Comments on: What Makes A Coffee Relevant? http://www.bloggernews.net/118933 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:34:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: coopermays http://www.bloggernews.net/118933#comment-844280 coopermays Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:18:00 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/118933#comment-844280 Got my first computer April 08, because now living in rural Costa Rica, running the risk of being totally out of touch with life as I knew it in the US. Today found this site and read this entry. Interestingly written on my birthday, when I turned 61 and beginning to think about "social security" issues. I have made my living throughout my adult life, in pottery. Coffee cups have been the staple. When I moved to Costa Rica it seemed the natural conclusion of my career, to live where the best coffee in the world is harvested. And, as it turns out, coffee cups sell well. But this article was quite "relevant" for me. My son, Nathanael lives near the volcano Poas, where Cafe Britt's finest coffee is raised, and you see the workors, hand picking the beans. If you check their web site it is beautiful and interesting the agriculture and the social culture that goes into the process. In the US, specifically Chatham County, which I love, and still call home, we had keen interest and passion for self sufficiency and traditional crafts. We pursued this like a rediscovery and it shaped a wonderful community of grass roots lifestyles where the intellectual elite and rural heart landers work together respectfully. In Costa Rica, that is true as well, but it has not been rediscovered, it is the way of life. The honor and respect of workers has not been overlooked nor diminished by those who have money. The dependency of the economy on the workers who are satisfied with what we would call very little, is honored here with special and frequent fiestas, that focus on educating the public about their valued contribution. What I have come to believe is Costa Rica offers every individual "respect," not for their achievement or money, it is a natural reflex to acknowledge and greet one another with a smile, take the time to exchange with social grace, and avoid confrontation of any kind, especially when it becomes disrespectful. Coffee is not the main beverage of Costa Rica, nor is it the natural vegetation. But it has flourished and provided Costa Rica with an industry that employs rural people who love to "move around" an make a little money. The locals tell us Gringos, "It doesn't take much to be happy in Costa Rica" as we expats worry about how we are going to manage without all that Stuff we are used to enjoying. All my life I have been fascinated with what I think is a quote, think by Emerson, "A man is rich according to the amount of things he can do without." Well, here one can try out that idea, and if you can believe the locals, it is true. They see themselves as the ones who are rich. They are happy to teach us, but we are endangering loosing them by teaching them to want the things we bring here and value more than the people. Got my first computer April 08, because now living in rural Costa Rica, running the risk of being totally out of touch with life as I knew it in the US. Today found this site and read this entry.
Interestingly written on my birthday, when I turned 61 and beginning to think about “social security” issues.
I have made my living throughout my adult life, in pottery. Coffee cups have been the staple. When I moved to Costa Rica it seemed the natural conclusion of my career, to live where the best coffee in the world is harvested. And, as it turns out, coffee cups sell well.
But this article was quite “relevant” for me. My son, Nathanael lives near the volcano Poas, where Cafe Britt’s finest coffee is raised, and you see the workors, hand picking the beans. If you check their web site it is beautiful and interesting the agriculture and the social culture that goes into the process.
In the US, specifically Chatham County, which I love, and still call home, we had keen interest and passion for self sufficiency and traditional crafts. We pursued this like a rediscovery and it shaped a wonderful community of grass roots lifestyles where the intellectual elite and rural heart landers work together respectfully.
In Costa Rica, that is true as well, but it has not been rediscovered, it is the way of life. The honor and respect of workers has not been overlooked nor diminished by those who have money. The dependency of the economy on the workers who are satisfied with what we would call very little, is honored here with special and frequent fiestas, that focus on educating the public about their valued contribution.
What I have come to believe is Costa Rica offers every individual “respect,” not for their achievement or money, it is a natural reflex to acknowledge and greet one another with a smile, take the time to exchange with social grace, and avoid confrontation of any kind, especially when it becomes disrespectful.
Coffee is not the main beverage of Costa Rica, nor is it the natural vegetation. But it has flourished and provided Costa Rica with an industry that employs rural people who love to “move around” an make a little money.
The locals tell us Gringos, “It doesn’t take much to be happy in Costa Rica” as we expats worry about how we are going to manage without all that Stuff we are used to enjoying.
All my life I have been fascinated with what I think is a quote, think by Emerson, “A man is rich according to the amount of things he can do without.” Well, here one can try out that idea, and if you can believe the locals, it is true. They see themselves as the ones who are rich. They are happy to teach us, but we are endangering loosing them by teaching them to want the things we bring here and value more than the people.

]]> By: Nancy Reyes http://www.bloggernews.net/118933#comment-813652 Nancy Reyes Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:41:29 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/118933#comment-813652 Colombian coffee became a "brand" because the small independent farmers grew it and picked it by hand from trees in the highlands (as opposed to Brazilian coffee, where rich farmowners with huge coffee plantations using loads of dangerous chemicals paid a pittance to coffee pickers). And right now, Ethiopia is tring to similarly make their coffee beans a brand name. Starbucks and other "green" companies try to buy environmental friendly coffee that benefit local farmers. How good are they at doing this, I don't know... Personally, I love Starbucks, and always get some when I visit Manila...but the price of a latte could feed a poor family, so I don't do it often... Colombian coffee became a “brand” because the small independent farmers grew it and picked it by hand from trees in the highlands (as opposed to Brazilian coffee, where rich farmowners with huge coffee plantations using loads of dangerous chemicals paid a pittance to coffee pickers).

And right now, Ethiopia is tring to similarly make their coffee beans a brand name.

Starbucks and other “green” companies try to buy environmental friendly coffee that benefit local farmers. How good are they at doing this, I don’t know…

Personally, I love Starbucks, and always get some when I visit Manila…but the price of a latte could feed a poor family, so I don’t do it often…

]]> By: Jeff http://www.bloggernews.net/118933#comment-813485 Jeff Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:49:42 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/118933#comment-813485 This was good and I enjoyed reading it. This was good and I enjoyed reading it.

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