Brain Juice Baby

Look at this…

Is it just a coincidence that some of the nations with the  highest consumption of coffee are also some of the highest achievers on the PISA academic results in MATH, SCIENCE, and LITERACY!

want proof? here and here

HMMMMM!

Drink Up Folks!!!!!

Starbucks' "Trenta"

Weighty Matters: Starbucks' "Trenta" - the caloric equivalent of more than half a gallon of Coke!

Coffee Cupping: How Professionals Taste Coffee | Serious Eats

Coffee Cupping: How Professionals Taste Coffee | Serious Eats
What i find most interesting about his article is that it attempts to do two things at the same time which on the surface seem contradictory. The premise of the article is to give in layman terms the process by which an elite set of individuals grade coffee. This apparently needs to be done because this process is mysterious and shrouded in obscure almost dictatorial power in its ability to affix value to coffee.
It is almost like the author is saying, "Do you wanna why certain coffee is considered better than others? Well, there is a perfectly rational system in place that allows certain individuals to make those claims about certain varieties."
The other thing that this article does is to maintain the control that these 'professionals' have over this stratification of food. With just enough vague brevity the author rather successfully re-shrouds this field of action all over again. At the end of the article we feel just as bewildered as before about the whole thing. We also feel appropriately distant from being able to achieve the elite status that the professionals have in tasting coffee. We know that even if we attend some of these coffee cupping events we will remain subservient to a predetermined number set by the objective set parameter maintained by the 'gods' of coffee tasting.
as for me right now - i just wanna find some good coofee to bring home this week!

All this talk about ‘healthy’ is really making me ‘sick’?

Weight log:223lbs

Let me begin by asking a few questions…

What makes one item of food healthy and another one unhealthy? Why do some people find chicken nuggets gross and unhealthy while the same meat (parts of the chicken) used in your mom’s chicken soup are actually used to treat colds (sort of)? How can the same material object be both terrible for your health and also able to relieve the symptoms of your illness? What are the criteria that make certain foods healthy and others not so? Is it just what ingredients are used, how they are mixed together, what sort of tools are used to make them, or could it be that the idea of what is health is actual rather an arbitrary thing? Is it possible that the idea of ‘healthy’ might actually be something we have created to make some kind of political statement? By saying something is healthy or unhealthy are we actually engaging in a sort of revolutionary project? And while being revolutionary might give us a certain swagger, what is it that we might be trying to revolt against? Is it possible that food itself becomes a sort of play thing that we use to talk about how we feel about certain forces of power in our world? Is it possible that food provides us with a foil that we use to determine our rank in comparison to each other? (For instance: “I cannot stand drinking Folgers coffee!” Is that because it tastes bad or because I am trying to make a statement about who I am in comparison to all those other hopeless addicts. Am I actually exercising what Pierre Bourdieu would call cultural capital?)

Here is another example: Friends of mine own a vineyard in Kelowna. The grapes from their vineyard are a distinct variety that produces one of the most flavourful wines I have tasted. Summerhill Pyramid Winery’s Baco Noir sells for between $25 and $35 per bottle. It seems that when Mr. Eides began growing the grapes on contract for this winery the expectation was that this wine would likely range in the $10/bottle price range. But after substantial test and showing at various wine tasting events (I’m not really even sure what that all entails) this wine received substantial acclaim which translated into the significant increase in price. So the question is: what is the real worth of this bottle of wine? The actual material contents of the wine have not changed but it seems that due to the interact of experts and a willingness on the part of the public to sustain this price the wine has increased in value. Of course it does not hurt that the narrative around the wine is a classic “Little Engine that Could” Story. But you can see how this related to the question of health? Why can we apply labels of healthy and unhealthy to foods?

Wanna have some fun with this? Check out this little quiz that I have made up to see what you think about certain foods…

Take the Survey (click here)

But while you are pondering that let me take this a step further and ask you to push a little bit further into the reasons for why we might be constructing ideas about health that are not necessarily related to the actual material matter. But that I will save till next time…

Overheard…

A relatively larger first year student who lives in residence at the university to her relatively thinner first year classmate (who seem to incessantly have a predisposition to high-fiving each other over the most meaningless trivialities), “university student breakfast” = one half of a bagel and a whole Roma tomato.

“In both philosophy and everyday life we imagine that there is a real or true self which lies deep within us. On the surface is  found the clothing which may represent us and may reveal a truth about ourselves, but it may also lie. It is as though if we peeled off the outer layers we would finally get to the real self within. But what was revealed by the absence of clothes was not the Emperor’s (of the infamous fairytale) inner self but his outward conceit. Actually, as Ibsen’s Peer Gynt observed, we are all onions. If you keep peeling off our layers you find – absolutely nothing left. there is not true inner self. We are not Emperors represented by clothes, because if we remove the clothes there isn’t an inner core. The clothes were not superficial, they actually were what made us what we think we are.” – Daniel Miller in STUFF

