Spicy Black Bean Soup; this is so easy and so tasty! 20 minutes to table, tops.
PLUS it meets the requirement for CAFFEINE!!!
You see the recipe calls for TWO tablespoons (10,000mg) of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
NOW that isn’t 10,000mg of caffeine but look at the composition from A. I.
“Unsweetened cocoa powder contains a modest amount of caffeine, though it is often higher in theobromine, a related but milder stimulant. On average, one tablespoon (approx. 5 grams) of unsweetened cocoa powder contains about 12 to 12.5 mg of caffeine.”
BUT what even the omniscient Anne Kadet will not realize (and neither will the Buddhist monk-nuns) is that you also get a KICK from THEOBROMINE caffeine’s stepsister:
“The "Jitter" Difference: While a tablespoon of cocoa has about 1/8th the caffeine of an 8oz cup of coffee (which averages 95 mg), it contains significantly more theobromine (about 100 mg per tablespoon). Theobromine provides a more sustained, gentle energy boost compared to the sharper spike and crash of caffeine.”
Despite your misgivings Anne, JRB is typically riding the wave of fun and nonsense that keeps us coming back to Cafe Anne with regularity. Besides, his reference to bromine took me back to childhood books and witch potions. I associate those with a good bromide for some reason. When I checked the definition for bromide I concluded these might end up in the weekly comments with some regularity.
'a trite and unoriginal idea or remark, typically intended to soothe or placate.'
Finally, someone needs to stand up for JRB -- I am glad to do it
Talk about glass half-full! Davina is a resilient, driven, loving human. I had to giggle that her hard stop is human excrement, even with a hazmat suit. Same, girl. Same.
Philadelphia has (had?) an "Insectarium" where I got to hold a, like, three inch "hissing cockroach". Did I want to? No. Did I want to set a good example for my offspring? Guess so.
"A quick Scatter over to the Bronx Zoo’s website allows visitors to adopt and name a Madagascar hissing cockroach of their very own, transforming a usually frightful insect into an inspiring motif of love." https://www.bxtimes.com/bronx-zoos-name-a-roach-valentines-day/
Wow. Fascinating. A good friend of mine had a brother who became a true hoarder, due to various instances of trauma in his life. She got his place cleaned up with the help of a specialty cleaning company, and then she made sure to visit him on a regular basis to keep him in check. I always wondered if he was thinking "I wish she'd stay away so I could start collecting again". Sure enough, the hoarding started again, but in the far recesses of the apartment where she didn't normally go. He sadly passed a couple of years ago. It's true that your environment is a reflection of your mental state. I think of that every time I clean... "I'm normal, see? NORMAL!" 😂
Therapists should do home visits, BA, so they can see what's REALLY going on!
I remember one friend I knew for a couple years who was an interesting feller for sure but nothing outside the norm. Then I saw his place. Six rooms just filled with trash—like three feet deep. And never made any reference to it—as if this was all perfectly normal. I never saw him the same way again.
What a wonderful service Davina provides, and there's a real satisfaction in seeing the tangible results! I'm reminded of a great book called "Gig", where people from all walks of life discuss their jobs, and one person spoke of a business they had cleaning sites where people had died violently or had just not been discovered for a while. Someone has to do it...
I never thought about it but yes, the super-tangible nature of what she does must have something to do with how much she enjoys it. Whenever I declutter my closet it, it makes me so happy. I even force my guests to look and admire!
What an amazing soul!! So glad she is getting paid for the freebies through GoFundMe. And setting a three-hour time limit is such a sensible solution. Three hours of high speed, chatty cleaning up is manageable. You can keep up the energy for that long. So rewarding. And she gets plenty of paid gigs too. Terrific.
Glad you enjoyed your week of silence and contemplation dear Wolfie. Smirk. It would have been a fascinating experience. Thanks for another great read. 🤗🤗
Caffeine powders are especially risky because small measurement errors can lead to toxic or deadly amounts. One teaspoon of pure powdered caffeine can equal ~3,000 mg or more—way over toxic levels.
