Latte or Cappuccino?

If you are one of those people who feels guilty about indulging your dollars for your favorite high priced coffee, check out this article at Lark News.
I hadn't visited this site for quite awhile, but it's great for tongue-in-cheek, slightly sarcastic humor poking (mostly) gently at Christian subculture.

On the other hand, I came across this book that might give you serious pause about your daily cup of joe.

I'm Going to Kathmandu..

I stopped at the 7-11 for coffee last week. I know this must seem blasphemous to those of you who know that my son works at the Great Coffee Monopoly, but sometimes I just get in a hurry and don't want to make coffee at home. And my son never works in the morning, so I'm stuck only being able to get freebies that are decaf during his evening shifts, or an occasional latte made by Pedro (who as far as I know is neither Mexican or straight, but is totally adorable!) when I run by when I'm grocery shopping.

So, about once a week I stop in for amazingly good coffee that only costs $1.16 for a grande size. There is always a young man conscientiously cleaning and straightening up the coffee area, and in a friendly mood for not yet having had my morning fix I asked,
"Which one is your best coffee?"
With a slight accent he replied, "the regular roast."
"Really? Well, I'll try it." Always interested in people's accents, curiosity got the best of me. "Where are you from?"
"Nepal."
"Oh! I love Nepalese food!"
Ok, is that about the most lame thing you can say to someone from another country or what? I do love it though. We had the best Nepalese meal at a little restaurant in Frisco, CO of all places the day after we skied Arapahoe Basin.

(Kathmandu Cafe')


"Where do you get around here?" he asked (his English is a little broken).
"There used to be a great place in Royal Oak, Kathmandu Chulo, but it closed recently. There are probably other places around here though." Then I added, "I'd love to go to Nepal."
He said, "The mountains! Mt. Everest--you have to see. Everyone goes there."
"I would love to see it--the mountains there must be amazing!"
"Let's go!" he said with a smile.
I laughed. "Not today, I have work to do!"
I left, but couldn't help pondering throughout the day--what if I could just go to Nepal today?

Sunshine with a Frappacino

Yes, it's another article on how coffee really is good for you! Come on, where else are you going to get this kind of helpful information? Where else can you glean vital facts to justify your reloading your Starbuck's card?

From the most recent issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, comes the information that "your daily coffee may help you fend off skin cancer." Researchers report that for every cup you drink per day, your chance of developing non-melanoma skin cancer later in life drops by 5%. A couple of Ventis per day would lower your chances by 30%. "It's possible coffee's antioxidant effect helps to protect against skin cancer," reports a professor from Detroit's Wayne State University School of Medicine. Of course the Michigander also admits that part of the benefits "may be that people who drink a lot of coffee tend to stay indoors more."

So, grab your frozen mocha frappacino or iced coffee and get out there and grab those few Michigan rays while we've got them! (Note: No French researchers were quoted during the writing of this article.)