TASHIROJIMA: ISLAND OF CATS

TASHIROJIMA: ISLAND OF CATS

Mar 30, 2024 | WHO CARES, WHO CARES

Tashirojima 田代島 is an enchanting island populated mainly by cats. 


Hidden among the waves of the Sea of Japan, Tashirojima emerges as an enchanted oasis where pussycats reign supreme.

Located in Miyagi Prefecture, this small island has become world famous as ‘The Island of Cats’, a place where feline inhabitants outnumber humans and where the presence of these creatures is honoured as an ancient tradition.

The history of Tashirojima is intertwined with the bond between the island and its cats. Over the centuries, local fishermen are said to have believed that the presence of cats brought good luck and prosperity to their boats and fishing.

Today, Tashirojima is a unique tourist destination, captivating visitors from all over the world with its picturesque landscape and feline population.

Wild cats roam freely around the island’s streets, interacting with tourists and providing moments of joy and entertainment.

The islanders have also built several ‘neko-jinja’ (cat shrines) in honour of their furry friends, where visitors can pay their respects and leave offerings such as toys or food for the cats.

In addition, there are also some tourist facilities on the island that welcome visitors eager to experience the unique atmosphere of this feline community.

For cat lovers, Tashirojima is a true paradise on earth.

Here they can stroll through the island’s picturesque coastal landscapes, interact with a diverse cat population and fully immerse themselves in the culture and tradition surrounding these fascinating animals.

In conclusion, Tashirojima is much more than just an island: it is a world apart, where the presence of cats is considered sacred and where daily life is permeated by the magic and affection of these adorable animals.

For anyone seeking an escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life and a unique encounter with Japanese nature and culture, Tashirojima is the perfect place to explore and discover.

Massimo

COFFEE CITY

COFFEE CITY

Feb 17, 2024 | WORLD, WHO CARES, WHO CARES, WORLD

Coffee City is a lakeside community located on a peninsula jutting into Lake Palestine in East Texas.

With three sides of the city bordered by water,  this is a popular location for fishing, boating and other water sports.

As soon as I saw the picture with the sign I couldn’t believe my eyes, so imagine what a surprise when I understood it is real!

Looking for information, I fell in love with this kind of metaphor: the history of this location can fit in a pecan shell.

Coffee City in fact only materialised in the 1960s after the construction of Lake Palestine.

Yes: construction, because Lake Palestine is an artificial lake created by the Blackburn Dam.

This reservoir spans portions of four counties in the state of Texas: Anderson, Smith, Henderson and Cherokee.

I smile because for us Anderson and Henderson tend to sound the same, and Smith … well it’s kind of like the equivalent of our idea of top common name …

Back to Coffee City, which is apparently home to a residential community with no history but a recent unfortunate news: it seems that there were 250 inhabitants and 50 policemen in … what can we say?

Perhaps it is better to focus on the Coffee City Fire Department: firefighters in the US are an institution par excellence.

In Coffee City there is also the Bella Italian Café! 

I couldn’t find any particular connection to Italy, but it’s still a tribute, how about that?

While we think about it I’ll let you admire this view … 

THE DUCHESS OF SUSSEX DRINKS COFFEE

THE DUCHESS OF SUSSEX DRINKS COFFEE

Dec 30, 2023 | WHO CARES, WHO CARES

The Duchess of Sussex drinks coffee: Meghan Markle appears as an ‘indirect’ testimonial in a reel on Instagram promoting Clevr coffee. 

I don’t know if this is great news, in fact coffee is a further detail, let’s say, not typically traditional for the United Kingdom.

No English tea then, although in fact the bio of Clevr Blends talks about tea:

We are a wellness brand of humble beginnings born in 2016 in California and led by women.

Our approach to wellness goes beyond just the cup: its roots are in our sourcing, where ethical and transparent supply chains are our foundation ensuring that a portion of our revenue goes to support more equitable food systems.

The hope is that we have created something that will be the first and simplest good decision you make every day… we are here to encourage you, to make you a cup of tea when you feel tired.

I wonder why since the main products are ‘lattes’ which are a type of coffee made with espresso and steamed hot milk, in other words with more milk than cappuccino. 

Meghan Markle has been investing in this company for a few years now and has helped to introduce it to Oprah Winfrey, for example.

Personally, I don’t follow Sussex affairs with particular interest and Meghan Markle is not among the people I admire, do you?

I found out that her blog, currently dormant despite rumours of reopening in early autumn, is called The Tig in honour of Tiganello wine.

So coffee, tea or Tig?

BIRTHDAY GIFT

BIRTHDAY GIFT

Dec 16, 2023 | WHO CARES

SPECIAL birthday present for KCDC!

Keep Calm & Drink Coffee turns four years old, I just ten lustres older, but we both received this fantastic gift from Elisa Mirko and Diego. 

Don’t you think it’s perfect?

As you know I love cats, the coffee cup is really cute and the attitude is absolutely iconic.

Speaking of iconic cats, do you have a favourite?

