Did I mention that I like coffee?

This post has been a very long time coming, and since the Academy Awards are now showing on TV, I have both the time and the concentration level necessary to write it.

I recently came across a terrible notice on a blog and was so horrified by the "news" that I felt compelled to write a blistering comment in response (after 25 others had done the same, sometime last year). If you prefer not to click on the link above and research my complaint, here's the quick and dirty summary: somebody suggested that Starbucks is going to be opening some shops in Portugal over the next few years. Of course, I immediately checked the Starbucks website for further news on this subject and discovered (much to my delight) that there is no Portugal office - yet.

A few words about coffee and Portugal might be appropriate here. Portugal is a nation addicted to coffee. Not that nasty stuff that you and I can order at any number of gas stations and diners throughout the suburbs and urbs of America, but real, dense, rich espresso coffee. This is the stuff that everyone enjoys, whenever a moment offers itself, or indeed, whenever a moment can be procured. Espresso in Portugal is not just a consumer phenomenon, a physical or psychological addiction like that suffered by so many of us here in the U.S. Rather, espresso consumption in Portugal is an expression of and a logical complement to a much stronger cultural force - I'll call it leisure, for lack of a better term.

Simply put, the Portuguese know more about enjoying the little things in life than a lot of the rest of the world. That doesn't mean that everything is perfect there, but I would suggest that spending time with friends over a coffee (in the morning, afternoon, or evening) is more important to many of the Portuguese, in theory AND in practice, than squeezing out those extra fifteen minutes of work over at the office.

That said, I am not entirely convinced that we need to worry about Starbucks taking over the coffee culture of Portugal. I might be willing to accept the possibility that the Portuguese care more about the relaxation and spending time with their friends than they do about coffee, but I wouldn't want to bet on it! Replacing Portuguese espresso with Starbucks would certainly test a lot of friendships - and increase job productivity pretty substantially - but it would also leave a(nother) population of coffee lovers with a bad taste in their mouths.

Fortunately, that will never happen. The reasons for this are numerous, but first and foremost is the fact that once you have tasted the real thing, you just won't settle for anything less. If you're ever in Portugal, I recommend avoiding at all costs any café that advertises Sical, Buondi, or, much worse, Delta Platina (Platina is the specific roast). Ordering a coffee in one of these will have such a negative effect on you that your next mass-marketed coffee, even with its whipped-cream soy vanilla chocolate caramel sprinkled cinnamon foam (disguise), will turn to ashes in your mouth. Some things just were not meant to be shared with mortals, and while I mention Buondi and Sical above, truly Delta Platina stands all on its own in this regard.

Starbucks investors should all be thanking their lucky stars that Delta Platina is virtually impossible to find here in the U.S. My Dad might be able to send me a small bag now and again, but as far as I know there is no long-term plan to market this coffee here. This means that the secret is safe from almost all of us, but more importantly, it means that the excellent roasts produced by those marketing their wares to Portuguese cafés can continue to produce the best material, roasted to the high standard of the most discriminating taste in the world.

I Have Started A Blog: 5th metatarsal fracture

I don't intend for this to be interesting to anyone. Nor do I plan to password protect the thing. Mostly, I am starting today's blog with a discussion of my foot situation: a dreaded Jones Fracture of the Fifth Metatarsal.

I am just recovering from a "Jones Fracture," which is apparently a kind of stress fracture located in the fifth metatarsal, near the base but not in the end of the bone. I officially found out about the fracture in November, but had been having some pain when playing soccer since August/September--it just wasn't enough to get me to the x-ray room. I was not able to schedule a surgery until February, so I went around in a very stiff walking shoe hoping it would allow the bone to heal. Unfortunately, it didn't, and I finally opted for the standard fix, internal fixation with a titanium screw.

It is now almost three weeks later, and I am doing quite well. The operation lasted about 20 minutes, and the initial cast was on for 3 days. Then I progressed to a stiff boot with no weight bearing for 10 days. From that point the surgeon said I could return to weight bearing as pain dictated, so I have been walking in my boot for the last week. In another week I am expecting to return to walking in normal athletic shoes and training again on a treadmill or elliptical. The surgeon says the estimated return to full fitness is six weeks from the surgery date, so I am reasonably happy with that prognosis.

From what I have been able to determine, the standard solution to the Jones fracture is screw fixation--the studies I have read (mostly online, I admit) indicate it can take up to 12 weeks for the fracture to heal without the surgery, and even then only with complete immobilization. To make matters worse, there is a pretty high incidence of recurrence without the surgery (I have read studies that suggest it is as high as 80% in athletes, though 60-70% is more common, within 18 months of "total bone healing"). If I ever notice a nagging pain in the outside of my foot while playing soccer or running (say with my other foot), I will definitely seek advice of an athletic physician to make sure this gets addressed in a timely fashion. I haven't played soccer since November 18 (well, I did play once in January, but it didn't last much more than about 20 minutes), and it's driving me absolutely insane!

That is the (current) story of my Jones Fracture: future updates as events warrant.