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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 2d

Taylor Swift releasing (needing?) 30+ variants of her new album in 1 WEEK to knock off Adele’s sales record feels cynical. Should a billionaire really squeeze her fans this way? @defector.com on how ‘good art doesn’t come from greed’ is the BEST piece I’ve seen on TLOAS
defector.com/taylor-swift...

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 2d

Argh, so sorry you have had to deal with that! If coffee names can help people feel a bit more protected, I guess that is a good thing. I really hope you encounter better (and nicer) baristas, too!

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 2d

You are not alone in this at all and it’s definitely still an issue. This is something that the baristas talked about when I interviewed them - getting three Matts in a row who have ordered strong flat whites. That’s why one of the Matts asked if his order could be for “Batman”!

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 3d

I ran into one yesterday and asked for the most creative coffee name someone asked for and they said Nintendo!

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 3d

LOL, there were 2 reader comments about this!

“Every so often I use ‘Spartacus’ as a coffee name. Maybe 1 in 20x someone else in the cafe picks up on the joke and joins in…”

“Spartacus could be amusing but there is a strong chance a fight would break out and you'd never end up getting the coffee.”

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 3d

It was also great to chat to @sukhmanikhorana.bsky.social and barista/cafe owner Rowena Chansiri for this @australia.theguardian.com story about “coffee names”.

Even famous people get their name misinterpreted (@wolfblitzercnn.bsky.social had a Starbucks order delivered to “Oof”)!

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 4d

I guess this is why people use Batman or Beyonce as their coffee name!

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 4d

Nice choice!

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 4d

I first came across the concept of having a “coffee name” when I heard Samin Nosrat say in an interview that her “coffee name” was Sam.

She had mixed feelings about it - and so do I! But I totally understand why people use one, as the intro to my @australia.theguardian.com story explains.

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 4d

Ah, thanks for your nice comment! I've definitely gone through a variety of emotions about this, and have settled for convenience (fake name!) rather than my real name. I'm sorry to hear your friend has to deal with misspellings (and a fake ID) as well! Hopefully he's found a 'coffee name' he likes!

Strong flat white for Batman: should I use a ‘coffee name’?

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 4d

If you have a ‘difficult ethnic name’, you might know this feeling. Do you give your real name for your takeaway order - only for it to be misspelt or butchered? Or do you give a fake name for convenience: a “coffee name”?

I've wanted to write this for YEARS!
www.theguardian.com/food/2025/oc...

Some people go undercover when ordering takeaway – here’s what baristas think of the practice

www.theguardian.com

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 4d

The NSW edition of Good Food Guide comes out next week. This is a pretty big development.
www.smh.com.au/business/wor...

Merivale dropped from Good Food Guide

Australia’s largest hospitality company has been excluded from the Good Food Guide following claims it exploited workers and prioritised VIP treatment over staff safety.

I've read 63 books so far this year. Here's how I did it

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 4d

I once read just 4 books in a year. In 2025, I’ve read more than 60 – a lifetime record for me!

Recreational reading has declined throughout Australia, but I hope this story might inspire people to turn some pages. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

Research shows Australians are reading fewer books than ever before. One writer shares her advice on how to make reading a daily habit.

www.abc.net.au

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 16d

FYI, FBi radio's supporter drive ends soon – if you can support it, that'd be amazing. It's been showcasing Sydney's music, arts & culture scence for 20+ years (it played The Kid Laroi and Flume when they teens; I recall playing Flume's demo as Harley when he was 15)!
www.fbi.radio/support

Support Us | fbi.radio

The beating heart of Sydney music.

www.fbi.radio

Olive Oil: Lamp fuel, criminal swag, pharmacy staple

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · 21d

Olive oil has been used as fuel, bug repellent & it's so valuable that counterfeiting it is like drug trafficking! Influencers believe in taking olive oil shots – but should we really? Great talking to @emantzioris.bsky.social about health & history for this podcast!
www.sbs.com.au/audio/podcas...

For thousands of years, we’ve used olive oil for everything: from lighting lamps to chasing bugs out of our ears. In Australia, the oldest olive trees – planted 200 years ago – are still alive today. ...

www.sbs.com.au

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Reposted by Lee Tran Lam

Annie Hariharan @anniehariharan.bsky.social · Sep 1

I'll never understand how companies who use AI tools in recruitment to 'streamline the process and increase efficiency' are complaining that applicants are also doing the same
www.theage.com.au/national/nsw...

Strange behaviour is being observed in job interviews. It’s a sign of the times

The explosion of AI has turned recruitment into a minefield, where it is difficult to assess if candidates have the skills they might appear to be able to demonstrate.

www.theage.com.au

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · Sep 9

Absolutely - that’s why they headed to India for supplies. Also, Ango-Indian cuisine was popular in early days of settlement, too.

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · Sep 9

Yeah, it is sad that the viral photo of anti-immigration protesters eating yum cha seems to suggest there’s a massive disconnect between what they were apparently marching for and where they like to eat.

Review: This condiment is ‘one of the best things I’ve tasted this year’

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · Sep 8

Migrants have been feeding Australia for a long time, esp. with people from China and Italy setting up market gardens (see this historical note, which mentions how Chinese market gardens produced affordable fruit & veg after a severe drought in 1892, www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/w...)

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · Sep 8

I wonder how many protesters at the recent anti-immigration rallies knew that the colony was saved by Indian food?

This is from a story I wrote for Gourmet Traveller in 2022. Even from the earliest days of settlement, Australian food wasn’t as bland or monocultural as you’d first think.

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · Aug 22

The tahini at Al Amara is freshly milled and "could be measured in ripples: it drips rapidly and is always in escape mode". It's spectacularly nutty and "has more complexity and character than entire bookshelves". I wrote about this Iraqi bakery for Good Food:
www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...

Al Amara grinds its own fresh tahini from pure sesame on site every day – but there’s much more to this bakery.

There was a man at the ice creamery the other day and I cannot stop thinking about him. He looked about 50. No family in tow, indeed no other travelling friends or acquaintances in sight. From his pe...

Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · Aug 22

"Maybe you will build those toxic – emotionally, spiritually, environmentally – simulacra engines and suck up all the water and tank the energy grid w/ the demand for the worst art ever made." @squigglyrick.bsky.social takes on AI slop (unlike AI slop, it's ace) rick-morton.ghost.io/crumbs-at-th...

Crumbs at the Slophouse

rick-morton.ghost.io

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · Aug 22

83% of people killed by Israel in Gaza are civilians, according to the Israeli military's own data. This "is extremely high for modern warfare, even compared with conflicts notorious for indiscriminate killing, including the Syrian and Sudanese civil wars"
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

Revealed: Israeli military’s own data indicates civilian death rate of 83% in Gaza war

Figures from classified IDF database listed 8,900 named fighters as dead or probably dead in May, as overall death toll reached 53,000

www.theguardian.com

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Lee Tran Lam @leetranlam.bsky.social · Aug 4

From Engadine Maccas and beyond: I talked to Gary He about his acclaimed McAtlas book. He's visited McDonald's in 50+ countries, including Australia (home to Melbourne's Art Deco Maccas, the McCafe, the infamous Engadine site & the worst thing he ate on his trip, LOL) www.smh.com.au/goodfood/eat...

Does Australia’s biggest contribution to global dining come from ... McDonald’s?

Here’s what makes our Macca’s stores stand out among 50 global outlets.