You know what? I spent the last 5 years in therapy trying to forget that I'd spent 44 years in the gottdamned boring-ist profession of pharmacy. And in an instant I was transported back when you wrote, "1000mg!" Ugh!! Inside info: 1000mg = 1 gram Unless you call your grandmother "Gram"
They used to sell pure caffeine on Amazon. Some poor teenage kid took too much and died and they don’t sell it there anymore. It’s actually a real risk if you don’t take it seriously. It isn’t intuitive how a very small amount pure caffeine becomes very dangerous. But Anne can handle it!
This is a great public service Mr. Greenberg. My background is chemistry. One of the lessons I remember is how narrow is the difference between good and bad and toxic and lethal. One of the casualties of all of the supplements people take these days is how surprisingly easy it is to ingest too much of a good thing. Mostly if you are worried about vitamin C eat an orange.
When my children were in their formative years the two ridiculous Tik-Tok challenges were around drinking a lot of milk or a surprisingly small amount of cinnamon. Tell a boy he cannot drink a gallon of milk in an hour and he will surely try. Same goes for a tablespoon of cinnamon. Both of these are surprisingly dangerous and occasionally leads to tragedy.
My practical one is I love nuts in moderation. Brazil nuts are very good for you but a daily limit of the contained selenium is only 1 or 2 per day. Selenium has benefits but too much leads to kidney and heart failure. We are surprisingly fragile creatures :)
I'm hoping no teledoctor starts recommending a mixed nut diet :)
Anne, I am so grateful that you help share the stories of these incredible New Yorkers. Just when I think I’ve had my fill of humans and am ready to hop on the next express train to Mars, in our inboxes appears a story of a person who is so unique and lovely that they’re like an angel on earth! What a blessing that people like Davina exist. You bet I made a donation — #TeamDavina!
Oh, gosh, no! I'm sure it's some fancy political intellectual at The Atlantic Monthly whose name I cannot recall because I am currently under-caffeinated! 😂
I have never posted so many ‘like’ tags before. My Ukrainian window box man is now no.2 on my list and no longer centrespread in the forthcoming Cafe Anne Bedside Companion. A truly great piece of reporting Anne. The passing reference to workers, probably low low paid, getting home too exhausted to do chores like cleaning etc, maybe after a long commute as well, hit home too🐰
The caffeine powder sounds like a spin-off opportunity for an adult-version of Fun Dip! The stick was always the best bit but maybe a Lik-a-Stix with flavoured caffeine powders? Followed by a Popeye cigarette, of course. (*This is not a recipe submission, I don't want to get yelled at like JudgeRoyBean. Ha.)
Such a fabulous read! I love Cafe Anne.
Thank you Meg!!
This story made me very happy. Davina is compassionate and generous and kind even to rat babies. She is my new favorite person!
Rat babies love her too, Xeni!
Caffeine recipe
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026228-spicy-black-bean-soup?unlocked_article_code=1.M1A.Je8R.5pI_u94Ws-FD&smid=share-url
Spicy Black Bean Soup; this is so easy and so tasty! 20 minutes to table, tops.
PLUS it meets the requirement for CAFFEINE!!!
You see the recipe calls for TWO tablespoons (10,000mg) of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
NOW that isn’t 10,000mg of caffeine but look at the composition from A. I.
“Unsweetened cocoa powder contains a modest amount of caffeine, though it is often higher in theobromine, a related but milder stimulant. On average, one tablespoon (approx. 5 grams) of unsweetened cocoa powder contains about 12 to 12.5 mg of caffeine.”
BUT what even the omniscient Anne Kadet will not realize (and neither will the Buddhist monk-nuns) is that you also get a KICK from THEOBROMINE caffeine’s stepsister:
“The "Jitter" Difference: While a tablespoon of cocoa has about 1/8th the caffeine of an 8oz cup of coffee (which averages 95 mg), it contains significantly more theobromine (about 100 mg per tablespoon). Theobromine provides a more sustained, gentle energy boost compared to the sharper spike and crash of caffeine.”
Not following directions as usual, JRB!
