July 2021 - Keep Calm and Drink Coffee

IN MILAN COFFEE IS IN HURRY, IN NAPLES WITH THE THREE C, AND WHAT ABOUT DUBLIN?

Jul 31, 2021 | ITALY, MUSIC, WORLD

This is Laura’s question, in comments on whether Dublin is the second most coffee-obsessed capital.

About Milan I would say that there are no doubts.
Everything is hectic, everything is running, everything is accelerated.

By the way, since we are on the subject, I would even like to point out the new dates for Milano Caffè: from the first to the third of October, hoping that this year the event will return to be a live party.

But Caffè in Milan is also one of the most significant expressions of the Italian Enlightenment. I refer to the newspaper founded by Pietro Verri which, as Treccani suggests, was printed in Brescia to escape Austrian censorship. Here you find the story.

Regarding the three C’s in Naples, I loved the way Laura told me about it, and I absolutely want to learn to absorb the “aroma” of this concept, which is also being together.

But since there is so much to say, I refer to a post dedicated to Al tavolo di Amalia just to share with you how nice it is to be in company, “at the table” of this blog which is a gold mine of information on Ischia and beyond.

I fell in love discovering traditions, real life stories, tales framed by the link with the sea and experiences of going back to origins.

So while I wait for the coffee at Amalia’s table to be ready as per the strict c c c rule, I try to answer Laura’s question: and what about Dublin?

A first answer can be found Tra Italia e Finlandia: where Luisella tells us about her experience with Dublin Pubs. I quote verbatim: pubs are known for being places where people go to drink ales, which makes them legendary, still you can find any beverage there: even coffee!

Going on with the research, since I told you about Trinity College, I got the crazy idea of asking Professor David Berman, starting from the base of his study on coffee habits illustrated in an interview on The Irish Times.

A beautiful exchange was born!
I will never stop thanking him properly.

Professor Berman first of all wanted me to talk to him about what coffee is for us in Italy.

So I would take this opportunity to ask you the same question in case you want to expose your personal idea.

And in the end we came to the conclusion that the Brew Smartly ranking has its foundation and reason to be, and reflects a change of habits especially in the last twenty years, compared to the classic beer or whiskey which represent a bit the immediate association of ideas when one thinks of Ireland.

It can therefore be concluded that it is not far from the truth to say that the Irish style has become more serious, more sober.

But the great thing is that from the considerations on the change, the question shifted to music!
No, I can’t explain how happy I am!

An example above all Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem

In the case of music, however, evolution does not lead to something like coffee.

On the contrary, it passes through the painful period known in history as The Troubles, or the civil war for the autonomy of the population of Northern Ireland divided between Catholics and Protestants.

Obviously my first thought goes to Dolores but there are many musical masterpieces that can be mentioned:

should I stop?
Do you want to add something?

WHEN OFFICIAL STORE DOES NOT MATCH QUALITY

Jul 28, 2021 | TROUBLES AND BLOWS

While we are cheering for the athletes at the Olympics, the wave that overwhelmed us with the Azzurri’s triumph at the European Championships has not faded yet.

We all rejoiced, we all felt proud and grateful for the victory that gave us a glimmer of revenge in this long period of loss on all fronts.

Unfortunately, however, not everything that revolves around the team is up to the well-deserved five stars on the pitch.

Below I publish the photos of an official jersey purchased at the FIGC Italia Store

customization has an extra cost.

However, there is no doubt that the shirt, during the number stamping phase, was clearly badly placed on the mold due to hot printing.

This operation, not carried out in the correct way, has irreparably damaged the technical fabric which has an evident flaw.

For heaven’s sake, mistakes happen, but theoretically buying at an official store should match with guarantee.

But the conditional is a must.

Obviously I am not writing random things: I do not publish sensitive data but everything is regular, starting from the order up to the long long list of unheard complaint emails.

Now, it is true that the serious problems are something else and that ones can be happy even with a defective shirt, even if it cost almost 170 euros, but I find that in addition to the curl this jersey also represents a stain.

There is a lot of preaching to defend officialdom, to fight counterfeiting, to support “regular” work, but this does not mean that the customer should not have rights.

The money, requested in advance, had no flaws.

And in any case, at least an apology does not cost anything, even if you are the FIGC.

Since this is one of the injustices that I don’t like at all, since big companies are always strong in the fact that single people can’t have the power to be heard, I wonder what you think.

Maybe you had more luck, like the European champions!

CI VEDIAMO UN GIORNO DI QUESTI – SEE YOU ONE OF THESE DAYS

Jul 23, 2021 | BOOKS

See you one of these days … how often does this phrase occur in life?
Sometimes it happens punctually, other times less …

Also for this book I have to thank Monica and since the theme is Friendship, of those for which even the term sisterhood becomes an understatement, I dedicate a special THANK YOU with a built-in hug.

The initial sensation foreshadowed me a much lighter story, instead at an incessant pace we meet and collide obstacles of those who cut the legs and no one is exempt.

