I love my new Dunkin’ Coffee Mugs.
Got one in each color: blue and orange.
Inside the mugs, there is a finger sign “V” (for victory) and it says “Be Awesome”.
These oversized mugs are so happy and I can’t wait to fill ’em up.
And they really do make me ready to “Wake Up” for a brand new day. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So I went into this store in Chinatown in Washington, D.C. and was looking around.
I saw this chest of draws with all sorts of herbs and insects listed.
One draw included a label for “Cockroach”.
I asked innocently:
Do you have cockroaches in there?
The lady behind the counter responds in broken English:
Oh yes, there are roaches in there.
Again, not understanding the relationship to the herbs for sale, I inquire:
What are the roaches used for?
The lady looks at me a little more intently and says:
It is for tea–cockroach tea!
My eyes literally bugged out and I go for a third round:
Do people drink that for health reasons?
She responds:
Yes, and it is good for managing pain.
Hesitatingly, I asked her to take out the bag and open it so I could see for myself.
I don’t know about you, but growing up in NYC, we definitely didn’t value cockroaches as part of our diet–in fact, we did everything we could to try and rid ourselves of these disgusting insects–but usually to no avail.
The roaches survived everything we could throw at them!
If they are so resilient, maybe they can provide some health benefits to people (who knows–you’ve got to respect ancient alternative medicines), but I will only say this, you won’t get me anywhere near this roach tea–and not for all the tea in China! 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So lots of people like to drink tea.
But the other day, a nice person was telling me how they drink tea all the time.
It’s not just that they like tea, but there was an important true story behind it.
You see, they said, when they were young growing up in a foreign country, they often didn’t have enough to eat.
So instead, they had resorted to drinking lots of tea.
They went on to say, that as children, they often had to go to sleep hungry.
It is truly a wake-up call for those of us who, thank G-d, have what to eat and so much choice and plenty in this great country.
Not everyone in the world is so blessed to eat heartily and go to sleep with a full and satisfied belly.
It is especially saddening and tragic when we are talking about innocent children in this world.
As we go from the workweek to the weekend, perhaps it is a good time to reflect on how much we have to be grateful for and to wish blessings of peace, health, and prosperity on all our fellow mankind, here and all around the world. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumethal)
Just wanted to share these three new owl mugs we got.
One is orange, one is brown, and one is light blue.
The eyes are adorable on these cups.
It’s almost like a family the way they look together.
All the other coffee/tea cups we have are now officially obsolete.
These are the only ones getting any thirsty attention. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I took this photo of an ad for Milagro Tequila on the side of a tour bus in Washington, D.C.
Milagro (“Miracle”) is a company that prides itself on it’s collaboration with artists to create cool murals to advertise it’s liquor.
Tequila is made from the sweet, fruity, blue agave plant from northwest Mexico, hence the writing over the mural saying, “Agave Expressionism.”
It must be challenging to look out the windows of this tour bus covered in this very blue mural and messaging.
Why is this ad effective?
First, it is intense and exciting–the vibrant colors, the big mask with the bulging eyes, and the skulls with the green leafy stuff growing out of the head.
Second, it really is a work of art, and you wouldn’t expect to see this on a regular tour bus shlepping around town.
Third, the cultural contrast between the Mexican artistic expressionism and the rest of the comparatively humdrum city life is standout.
Fourth, after a long hard day at work, people are tired, thirsty, and ready for some fun–so this is a welcome message.
Overall, this has the creativity and connection with the people to hit the mark–pretty neat. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
This was a Monkey Mudslide.
The cup is my favorite–it’s happy and says at the bottom, “Have Fun.”
The drink was this combination of Malibu Coconut Rum, Coffee Liquor, Bailey’s, and Chocolate and Cream.
OMG, do they give free refills on this stuff? 😉
Designed by students at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID).
The collar of the coat catches the rainwater.
The water passes through a charcoal and chemical filtration system.
Purified water is then stored around the hips of the coat where it can be distributed and easily carried.
A straw is built in and provided for easy drinking.
I like this for its functionality as survival gear and its practicality as a user-centric product.
One thing I would add is a place to put the Coca-Cola syrup to give it a little extra pick me up. 😉
Very cool–good job!
andyblumenthal 