10 February 2013

A PLEA TO CAFE OWNERS

Now that stopping by a café has become almost a daily occurrence for many of us, I’d like to pose a question for the many café owners around the country. (It’s the mini rhubarb muffin recipe here that got me thinking.)

Why does all the food in the cabinets have to be so ‘big’? It is all very well if the café is situated in the middle of an industrial area, or in the centre of the workplace, to provide hearty sandwiches, muffins, wraps and cakes that satisfy the hunger and healthy appetites of zealous manual workers. But it’s very hard anywhere to find delicate small bites to go with a cup of coffee or even for a very light and healthy lunch for the rest of us.

It’s daunting to walk into a café and see rows and rows of chunky sandwiches filled to bursting with thick layers of fillings, humungous-sized pies, large slabs of pastry-encased vegetables, meat and cheese, and giant slices of cake that could happily feed four old ladies. Why not make mini muffins? Dainty club sandwiches? Little asparagus rolls? Delicate little cakes? And perhaps, or maybe I am asking too much, some healthy snacks that don’t rely on a heavy hit of carbohydrates.

Lots of us just want a little treat with our coffee or tea. Please.