The Google Doodle for today honors the flat white, a contentious coffee beverage with a history that combines espresso and microfoam, which is essentially steamed milk with tiny bubbles.
The phrase “flat white” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary 13 years ago today, as someone at Google apparently noticed.
On that ostensibly auspicious day, were there additional words and phrases added? Actually, 1,900 were present.
When did it first start?
There are alternative theories that the flat white originated in the 1980s in Australia or New Zealand. The “still latte” at Sydney’s Miller’s Treat café is mentioned in a May 1983 review, and the caffè latte craze was mocked in an April 1984 Sydney newspaper article. “Café latte translates as flat white,” he explained.
Another name for it is the "ultimate Kiwi coffee."
Where does the flat white come from?
Although the history of the flat white is a little hazy, coffee historian Ian Bersten speculates that it might have started in England in the 1950s.
When did it come to the UK?
Andrew Knight, the creator of Andronicas, an independent coffee roaster, told The Independent that “the popularity of this now king of coffee has skyrocketed since arriving in the UK.” This is due to the phenomenal increase in people’s interest in coffee in general.
"People now understand the difference between really great coffee and poor quality coffee."
In the UK, Starbucks started serving flat whites to its patrons in 2010. A few weeks later, Costa Coffee became the first high-street company to offer the drink nationally.
Why is Google Doodle celebrating the flat white?
Since the phrase “flat white” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2011, March 11 is a significant date for those who adore flat white people.
The animated Google doodle honors the fundamental qualities of the flat white, a preferred beverage among coffee enthusiasts seeking less foam because it is “flatter” than a cappuccino or latte.
The culture surrounding coffee has evolved significantly over time, as have the methods for making flat whites. Although whole milk was once used to make them, Australians and New Zealanders frequently order them that way these days. Oat milk made from plants is becoming increasingly popular!
The Accidental Success Story of Google Doodle’s Flat white
A cappuccino was reportedly made incorrectly in 1989 by a barista from New Zealand because “there wasn’t enough fat in the milk for it to rise properly, resulting in a less bubbly foam somewhere between latte and latte.”
He is said to have apologized to the client and immediately came up with the moniker "flat white."
To be clear, there are other competing genesis myths, but we can all agree that other very successful things have come about as a result of happy accidents. Among them are:
Penicillin
Since it is most likely the most significant, we will place it first on the list. After returning from vacation in 1928, microbiologist Alexander Fleming discovered that a fungus that had been growing around a mold he had put on a table in his lab had been killed.
"On September 28, 1928, he certainly did not plan to revolutionize all of medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic or bacteria killer," stated Fleming. "But I guess that's exactly what I did."
Slinky toys
Richard James, a US mechanical engineer, was attempting to devise a means of maintaining the position of onboard instruments in the face of choppy seas just after World War II. He had a tension spring idea. He inadvertently dropped one and was mesmerized by its motion across the floor.
They still “walk down the stairs, alone or in pairs,” as the old TV jingle used to say, almost eighty years later.
Play-Doh
Speaking of toys, I’m sure you used to play with Play-Doh; who knows, you might even do it now (no shame). However, Play-Doh was first created as a substance to remove carbon-heated residue from surfaces around the house, including wallpaper.
With the transition from coal to natural gas heating, a kindergarten teacher—who also happened to be the sister-in-law of the corporation that created the cleaner—disclosed that her students enjoyed using the cleaning putty as a modeling game, and thus the star toy was born.
White Zinfandel wine
This is a true story, which I was told years ago while on a wine tour in Sonoma. And I can still attest to its truth. Sutter Home vintner Bob Trenchero made a miscalculation sometime in the early 1970s when trying to make a dry Zinfandel, which made for a much sweeter batch than expected.
Instead of throwing away the batch, Trinchero bottled it. In 1987, “Sutter Home White Zinfandel was the best-selling premium wine in the United States.”
The microwave oven
When the first radar equipment was being built in 1939, a U.S. was discovered by a naval scientist named Percy Spencer. He was carrying a chocolate bar in his pocket, and when it came into contact with his equipment, it melted. He discovered the first microwave popcorn while experimenting with heating meals with other colleagues.
Given what we now know about radiation and microwaves, this seems incredibly risky, to be honest. However, Spencer lived for another 31 years before passing away in 1970 at the age of 76. It is said that he never made much money off of the finding.
We could continue with super glue, chocolate chip cookies, sticky notes, artificial sweeteners with lots of saccharine, and even fries.
(The latter is hard to verify. However, the story goes that in 1853, a cook named George Speck cut potatoes into almost ridiculously thin slices to create a snack. I declared that he liked them.)
Safety glass
In 1903, a glass flask was dropped on a hard surface by French chemist Edouard Benedictus. When it is not scattered, so he inquired. That he unknowingly
“An alcoholic solution of collodion, a plastic made by treating cotton with a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acid.” It was left inside to evaporate. This left a layer on the flask.
He discovered an application for the mixture six years later after learning about a girl who was injured by shrapnel in a car accident.
In the end, this is my personal favorite. It’s the only reason I’m still discussing unintentional creations and latte drinks. Google recognized the drink through a Google Doodle, which is essentially an unintentional creation itself.
In 1998, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin briefly substituted a stick figure for the logo on the Google home page. To notify users experiencing technical difficulties that they were away from the festival.