Maybe Sylvester Cat, from Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.

Or Tom from Hanna-Barbera. 

Maybe Felix the cat. 

Or Garfield. 

In my memories of fairy tales is Puss in Boots,  the one about the Marquis of Carbas.

Also nice is the version of Puss in Boots from Shrek.

The kitty Keep Calm & Drink Coffee on the other hand, what do we call him?

Did you know that cats sleep an average of 12 to 16 hours with peaks of 18 hours?

Practically twice as long as we sleep.

What can we say? We have only to learn!

KCDC kitty even has an eye mask!

I’d launch a poll to see what the favourite name is, for example, between:

SLIPPER

SLIPPERS & COFFEE

SLEEPY SLIPPER

KEEP CALM A CAT

KEEP CALM & WEAR SLIPPERS

PURRED COFFEE

KEEP CALM & PURRED COFFEE

CUPCAT

THE CAT IN SLIPPERS

But I’m sure you’ll come up with a better idea!

So tell me! What name shall we give the birthday present?

KCDC on BOLD JOURNEY

KCDC on BOLD JOURNEY

Oct 7, 2023 | ISN'T IT IRONIC?, WHO CARES

When Nina from Bold Journey got in touch with me the very first time, I wasn’t able to understand how she could be interested in me, and I am grateful for her patience.

Bold Journey is a site basically about storytelling.

They tell about themselves like this:
every problem or dilemma we face has been faced by countless others in the past, and so we wanted to create a place where we could discuss these challenges: finding a way to thrive after a divorce, recovering after a layoff, overcoming imposter syndrome, or developing the ability to ignore haters.

Living life with courage means exposing oneself to all kinds of risks: risk of loss, risk of criticism and judgment, risk of mental, emotional or physical distress.

No wonder many of us have been taught not to live courageously, not to take risks, not to push ourselves to reach our highest potential.

In our view, one of the best ways to meet these challenges is to learn from the stories and experiences of others.

We think it is absurd that, after thousands of years of human civilization, it is still so difficult to find stories related to the problems one may face at any given time.

Our mission is to create a space where we can all learn from each other.

We believe that the stories, experiences and insights of our neighbors, friends and peers are worth more than all the wealth in the world, because these stories are the most relevant and authentic sources of wisdom.

Our love for the storytelling format stems from the founding of VoyageLA nearly a decade ago, where we ask people to share the story of their lives and how they got to where they are today.

As we have expanded to cities across the country, we have been struck by the realization that there are so many lessons that one person can learn from another.

Now that you’ve read, you too may be wondering how it is that they reached out to me.

Yet, here you find KCDC. 

Thefirst question: “where do you get your resilence from?”

Resilience.

Resiliènza  s. f. [der. of resilient]. –
1. In materials technology, the resistance to failure under dynamic stress, determined by appropriate impact test: r. test; r. value, the inverse of which is the brittleness index.
2. In yarn and fabric technology, the aptitude of these to resume, after deformation, their original appearance.
3. In psychology, the ability to react in the face of trauma, difficulty, etc.

That’s why I liked the image with the Dandelion: crushed in the middle of the tiles found in the “escape” its living space.


And you, where did you get your resilience from?

I’LL EVEN PUT IT IN COFFEE

I’LL EVEN PUT IT IN COFFEE

Sep 2, 2023 | WHO CARES, WHO CARES

I’ll even put it in coffee how many times have you said these words referring to something you like so much that you use it everywhere?

If you were to give a wacky example of something you would even put in coffee, what would you say?

What if I said oil?

Yes: extra virgin olive oil.

The person who thought of putting it in coffee is Howard Schultz aka the one who during a trip to Milan in the 1980s got the inspiration that led him to create Starbucks.

By the way, I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but associate Starbucks with this scene from You’ve got mail every time.

So we also listened again to Dolores‘ voice in Dreams.

But back to our evo oil, would you have dreamed of putting it in your coffee?

Howard Schulz did, and again the idea came to him during a vacation in Italy, this time in Sicily.

He even started a collaboration whereby Starbucks’ Oleato line is prepared strictly with Partanna oils. 

Unfortunately, I never tasted Partanna’s oil but undoubtedly in Italy extra virgin olive oil is excellent.

For example, the oil that a friend brought me from Puglia was almost as precious as liquid gold, so good that I had to get it out of sight, because with bread on hand I would not have been able to resist.

I could almost say that I liked it so much that I even put it in my coffee …

For that matter, it is not so outlandish: if we think of the more famous bullet coffee aka coffee with butter.

More precisely bulletproof coffee which more than bulletproof is hungerproof since it contains clarified butter and coconut oil and is on a mission to maintain satiety without taking food in the morning.

Will Oleato follow the same purpose in your opinion?

Actually, Starbucks has introduced a line of beverages that contain other ingredients in addition to coffee and oil.

The consistency of the oil can undoubtedly provide more body to the coffee, and it may be that it also works in terms of taste, the variables are many both in terms of the coffee blend and the degree of acidity of the evo, but is it the sum that makes the total?

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