Despite your misgivings Anne, JRB is typically riding the wave of fun and nonsense that keeps us coming back to Cafe Anne with regularity. Besides, his reference to bromine took me back to childhood books and witch potions. I associate those with a good bromide for some reason. When I checked the definition for bromide I concluded these might end up in the weekly comments with some regularity.
'a trite and unoriginal idea or remark, typically intended to soothe or placate.'
Finally, someone needs to stand up for JRB -- I am glad to do it
I just learned last week that a bromide is a word that in Japanese means, like, a pin-up magazine or poster.
My good friend!
Wha?? You know I've always thought the raison d' etre of Cafe Anne was NOT to follow directions!
And besides, Unsweetened Cocoa Powder IS technically "caffeine powder" because it meets the 2 criteria: 1. Powder 2. Caffeine
I really feel that we need to go to the judges for this!
Possibly even run it by a few of them Buddhist Monk-Nuns you been hanging out with.
Not being able to make a decision between the two of you but instead turning the matter over to a nun is a bad 'habit'
That one snuck up on me!!! Lol!!!
Ahh, I'm so glad to learn more about Davina! I've seen a few of her videos but loved this conversation so much. What a compassionate, amazing person.
What I love most is that she doesn't seem to pity or look down on her clients, Anna. She's on their team!
Exactly! It’s such a vulnerable situation, but she’s just there with enthusiasm and kindness. Beautiful!
What a good, kind person. I'm not sure I could handle some of those situations, though...
You never know where your travels may take you, Mr. Jensen!
Talk about glass half-full! Davina is a resilient, driven, loving human. I had to giggle that her hard stop is human excrement, even with a hazmat suit. Same, girl. Same.
Same here too, Katie. Go figure!!!
Wait, there are play-with-roaches kind of people? Props to Davina, that is a pretty amazing and selfless thing she is doing!
Rob, I was wondering as well, if "Play with roaches" is a thing. That is one adventure I'm not quite willing to embark on.
Philadelphia has (had?) an "Insectarium" where I got to hold a, like, three inch "hissing cockroach". Did I want to? No. Did I want to set a good example for my offspring? Guess so.
Dad of the year, Eric!
Wait, I've found NYC content!
"A quick Scatter over to the Bronx Zoo’s website allows visitors to adopt and name a Madagascar hissing cockroach of their very own, transforming a usually frightful insect into an inspiring motif of love." https://www.bxtimes.com/bronx-zoos-name-a-roach-valentines-day/
Well, there's this...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockroach_racing
Of course the Aussies are behind this.
Wow. Fascinating. A good friend of mine had a brother who became a true hoarder, due to various instances of trauma in his life. She got his place cleaned up with the help of a specialty cleaning company, and then she made sure to visit him on a regular basis to keep him in check. I always wondered if he was thinking "I wish she'd stay away so I could start collecting again". Sure enough, the hoarding started again, but in the far recesses of the apartment where she didn't normally go. He sadly passed a couple of years ago. It's true that your environment is a reflection of your mental state. I think of that every time I clean... "I'm normal, see? NORMAL!" 😂
Therapists should do home visits, BA, so they can see what's REALLY going on!
I remember one friend I knew for a couple years who was an interesting feller for sure but nothing outside the norm. Then I saw his place. Six rooms just filled with trash—like three feet deep. And never made any reference to it—as if this was all perfectly normal. I never saw him the same way again.
Haha, yes... it does give one pause 👀
What a wonderful service Davina provides, and there's a real satisfaction in seeing the tangible results! I'm reminded of a great book called "Gig", where people from all walks of life discuss their jobs, and one person spoke of a business they had cleaning sites where people had died violently or had just not been discovered for a while. Someone has to do it...
I never thought about it but yes, the super-tangible nature of what she does must have something to do with how much she enjoys it. Whenever I declutter my closet it, it makes me so happy. I even force my guests to look and admire!
I like how there was lots of discussion of rats and mice, and then she metaphorically referenced hamster wheels. Yay rodents!
The secret subtext of this issue, Mr. Lukas!
What an amazing soul!! So glad she is getting paid for the freebies through GoFundMe. And setting a three-hour time limit is such a sensible solution. Three hours of high speed, chatty cleaning up is manageable. You can keep up the energy for that long. So rewarding. And she gets plenty of paid gigs too. Terrific.