In fact, the sentence I wrote down comes at the end of a dialogue: “… from experience, messes by their nature like to add up.”

In its lapidary simplicity, as far as I’m concerned, it fits perfectly.

But I’d like you to tell me it’s not like that for you because I’d be really happy about it.

Just as I was happy for the positive vision that the book offers after a brutally tragic experience, as life itself knows to be.

In my case it wasn’t like that, but it’s nice and right to be able to think differently.

Personally, I also always appreciate the share of sweetened scenarios since ugliness and misfortunes still abound in everyday life.

Federica Bosco has kept a blog on her website, until 2017.

Reading it emphasized her irony, which I certainly appreciated, in particular I liked her post “Hypersensitivity is my superpower.”

And I don’t know how I ended up imagining myself like Red Guardian … that is alternative, out of time, out of sync and also out of shape.

But to give me a tone I step into the action and steal the title: See you one of these days … for a coffee?

greenAPES and APE Alliance

Jul 23, 2021 | ENVIRONMENT

I recently received the greenAPES newsletter with the good news that the cities of Parma and Prato joined the jungle!

Do you already know this social on environmental sustainability?
In case you are a “monkey” maybe you want to tell me your experience, otherwise I suggest you explore here because you can get interesting ideas.

This funny video expresses the basic concept that starts from the idea of primates: us.
As primates we should have the fate of the planet at heart by evolving into green … always bearing in mind that no one is infallible and therefore sometimes the result is not perfect … but we try!

And even in this case, sharing is a winning card.
So successful that it materializes in winning: the prizes are obtained through the conversion of the notorious bankonuts, or discount codes and coupons that can be used at sustainable partners in the city.

greenAPES is supported by the European CHEST project (Collective enHanced Environment for Social Tasks) but was born in Florence: thanks to Gregory Eve CEO and co-founder together with Francesco Zingales, Renato Orsato and Giovanni Bajo.

Gregory Eve: Degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florence and Master Environmental Management from the Lund University in collaboration with which in 2011 he organized the Green2bee Sustainability World tour.

I found this video: AlexanderPlatz, reckon it dates back ten years… at some point in the glee they made me think of “O’Malley and the Alley Cats” from Aristocats …

(Can I open a WHO CARES parenthesis? Do you know that O’Malley’s original voice belonged to Scatman Crothers aka Dick Halloran from The Shining?)

obviously needless to say the Italian language is not represented …

And while I was looking for coffee-sized representations I came across another green monkey: Green Ape Coffee which is part of the Ape Alliance: an international coalition of organisations and individuals, working for the conservation and welfare of apes and the rainforests they live in.

Be that as it may: green Ape or Ape alliance, these are commendable initiatives.

At this point, however, I cannot fail to mention Dian Fossey: “I had a wondeful contact, especially with Uncle Bert who was an angel and led the whole group over to my side of a steep ravine I could not cross to get over to them.”

When we say “only have to learn” …

DUBLIN IS THE SECOND MOST COFFEE-OBSESSED CAPITAL CITY

Jul 16, 2021 | CULTURE, CULTURE, WHO CARES, WHO CARES

Quite bizarre title indeed, which obviously caught my eye: Ireland and coffee on the same sentence!

So you will forgive me if I overlook both Amsterdam (in first place) and the fact that the calculation developed by Brew Smartly falls into the extreme WHO CARES category, since they have invented an average between three variables:

Average rating.
Coffee shops per capita (per 100,000 people to take into account different population sizes).
Value of imports per capita (USD).

Find here the table with the total ranking.

In short, to quote “it’s a bit like dancing to math” but it’s still a reason to talk about Dublin and it shouldn’t be wasted

So, for example, I take this opportunity to tell you about an unmissable digital exhibition: The Poetics of Print about the tradition of Irish printing and its role in the development of poetry that you find on the Trinity College library’s site.

Take the time to have look / click on it because it deserves: talking about Dublin has led us to beautiful things even about books.
What if I add another passion of mine?

At the Gaiety Teatre none other than James Joyce: The dead is scheduled and to follow, why not, the world premiere of Bedknobs and broomsticks which, however, I do not I know if I can imagine without the legendary Angela Landsbury aka Mrs. Jessica Fletcher

Isn’t it nice to be a little child again?
Then the magic is also knowing how to find atmospheres and stop moments like those in this shot

But let’s go back to the Dublin coffee shops: among the many I have chosen three.

The first for the name: Cloud cafe, and it is useless to repeat (read re-sing) the words I love of Carly Simon’s song, right?

The second because in a completely bizarre way it has as its symbol the manufacturing of footwear, wooden lasts and gestures that I have come to know and that have become part of my life for so many years now: Shoe Lane.
Not to mention the wonderful memory that the Singer machine gives me!

The third comes from a dream: a very stylish vintage van that I obviously envy, even if the logo would have been enough: Cocobrew.

The dream has not only come true, but has grown and moved from van Cocobrew to the Temple bar district of which I leave you a look live with the cam while I wait for you to tell me something about Dublin.