A New Years Tale

 

The possibly true story of Juan Valdez

Romancing the Bean 

A Series Of Short Stories

By J. B. Blocker
the Caffeine Cowboy

  

 
  In a little over 1000 years, coffee has been elevated to the second most traded commodity after oil and is the most prepared beverage in the world. 
  Kaldi the Ethiopian goat herder is said to have discovered coffees kick and introduced it to monks who were able to chant and pray longer. A French Lieutenant stole a kiss and two coffee plants from Napoleon's garden and brought it to the New World. Stories abound!

   I’ve got a long list of these stories if you’re interested. Most of them are true! At least parts of them are!

   The story I am about to share may or may not be true. No matter, it is close to my heart and carries a modern-day lesson somewhere inside.

   Our story begins on New Year’s Eve. In a small community hospital in South Texas, two young couples await their firstborns. All the while the hospital staff anxiously anticipate the race for the first birth of the New Year. Two expectant fathers pace into the midnight hour. As the town clocks strike midnight, simultaneous declarations of triumph announce two births!

   It is a tie! For the hospital and even the state of Texas, the firstborn pair of the new year are named Juan and Josephine. 

CONTEMPLATIVE CUPS

 Romancing the Bean Series

by Caffeine Cowboy

Tales from the Old Country

Coffee Cantata by Johan Sebastian Bach

  “No daughter of mine will drink coffee!” declares Schlendrian. (Stuffy in German)  “­­But father, if I don’t have at least three small cups a day, I’ll soon be as dried-out as an un-basted roast!”

  Cleverly, Schlendrian proposes, “Fine, then make your choice, a husband or coffee!”  His willful daughter seemingly demurs to her father's restriction but with a stage whisper tells the audience, “Any man who wishes to win my hand must first promise to supply all of the coffee I want!”

  Amused by the Parisian fad for coffee, Bach asked the famed poet and satirist Picador to write a libretto with coffee as its theme.  The story mirrored the attitude of the German elite toward women and the middle class. Coffee was too special for the commoner and coffeehouses were no place for a lady!

  As seen on U-tube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6-PRCv7SfM

  Before public music halls existed in Germany, cafés attracted music lovers by sponsoring performances by collegia musica (the association of private musicians).

  From 1720 to1740, Bach performed for the public and experimented with new pieces at Zimmerman’s Kaffeehaus in Leipzig.  The Coffee Cantata was first performed there in 1734.  It was a musical and community success.

The most famous coffee snob:

With 254 counties and their sheriffs in Texas, diversity is the rule.

 

A Herd of Sheriffs

 I mentioned going to the Sheriffs Association of Texas Annual Convention to a great friend and well traveled businessman in New York City. Doug's response was, "When people think of sheriffs, no matter where they come from, they think of cowboy hats and boots, sidearms, and a badge with a Star. They think of Texas!"
by J.B.Blocker