Glad you enjoyed your week of silence and contemplation dear Wolfie. Smirk. It would have been a fascinating experience. Thanks for another great read. 🤗🤗
Yes Beth. I'm sure the limits she puts on it play a big part on her ability to keep doing it.
Caffeine powders are especially risky because small measurement errors can lead to toxic or deadly amounts. One teaspoon of pure powdered caffeine can equal ~3,000 mg or more—way over toxic levels.
All that and a caffeine expert too, Mr. Greenberg!
Anne....You've worked hard for your readership. Would be a shame if you killed half of them.
LOL!
Just half, though? ;)
You know what? I spent the last 5 years in therapy trying to forget that I'd spent 44 years in the gottdamned boring-ist profession of pharmacy. And in an instant I was transported back when you wrote, "1000mg!" Ugh!! Inside info: 1000mg = 1 gram Unless you call your grandmother "Gram"
But 1000 mgs sounds so much more exciting than 1 g!
They used to sell pure caffeine on Amazon. Some poor teenage kid took too much and died and they don’t sell it there anymore. It’s actually a real risk if you don’t take it seriously. It isn’t intuitive how a very small amount pure caffeine becomes very dangerous. But Anne can handle it!
And you should see me with cyanide!
This is a great public service Mr. Greenberg. My background is chemistry. One of the lessons I remember is how narrow is the difference between good and bad and toxic and lethal. One of the casualties of all of the supplements people take these days is how surprisingly easy it is to ingest too much of a good thing. Mostly if you are worried about vitamin C eat an orange.
When my children were in their formative years the two ridiculous Tik-Tok challenges were around drinking a lot of milk or a surprisingly small amount of cinnamon. Tell a boy he cannot drink a gallon of milk in an hour and he will surely try. Same goes for a tablespoon of cinnamon. Both of these are surprisingly dangerous and occasionally leads to tragedy.
My practical one is I love nuts in moderation. Brazil nuts are very good for you but a daily limit of the contained selenium is only 1 or 2 per day. Selenium has benefits but too much leads to kidney and heart failure. We are surprisingly fragile creatures :)
I'm hoping no teledoctor starts recommending a mixed nut diet :)
Anne, I am so grateful that you help share the stories of these incredible New Yorkers. Just when I think I’ve had my fill of humans and am ready to hop on the next express train to Mars, in our inboxes appears a story of a person who is so unique and lovely that they’re like an angel on earth! What a blessing that people like Davina exist. You bet I made a donation — #TeamDavina!
So happy you made a donation. Thanks Laura Rebecca!
What an amazing person! I just love this story... such a marvelous antidote to the polycrisis! 😂
Thank you Alisa. And 'polycrisis' did you coin that? Great word!!
Oh, gosh, no! I'm sure it's some fancy political intellectual at The Atlantic Monthly whose name I cannot recall because I am currently under-caffeinated! 😂
Wow, I’d never heard this word before, but boy, do we need it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycrisis
Love that this article also takes us through 'permacrisis,' 'metacrisis' and "systemic crisis." Now I shall take a nap!
I have never posted so many ‘like’ tags before. My Ukrainian window box man is now no.2 on my list and no longer centrespread in the forthcoming Cafe Anne Bedside Companion. A truly great piece of reporting Anne. The passing reference to workers, probably low low paid, getting home too exhausted to do chores like cleaning etc, maybe after a long commute as well, hit home too🐰
Oh I'm glad you caught that last bit, O L O. And thanks for your kind words!
I wish we had something like that here in Portland Oregon. Thank you for this inspirational story!
Yes I agree this should be everywhere Sandra. Maybe Davina will actually make this happen!
The caffeine powder sounds like a spin-off opportunity for an adult-version of Fun Dip! The stick was always the best bit but maybe a Lik-a-Stix with flavoured caffeine powders? Followed by a Popeye cigarette, of course. (*This is not a recipe submission, I don't want to get yelled at like JudgeRoyBean. Ha.)
This is total genius, Jules!