watching a movie on TV. Guess that was a BIG clue to how the rest of our married life would be lol! It was really romantic though since it was really only our second date and the first 1 with just the two of us. I myself waited until the NEXT commercial break to tell him yes. That'll teach him lol. BTW, it's been almost 26 years now.

Clare does seem to be imbibing in the "special" brew more often than you'd think she would considering the side effects. Does she use creamer do you think? I haven't seen that mentioned at all. I love creamer in my coffee, especially the flavored ones :) and now that I realize I can use the sugar free ones for no Weight Watcher points it's opened up a whole new world.

[Tina]

It's a guy thing, Allison. Many of them just don't get it. lol

I also need creamer, milk, something in my coffee. Black just doesn't make it for me. Plus, I feel the milk makes it smoother tasting and easier on the stomach.

[Jill]

I'm with both of you on the guy thing and the creamer. Have you tried Bailey's creamers? Taste just like the bailey's only without the alcohol...lol.

When I was reading and seeing how Clare kept drinking the coffee, I kept thinking about the ones Allison sent us..Nice smooth great tasting coffee and no WEIRD dreams/visions....Oh and just to let you know Allison, my son is still alive...lol....now he asks if he can try this one or that one, or he'll ask if there's one that I want only to myself....lol....He learns quickly...lol

[Tina]

Then again, if the guy is too in the know of what to do and say, a gal has to wonder how he became so good at the practice. So I feel, the clumsy thing is a good sign and in most cases okay. ;-)

I'll have to try the Bailey's one of these days. Allison's coffee sounds great. I'm jealous. ;-)

As for Clare, I'm not sure it was wise to get in vehicle with a total stranger or take too much at the diner esp. since her coffee experiences. I'd be a little shy for both those activities.

[Cleo]

Tina wrote: "That Almond Milk Custard sounds heavenly!...

Tina - It's AMAZING. I developed the recipe because a good friend of mine cannot consume dairy products. I wasn't sure if I could do a custard with a nut milk, but I must say, not only did it work, it was even more delicious than with dairy milk. It's also great with the roasted blueberries. (I tell you how to roast them in the recipe.) Enjoy!

[Cleo]

Allison wrote: "Tina wrote: "LOL On the marriage proposal."

Oh yes - and the reaction! Priceless! Personally I thought the proposal was adorable (I should be so lucky) but apparently not all think like that."

Tina and Allison - I'm so glad you both enjoyed the "marriage proposal" sequence! I love Esther and Boris, and I enjoy writing them. FYI - Like Esther, I lived in New York's East Village (Alphabet City) when in my twenties, so I had a great time putting that location into the book.

[Cleo]

Anastasia wrote: "Love the food descriptions- only problem is that it makes me hungry. I'm thinking of trying out one of the recipes this weekend as we have Australia Day holiday..."


Anastasia - Wait until you get to the next section, which takes you into the secret Prince Charming Club. I did some research into signature dishes from gourmet restaurants in New York City, and you'll see those dishes mentioned as Clare eats her way through this room of the club. Enjoy!

[Cleo]

Tina wrote: Wow, Clare is brave to keep indulging in that special coffee blend..."

Tina (and Allison) - In my view, Clare is indeed brave to drink the coffee again when she fears what may happen. She does it out of extreme motherly concern for her employee, Esther, whom she thinks of as a daughter.

Readers may agree or disagree with her decision to drink the coffee, and that's fine, because human beings make different choices under pressure, and that's what good drama is about: the choices people make under pressure, which reveals character.

But I have something more for you to think about on that note. The coffee is not just coffee. It's also a symbol of something...

Have you ever gone through a tough time and desperately wished you could foresee an outcome or get some clue as to what choice you should make or what you should do? In short, have you ever wished for a crystal ball to see the future? When human beings are in that state, they often turn to things like... astrology forecasts, psychic readings, flipping coins, looking for "signs"...

What interested Marc and I, as writers, wasn't a debate about whether or not things like numerology, palmistry, the Tarot, or coffee grind readings can really predict the future. What interested us was exploring the motivation and mental state of people who seek out these things.

In the book, you see Clare struggling with using this "magic" coffee to try to *tell* her something that she is desperate to know.

As you continue to read the book, you will see that there is a scientific explanation for this so-called "magic" coffee and the "prophetic visions" she thinks she's having are not in fact psychic visions but something else. The conclusion will show you that Clare didn't need the coffee at all. If she had trusted herself, she would have figured out the solution.

BTW - This concept of showing you something that appears supernatural ("magic" coffee) but can actually be explained rationally or scientifically is part of a little-known sub-genre called weird menace. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles is an example of this sub-genre (the so-called supernatural menace ends up being perfectly ordinary and explainable).

Back to the idea of Clare and whether or not she should give in to the temptation of using fortune telling to guide her...

This is also what's going on at the opening of the book, when Matt is pressuring her to have her fortune told and she resists. At that opening point of the book, Clare is at a crossroads, and internally struggling with which way to go, but she wants to make the decision for herself and not be influenced by a coffee reading. (That crossroads becomes literal imagery when she goes into Central Park's version of the black forest to look for Mike's kids.)

So the question is WHY? Why does Clare, who rejected fortune telling for herself, turn to it (in a risky fashion) later in the book? The answer is because someone else's well-being appears to depend upon it, and Clare Cosi is willing to take a risk when it comes to helping someone else.

So, summing up: The coffee is a symbol, a metaphor, and when you get to the end of the book, you will see that these sequences with Clare and the coffee add up to one of the themes of the book, which addresses human behavior and fortune telling.

On that subject, I can also suggest that after you finish the book, you take another look at the epigraph on Chapter One ("Control your own destiny or someone else will") and consider how that idea applies to the journeys of certain characters in the book, including Clare, Red, Anya, Leila, and even Esther, who lets a coffee grind reading prey upon her mind and nearly ruin her happiness.

[Tina]

Truth or Dare: Truth - I've had my tea leaves and cards read and would entertain the idea of having my grounds read at least once. So there. I've outed myself as being at least intrigued by the science.

I would feel at home at Babka's! Does this restaurant exist for real or imagination only. Would love a Google (or similar) link to the location so I can "drive by." ;-)

[Anastasia]

A bit like the placebo effect in medicine where you get better just because you believe you are getting the right treatment

[Tina]

Indeed it is, Anastasia.

Poor Red. But I've got to say, Pink Princess was my fave of the two.