Tuesday, January 27, 2004


2 people who need to meet

"one whiff of the aromatic grounds awakens your senses; instantly, the scent of pine needles and sweet mountain air comes to the fore. you taste the ebony nectar, lingering on its smoky goodness, and everything -- the piercing morning light, 3-day-old bread, even your grumpy buddies -- takes on a softer edge. it's as if you've traded in your old trinitron for a spanking new hdtv."

peter flax is obviously a bccy kinda guy. that he writes this ode to peets' sumatra is laudable.

i like his positive attitude, and he is just another example of what scientific research appears to show: the aroma of fresh coffee does seem to generally improve human mood.

"if you want to go and see people who are far too happy with themselves, then you could do worse than to visit your local american-style coffee shop."

peter flax needs to meet juliet wilson. strike that; reverse it, as willy wonka said. this self-proclaimed glass-is-half-empty girl could use a boost. clearly her local cafe isn't serving fresh specialty coffee, or else she wouldn't be so grumpy!

however, as one whose local starbucks is in fact most days overrun with mothers of the type juliet discusses, i do have sympathy for her. as for inspector morse, i love him too -- and not just because of the late john thaw!

but he's grumpy not for the joy of it; he's grumpy because he's an uncontrollable romantic who cannot contain his disappointment with life. that what his classical music jones is all about: he needs it to inspire him, to remind him that the sublime and romantic can be seen in this world.

for both juliet and our friend inspector morse i would recommend a coffee meditation, such as i am helping with at the scaa conference in atlanta this april. morse's habitual pint is what brought him down.

coffee is romantic and beautiful. it also serves to connect us with other people in a genuine manner, which is the only balm for morse's brand of romantic despair.

finally, as for the glass-is-half-empty problem: this is, as a new acquaintance of mine has wisely said, an engineering opportunity. it simply means the glass you have is currently too large.

put it in the dishwasher and use a smaller one from now on!

ah: i should note that last weekend peter and cindy at counterculture held the southeastern regional barista competition. the winner?

a manager from counterculture itself. the surprise: he wasn't even a regular barista! he apparently entered on a lark. some people have hidden talents. . .

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