The point Miller is trying to make is that the illusion of an inner self might actually be illusory especially in the sense that it might somehow be distinct from its external representation. I believe another wise ONE said something like, “By their fruit you will recognize them”. This concept is not easily reconciled with the modern conception of the self where we talk about finding ourselves and seeing ourselves in a new light. But really when you think of it those ideas are actually quite odd since they clearly suggest that we somehow live outside of ourselves almost like two people. What Miller is saying about clothing – we can surely say about food especially if we follow Barthes ideas in the previous post.
So my classmate is not just trying to produce an identity the food itself is identifying her or rather it is constituting her – both physiologically and socially…
The interesting thing might be to see how indeed those food item speak. I have been known as a coffee expert – a moniker that although I treasure it somewhat I feel uncomfortable wearing – it is restrictive in many situations where people find it necessary to justify their apparently inferior coffee when serving it to me. I always say, “Listen, I seriously don’t mind drinking any coffee at all – as long as it is black and caffeinated.” Of course this is not actually true since there clearly are some coffees that I refuse to drink. But saying allows me to negotiate what might otherwise be regarded a peculiar arrogance. Or is it my way of reinforcing my social construction as connoisseur by granting a certain ‘grace’ to my hosts in drinking their beverage? And what might happen if after losing all this weight I can no longer lay claim to the that same status?

Weight log:227lb

espresso rub for steak

So I was thinking that I might include recipe around about once a week here on this blog. The focus will be on things I like to make so….

Espresso Rub (for steak)

Ingredients:
4 of your favourite cut of steak
½ cup finely ground espresso coffee
Take a trip to your local micro-roaster and ask the staff to grind a half pound of their best espresso as finely as they possibly can (many of them can actually grind it to a flour like consistency). Otherwise use the finest coffee available to you. The courser the grind the more coffee you’ll want to use.
2 tbls of course ground pepper
3 tbls of seasoning salt
1 tsp of onion powder
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup of red wine or cooking wine

Allow steaks to slightly defrost (15 minutes or so)
Mix all ingredients except for wine in a small bowl
Rub onto steaks – reserve a few table spoons for later use
Pour wine into the bottom of defrosting container
Allow to defrost completely (turning every hour if possible)
Barbeque on high temperature and sprinkle steaks with reserved mixture
Continue to sprinkle with pepper throughout barbeque process
For a slightly more zippy flavour add a tsp of cayenne, Tabasco, or Cholula hotsauce

If Dolly Parton...

read this blog she might be encouraged to drink more coffee. check this out!
People this just goes to show that coffee is not only a fabulous tasting beverage but it also has body modification properties - SWEET!

The world might be ending soon...

Evidence that the freemarket and capitalism might not redeem all the ills of the world.
Starbucks will shut down 600 of its U.S. coffee shops
The Oregonian
Wednesday July 02, 2008
From now through next March, Starbucks Corp. plans to shutter 600 of its underperforming U.S. coffee shops and open fewer stores than planned.
Why: A slowing U.S. economy is dragging down the Seattle company's results. Starbucks has been hurt by subprime mortgage fallout in California and Florida, which account for nearly one-third of U.S. retail sales. The company said U.S. operating profit in fell 27.5 percent in the quarter ended March 30 from the year before.
Starbucks' wildfire U.S. growth also is coming back to haunt it. Up to 30 percent of a shop's revenue is cannibalized when another Starbucks opens nearby. About 70 percent of stores slated for closure opened since fiscal 2006; they make up 19 percent of U.S. company-operated stores opened then.

Alberta Grizzly

It's rare to find a coffee that delivers on taste in different aspects and without noticeable imperfections. So imagine my delight when I happened on this beauty. A full bodied flavor that is not dark and acidic. Hints of cinnamon and caramel color the front end, followed by a deep nutty finish. It's not aggressive enough to stand out against a piece of Saskatoon pie but you'll be quite content sliding this across your palate in mid afternoon. This is coffee could easily weasel its way into becoming a staple in your cupboard. No need for a gustatory workout here but there is just enough complexity to keep you interested every time. The Planet Coffee Roasters is another micro-roaster with a number of great products and an extensive repertoire. Check out the toll free phone order line with most roasts around the ten dollar mark. Nothing to grizzly about Alberta Grizzly.

Nothing really exists

There's this fun little philosophical problem that might keep party guests entertained for – oh minutes.

Nothing really exists.

There's the past. The past is what used to exist but no longer does. We get to it basically through our memories.

The future is what will exist but does not yet exist. No matter how much we want it to – we will never experience the future.

The present is a tricky little thing. The problem with the present is that everything we perceive (that is everything that we receive through our senses takes time to be processed (even if only in a few milliseconds). So essentially everything we experience as now is essentially in the past which we already know no longer exists.

So is it possible to prove that you exist right now…

Well, something to chew on – especially at those times when start feeling particularly self important.

