malloreigh

okay, seriously. more than one person responded to my last journal entry by revealing that they drink INSTANT COFFEE. guys! why? why do you do it?

coffee is a beautiful sensuous experience. good coffee is rich in flavour, deep and aromatic and a delight to the senses - it is to be savoured and enjoyed. and believe it or not, you can savour and enjoy it EVERY DAY.

reports conflict as to the health benefits and dangers of coffee. whatever you feel, whether you drink coffee because it's supposed to be good for you or in spite of the fact that it's bad for you... if you're going to be drinking coffee, why would you waste your time on instant coffee that does not smell, taste or feel like real coffee does?

also, i don't know whether you can find fair-trade (or organic) instant coffee, but believe me, it IS worth buying coffee that the farmers were paid decent money for. i certainly wouldn't want to spend my life raising a difficult crop for peanuts after being pushed off of my land by a big corporation. i don't think it's fair of anyone to push that life on any other human being. we owe other living creatures more than that. even if you who don't care about the well-being of the animals whose habitats are damaged by these irresponsible and negligent cash crops, you probably can't justify not being morally obligated to reduce harm to humans. pesticide runoff into water sources, desecration of arable land that could be used for local food production, and colonial/corporate oppression on local cultures are NOT THINGS YOU CAN JUSTIFY SUPPORTING. i don't care WHO you are.

/rant

but really. go to your local fair trade cafe and buy some locally roasted, ethically grown and purchased coffee beans. if you're an instant coffee drinker, you probably don't have a coffee grinder at home... but lucky for all of us, the cafe can probably grind your beans for you! alternately, your grocery store might sell ethically produced beans that are already ground, too. (supporting local businesses is usually a good idea, though, 'cause more and more of them are going out of business thanks to the corporate practices of places like starbucks.)

now you've got coffee! you need something to make it in. i recommend a french press - it makes quality coffee and it's easy to use. you will also need boiling water. if you don't have a kettle, you can boil it in a pot on the stove or even a microwave. you can also use an automatic drip machine, a percolator, or a sock. (yep. put the coffee in the sock and pour the water over it. let it brew for three or four minutes and then remove the sock. works just as well or better with strong pantyhose.)

coffee is truly an amazing sensory experience. it doesn't take that much longer to make good coffee than it does to make instant coffee, once you've got the process down, and that way you can savour something beautiful every morning.

(if you are reading this, saying to yourself "i just don't care that much," please consider that with a minimum amount of effort you can contribute to making your own life better while not harming as many other people's lives. it is worth it. i don't care how lazy you are, you can't justify it. okay? and fuck you if you try. i have no patience for people who are that selfish. it's easy. make the change. for that matter, recycle, too.)

some links you might be interested in:
animal and environmental impacts of coffee growing: why buy fair trade, organic and shade grown?
how to make coffee without a coffee maker on yahoo! answers
why support local businesses?
starbucks, monoculture and american imperialism

in other news, here's a photo i took of myself yesterday while practicing HDR techniques.