I need the help of my astute readership to resolve a new problem.
Recently Peet's Coffee announced a new limited crop of the world's most rare and exquisite coffee: Jamaica Blue Mountain. Grown in Jamaica's Blue Mountains (that figures - pictured below) this coffee is well known amongst coffee connoisseurs as being the world's finest, but I've never had the opportunity to actually try it due to the price tag: Peet's is selling it for a limited time only at the astronomical price of $40 per half pound. Ouch! No way can I afford that.
Enter Esther Boley, a fellow coffee snob who happens to have been born in Jamaica and thus is extremely partial to Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee. Because of the family connection to that Caribbean island, Esther's mother sends her a pound of JBM coffee every year for Christmas. Nice gift! So I suggested that out of a whole pound, she would surely be willing to part with a few ounces to a good friend like me so I could brew my first-ever pot of this exquisite treat.
She laughed in my face. Just look at her: she's mocking me. If that's not a "I get Jamaica Blue Mountain and you don't" look, I don't know what is!
Now, regular readers of this blog will recall that when I won free Peet's coffee for a year I got to designate 5 friends who also received free Peet's for the year. Esther was one of those friends. Yes, that's right: my dear friend Esther has been enjoying an entire year's worth of top quality Peet's Coffee shipped right to her door fresh every month, completely free of charge. All because of me! Total retail value of her coffee year is over $400 - yet she laughed at the suggestion of parting with $8 worth of Jamaica Blue Mountain in return. I, I... I'm stunned. I don't know what to do with myself. My equilibrium has been thrown off. I'm not sleeping well anymore. I don't have friends any longer...
Her reason for this moral outrage? She hasn't given me one. When I pointed out all the above to her, she simply said she'd "pray about it." Huh? Pray about it? What's there to pray about!?! That's like praying about whether you should go to work in the morning, or whether to pay your water bill. You don't pray about such things, you just do what's right! Right?
Here's where you come in. Having had my core sense personhood so thoroughly shaken, I've decided to submit this matter to the court of my blog readership. Please register your thoughts in my poll to the right.
Vote for truth. Vote for justice. Vote for a few ounces of Jamaica Blue Mountain - my dream come true!
Setting Esther straight...
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7 comments:
It's unconscionable that anyone who has been a recipient of the gracious gift of a year's worth of Peet's coffee could so quickly and callously scoff at the idea of reciprocating to a brother (a man of the cloth no less).
I guess you know who doesn't have your "back".
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the problem is that Esther isn't willing to share something costly and precious to her simply because you gave something to her that cost you nothing. Or did I miss something?
Tell you what, I'll chip in a few bucks for you to buy your own Jamaican coffee. If the rest of your readers chip in just one or two dollars, you should be able to buy your own bag of coffee. You may even have enough to share a cup or two with Esther. :-D
OK. So I've been going back and forth on this in my head. I too saw the Peet's announcement (with free shipping to boot!). Keds and I honeymooned in Jamaica and our resort served Blue Mountain Coffee as their standard. We both enjoyed it so much, we bought it for our friends and family and brought it back for them. It was about $20 a pound there, but that was 2 years ago.
You need to try it and I agree that it is too expensive. Keds tried to convince me that we could afford it, but I still said no. I totally see Esther's point. JBM is very, very yummy and we were sad when the last of our stash was gone.
The "I'll pray on it" line is about as lame as the "Twinkie defense." This is not something to pray on. Either say yes or no.
But come on, if not a whole pot, at least enough for two cups, ya know?
I'm with you on this one. Yes, I see her point, but to withhold it is so Un-Christian.
Ok, so I re-read my original comment and it was a little tough on you. Yes, in all fairness, Esther could and should share a cup or two of the yummy goodness with you.
at least you voted the right way!
:-D
Isn't it better to give than receive? Isn't it also sort of weird to give, even in view of a years worth of coffee, with "strings attached". :-) Some say to not share a couple ounces of coffee is unchristian?! Come on people, coffee is great but not worthy of calling someone unChristian. I do see though that we live in the age and nation of entitlement and it appears some people think they're entitled to a pot of coffee but maybe you can ask for grace and maybe you can then have "A CUP" of coffee if she chooses to share? It may not be an entire pot but this is America and you can't always get what you want.
I know I'm a little late to weigh in on this issue but I'm with Esther. She obviously knows the "real" Matt. I wouldn't share with him eaither! ;-)
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