A Song for Twelve degrees in August

There was no one who
Brought you to your knees
Boot to the head
Like you’re out for revenge
You pesky rat
Like it wasn’t enough for you to chase the sun
To make the white dark
White
There was no one who
Danced on your grave
Taunted you like a defeated fat old school yard bully
Smiled at your sudden demise
For your make-believe oppression thru the sun break
To make the red skin
Brown
Back off winter
Chill
Relax
Inhabit those deep dark places
Where your icy schemes conceived antidotes like
Coffee
And what happens between the duvet and the posturepedic
Go back there
Till the dusk stretched sun has made us all to inebriated to remember
Your frigid handshake at the door

Mexican Custapec

This is like your basic "get to work" coffee - only there is nothing basic about it. There is little that is nuanced, subtle or complicated about this dark roast. It is full and ready. It is the kind of coffee that if it catches you in the mall says, "What the heck are you doing here?"It's not busy but not frantic. It sits down in your mouth like a full meal deal. It's veteran chocolate taste with slightest paunch in the dark department. You can blend this coffee with almost any other coffee and count on it to provide that stable deep sweet taste. It won't hide - it won't run - except maybe for office. I mean it may have collected E.I. once or twice in the mid-eighties but these days it pays its own mortgage on the house at the end of Splendid Coffee Lane. It's all business - and its business is pleasure!

Hate to say I told you so…

I know when you read this post it will sound cryptic, vague and mildly prophetic. And so it was intended. You see gazing into the grounds at the bottom of my cup I could foretell that people who entertained the use of Edible Oil Products would no doubt risk many calamities including (but not exclusive to) trouble navigating washroom functions (note the live: “I (still) wipe my bottom with paper”). Well lo and behold – my dear friend is beginning to show signs of said calamities. Yes my friend Ryan, despite my frequent prompting surrendered his body to the abuse of E.O.P’s. And yes if you read here you will see evidence that the poor man has begun the malevolent descent into, as I said before, calamity. We should all, as Nacho Libre put it, “Pray for hees salbation and stuff!”

things to do this week...

-change oil on both vehicles
-get them both booked in for repairs
-finish Briercrest courses
-rent a transit to get started on 'front of the house' deck and walkway
-Get record of employment stuff sorted out
-apply for EI
-get VBS float ready for the parade
-VBS band practice
-get dog groomed
-get started on bathroom reno
-pack away books from office
-cut and stack firewood (borrow chainsaw)
-take boys to swimming lessons
-marriage prep. session
-book tickets for U-20 World cup game in Edmonton on Sunday
-prep Mom and Dad's 40th Wedding Anniversary party
-confirm speaking engagement for July 21st
-help Jared prep for Learners...
-figure out more VBS songs for Jesse on the sax
-get costumes for VBS mascots and stuff...
-make espresso till I get it right

so yeah here it is

I am 69% Addicted to Coffee

ht: Jesse

The Pickle Lives...

Yesterday was our farewell Sunday. Sounds silly that way since we are staying in Coaldale. But the church was very generous in their warm words of gratitude - even though some of my biological functions were brought to light. It was pretty meaningful to hear the expressions of thanks. And to be honest - there is still a large part of me that wishes that things could have worked out differently and I could stay at the church doing what I've done these last few years. There would be alot of comfort in that. And even if the dynamics of my decision to resign seem a distant regret - I know that the direction that we are moving in reflects the responsibility God has given me (even more importantly OUR lives as a family).

I received a espresso machine as a thank-you gift. That means that I am building coffees again. So who'll be the first to come over for the signature Pickle drink -SEX-IN-A-CUP.

In the Press

Costa Rican La Minta Tarrazu
Every coffee exacts its surgery on the soul – the healer. Luckily the soul always is desperately in need of repair. This coffee touches the soul in the place that it walks – the everyday – the one foot in front of the other – everyday. It’s about as regular a coffee as should be consumed with touches of spiced chocolate – just enough to pull off the mundane day you walk into. It’s the coffee that reminds you that the comfort of the familiar is an oft forgotten bliss. You can gulp this coffee and it will only comply to your palate. Tread on it and you will still not be disappointed. Like a trusty staff in your hand on the mountain trail. Like the way you have to drag yourself out of bed each day with that touch of familiar dread and then collapse beside your lover each night – spent. It is a good life – and full of crap at the same time. You drink it as if you need to invite it in but then you realize that it has been there all along.

In the Press...

French Press that is.
Ethiopian Harrar Longberry - find it here in a medium light roast.
This is about as delicate a coffee as I have tasted. Very complex with fruity overtones. And dancing around the edges like the ever ellusive gazelle, native to the region in which it is grown, are the teasings of spice. This is the perfect afternoon coffee. All by itself. In order to appreciate this coffee you have to take the time to adventure through your palate as you explore its intoxicating allure.
The aptly nicknamed, "Wine-in-a-bottle" aroma springs to your nose. Its the stuff to build a midlife crisis around...

In the Press...

is becoming a regular feature on this blog site where I will sample and review coffee. Feel free to send small batches (minimum 1/2 cup whole bean) of coffee for me to sample and review.

they are on line

after my long expectations

Cupper's Coffee and Tea.

and the winner is...

Kendra Israelson
who blogs here
and lives here
and is expecting this
so...
congratulations on one half pound of kenya aa - in your mailbox or greyhound real soon...