more on JONATHAN MEADOWS

SO THIS IS YOUR CALLING?

This is my life. I don’t know where the coffee industry is going exactly, but my next step is going to be to possibly reach out to coffee farmers, travel and fill in some of the gaps to what I have learned. There is sort of a subculture of baristas out there who are pursuing this as a career, rather than just a job that gets them through college (for some it is [just a job] and that’s OK, too) but there’s a culinary and artistic level and philosophical — in a way, we represent all who have gone before us, everyone who has touched the coffee throughout the process.

YOU RECENTLY RECEIVED SOME ACCOLADES FOR YOUR GOOD WORK. TELL US ABOUT THAT.

The regional barista competition is the first time I’ve been in the public eye, competed, and done well. I always felt I was good and knowledgeable about my job, but I’d never really had an outside stamp of approval. I really just went out there and tried my best. It feels good to be noticed.

HOW DOES THE COMPETITION WORK?

There are 10 regional competitions, and the top six in each advance to the U.S. Barista Championship, and one barista from there will represent the U.S. in the World Barista Championship — last year there were 52 countries represented at the world competition, which goes to show that it is quite a growing subculture. Anyway, you have 15 minutes to prepare three separate drinks for each of four judges — one is your own specialty drink. My drink is a little out there. It’s made with espresso, ruby red grapefruit and raw honey. Most people wouldn’t expect this mix, but it actually pairs well — the grapefruit’s acidity complements the coffee. I had sort of a team of people that helped me come up with it before the competition.

IF I WANTED TO TRY THE GRAPEFRUIT ESPRESSO DRINK, CAN I DROP BY WHITE ROCK COFFEE AND ORDER ONE?

Yes and no. Well, mostly, no. There’s a was a promotional event I did [last month] in which I made the drink, and showcased the coffees I most like to use, but under regular circumstances, it is too time consuming, messy, and we’d have to keep fresh grapefruit on hand all the time.

—CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

A GUIDE THROUGH THE MAZE OF CITY-RELATED QUESTIONS

It is nearly impossible to turn LEFT at the STOPLIGHT on my street. How can I get a left-hand turn signal INSTALLED?

The best thing about this process is that it is relatively simple and pain free: No out-ofpocket money needs to be spent, and no forms need to be filled out. However, from start to finish, the process of adding a left-hand turn signal — if approved — can take a long time. If you’re willing to wait, here is how it works:

1. A citizen can phone either 311 or directlycall the City of Dallas Transportation Planning and Engineering office at 214.670.3260. From there, a city employee takes down basic information, such as the intersection in question and the directions in which a turn signal is desired.

2. A city engineer has up to 90 days to take action on the request and will call the citizen to get more information about the intersection in question, including what days and times the intersection’s traffic light seems to cause the most problems.

3. The engineer then conducts a study of the intersection, taking into account trafficand accident reports from the previous three years, as well as studying the sight lines and available traffic lanes at the intersection.

4. The engineer will compile the findings, and get in touch with the citizen within a month of the study’s completion. If the engineer decides that a turn signal is either not feasible, or not needed, the engineer will explain why. If the engineer instead agrees with the citizen that a traffic signal is needed, then the engineer will file a request. (In the past year, 80 requests for new traffic signals were filed, and five of those approved and installed.) The timetable on when action is taken, however, depends whether the engineer believes a lefthand turn signalis urgent, and on other factors such as available funds that the city has for projects such as these.

5.

For more information,call the Transportation Planning and Engineering Office at 214.670.3260.

SAM BOHMFALK

GOT A MAZE YOU CAN’T FIND YOUR WAY THROUGH? Email howitworks@advocatemag.com with your question.