Consumption Anecdote by Heinrich Böll

An American businessman was standing at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
“How long it took you to catch them?” The American asked.
“Only a little while.” The Mexican replied.
“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” The American then asked.
“I have enough to support my family’s immediate needs.” The Mexican said.
“But,” The American then asked, “What do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, señor.”
The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.”
“Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own can factory. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But señor, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”
“But what then, señor?”
The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”
“Millions, señor? Then what?”
The American said slowly, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos…”

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Fortunate Son

Pacífico Salvadoreño

A recent paint from the Guatemalan master Moisés Barrios, in this series the artist portraits the life at beaches of Guatemala and El Salvador, plastic inflatable beach toys included.

Palacios de Gobierno

These three Latin American government palaces have architectural lines in common, they share their Spanish heritage and a taste for eclecticism too. From above; México, Guatemala and Argentina.

Good Things About Coffee

I want to share these good things i found in the net, i am not sure if they are true but i live a lot more happy with coffee than without it. Hey! you my tea drinkers readers.

- Coffee contains antioxidants that help prevent cancer and heart disease.
- Studies indicate that regular coffee drinkers are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease.
- Drinking two cups daily could reduce the risk of colon cancer by 25% and halve the risk of gallstones.
- Emerging evidence suggests that coffee may help manage asthma, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities.
- Coffee helps to prevent prostate cancer.
- Decaf coffee has been found to provide the same stimulative effect as regular coffee, without the caffeine.
- Coffee is also regarded as a good social drink. You can chat with your friends in a coffee house. You may even know some new friends in the coffee houses.

Saturday Ride

Last Saturday i went for a ride in the trails near my home, still feeling a little hurt due to the fact that a car hit me 2 months ago. At 6,000 feet over the sea level the air is thin and fresh, ride my bike or jogging into the woods makes my mind fly away.

Couleur Café

Semana Santa in Antigua Guatemala

If you like espectacular cultural traditions you can't miss Semana Santa in Antigua Guatemala, cobblestone streets surounded of color and magnificent procesiones, all in a small XVI century town with historic buildings, museums, restaurants, boutique hotels, shops and a spring weather all year round. Incredible!
We were there today and i got these colorful pics.

You are What You Shop

Once upon a time there was a "You are what you eat", then came "You are what you wear", Peter Gabriel says in a song "You are what you see", and i can add "You are what you shop". But be careful with that!. Can we resist shopping and still be happy? We have the power to choose what we want and what of those things could make us really happy from those that don't. Think about it.

Time of Opportunities!

Ancient Chinese motto: Crisis is Opportunity

Designing Coffee, Part 4 (Final)

Having chosen the coffees and the roasts we will use, we began again to do the same, measure the percentages of each variety, grind them, weigh them, and cupping again, we also made some tests on a espresso machine to verify how the blend performs under this system. At the very end we finished with two blends, the last round was tested with french press cafeteras to help us choose a winner. Now i have the new Café P11 blend for the next months until i decide to change it.

Live Jam

Jonathan (guitar), Alex (bass) and me (drums) recorded this song last year, I edited it to make it shorter. I miss those jam sessions, hope you like it.

Designing Coffee, Part 3

Cupping is a matter of sense (what is in the cup), feeling (what you like and what you don't) and memory (you have to remember what is in each cup). Cupping for designing a new formula is another story, here we are not just judging for what it is, but for what we want to achieve as well.

Extreme Object

This soap made of bronze is part of a work named Extreme Objects.
All the objects that we buy and keep around us carry within cultural messages from the manufacturer that invade our own culture, i try to aboard this phenomenon taking common objects and sacred them through the cast of bronze process, converting the disposable objects in art objects.

Designing Coffee, Part 2

After we got the different roasts, we ground the coffee and measure it in the exact and same amounts to proceed to the next step; cupping.
This process has to be carefully made, since all the beans and ground coffee looks alike is easy to lose your path towards your formula. However this is an extraordinary experience if you really are a coffee passionate, because its delicious scents fill up the entire room.