So guess how pleased I was when I found out that the thing we call a "coffee plunger" in Australia is also called a French Press. Not to be confused with the French Pressure Cell Press. This is for preparation of coffee (for drinking!) not disrupting the plasma membrane of cells by passing them through a narrow valve under high pressure.
So, yes, the French Press is something I do every day. I like to tell this little repetitious stock joke that the "French Press" (ie I'm referencing the "bench press" here) is my only regular workout... imagine my amusement when I heard there really is an exercise by that name.
For such a delightful apparatus its history isn't terribly exciting. As wikipedia says it was "probably invented in France in the 1850s, but first patented by Attilio Calimani in 1931". Though, as expected there's a slightly more floral and myth-y version of how it came to pass.
As mentioned I do like coffee, and I'm not alone. Though the temptation is there I'm not going to link to any of the legion of coffee connoisseur/enthusiast/geek/snob websites that exist. I've never really trodden down that internet path and don't really intend to. I suspect it's like taking the Red Pill - OK no - more like following Alice down the rabbit hole.
We rented a very pleasing apartment in Montmartre and I was relieved to find that the kitchen was well stocked and included said apparatus.
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