Crapacino Anyone?
Can't wrap your mind around Russell's Paradox? Then you need to wrap your lips around a steaming mug of full-flavored kopi luwak coffee. The beans are processed in a manner most interesting, namely, by being passed through the gastrointestinal tract of a critter named the Paradoxurus, a cat-like animal distantly related to the mongoose. The resulting blend is said to be like no other, exhibiting "a rich, heavy flavour with hints of caramel or chocolate."
As might be expected, a coffee this rare sells for upwards of $300 per lb. Enjoy some this holiday season.
Posted by William F. Vallicella on
Sunday November 20, 2005 at 12:11pm
I think that my first impule -- after spewing -- would be to rinse my mouth out with industrial cleaner. After that, I'd consider revenge.
But to my brother, I observed, "I guess they ought to call that brew 'crappuccino.'"
I didn't write it down, though, so I don't have copyright.
Jeffery Hodges
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'Crappuccino' is a better word choice!
Is your background Scotch-Irish or English? The former are supposedly more prone to fight than the latter.
But they also have a sense of honor. One of my great-uncles grew angry when he heard that the local sheriff's deputy had handcuffed a young ruffian and then beaten him. My uncle told the deputy, "I'm 78 years old, but if ye take off that badge, I believe I can take ye."
The deputy wouldn't take it off and later attempted to ridicule my uncle before other folk, saying, "I didn't want to embarass that old man."
The listeners said, "That 'old man' would have whipped your ass."
Sorry about the language, but that's what they said. And they were probably right, too. He was a tough old codger.
Jeffery Hodges
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Steven Pinker in The Blank Slate, in the chapter on violence, has a interesting discussion of honor and the violence of the American South as stemming from all the Scotch-Irish down there. Cf. pp. 327-328.
But I'll say this for the South. There is a hospitality and civility there that one does not encounter elsewhere in these United States. I was down in 'Nawlins' once. Walked into a restaurant in a dubious part of town. Waitress smiles broadly and says, "Good afternoon, sir, we are happy to see you," or something like that, exhibiting genuine friendliness, and nothing phony.
On balance, Pinker's is an outstanding book. Have you read it?
I am starting to re-read your book, though. Enough time has now passed for me to do that.
Jeffery Hodges
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Ich haette ein gutes Buch hervorgebracht . . .
A pound of Kim-Chee if you catch the allusion. No Googling!
Sorry, but I had to google, and that's what I found.
Jeffery Hodges
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In my haste, I typed it incorrectly. Should be: Ich haette gern ein gutes Buch hervorgebracht.
Now, it's obvious: Playperuke Witurstone.
Jeffery Hodges
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I just got it! And I got the fact that you got it. The two 'its' have different antecedents. But isn't it Peruecke -- mit Umlaut?
By the way, have you read Huizinga, Homo Ludens?
Do you expats get together to celebrate Thanksgiving? I hope it is a happy and healthy one for you and your family.
On Thanksgiving . . . I wish that we could celebrate, but doing so isn't easy in Korea. So, keep me in mind as you, your wife, and your cat sink teeth into the sacrificial bird.
Jeffery Hodges
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