Tuesday, July 29, 2003


coffee: serve & protect

once again we find a health benefit to coffee: a norwegian team discovers that drinking coffee protects against cirrhosis of the liver.

again, 3 cups of coffee a day -- the limit for moderate coffee drinking that i recommend -- is all it takes to see the effect.

the team could not exactly pinpoint which of the many phytochemicals in coffee is responsible. however, i personally suggest it might be those wacky antioxidants. . . .

in fact did you know that coffee is apparently the largest source of antioxidants in the typical american diet? (tho' this page also demonstrates why adding more chocolate to your diet is a healthy must!)

also, here's an interesting story about a coffee mural in a small town in eastern new mexico. add this one to the regional coffee culture stories. (use my advanced search to find 'em all!)

what makes this noteworthy is how the town's residents feel about their little coffeeshop. the coffeeshop and its culture of hanging about in a friendly, attractive, social environment appears to make the townspeople believe their burg is a much better place to live.

the entire town's perception of itself is improved by having a nice place to drink coffee together; this coffeeshop mural is helping to build the community.

in a time when smaller towns are threatened by population shifts, when the development of ex-urbs appears relentless and unstoppable, when large chain stores are killing main street, when retail sprawl is destroying the sense of community, here's a little coffeeshop that asserts and assists the town identity. . .

this is just a reminder that coffee, the stuff we generally take completely for granted, has so many unexpected effects on our lives!

posted by fortune | 11:44 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments