A Cafecito Story
By Julia Alvarez
A Cafecito Story / El Cuento del Cafecito is a short eco-fable by Julia Alvarez. It tells the story of Joe, the son of a Nebraska farmer, who vacations in the Dominican Republic only to find himself in midst the struggle of a family facing the loss of the land they love to a new mechanized way of growing coffee. Based on Julia and her spouse Bill Eichner's experiences, this is a story about the deep ways that coffee connects us both to the earth and to each other.
Before reading:
Who is Julia Alvarez? Do a quick web search to find out more about her and her work.
Activity: Doodle time
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Using this print out graphic, doodle in the stream of the coffee cup. What images do you associate with coffee? What objects, people, places, or symbols would you use to represent your experience with coffee? What does coffee mean to you and your community?
2. Take a look at the artwork on the cover of A Cafecito Story by clicking the dropdown. What images do you notice? What similarities and differences do you see between these images and the ones you drew?
Read A Cafecito Story and use these questions as a guide:
Pp 1-15 (through “I told you I saw mountains”)
3. A Cafecito Story doesn’t start with coffee, it starts on a farm in Nebraska. Why do you think the author chooses to start in this way?
4. What do you think is the significance of the seagulls? What do they remind you of? What possible meanings might they have?
5. What motivates Joe to leave his apartment in the US and travel to the Dominican Republic? What motivates him to leave the resort and venture into the mountains?
Pp 16-31 (through “he finds himself whistling the same tune”)
6. What descriptions about Miguel’s farm and the surrounding land stand out to you?
7. When Joe asks why everyone doesn’t farm coffee the old way, Miguel says, “The new way you can plant more coffee…you can have more money in your pocket,” pointing at Joe when he says “you" (21). Why do you think he points at Joe?
8. Joe decides to spend his vacation working on the finca with Miguel instead of going back to the resort (25). What leads him to make this choice?
9. What does it mean to “taste with your whole body and soul” (31). Have you ever tasted something in this way? If so, describe the experience.
Activity: Taste with your Body and Soul
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Brew a pot or purchase a cup of really good coffee from a local shop and drink/smell it.
How does it taste? What flavors do you notice? How does drinking/smelling the coffee bring up thoughts, memories, and/or feelings? Take A Cafecito Story's advice and taste with your body and soul.
Expansion option: Look up the story of the particular coffee you are drinking as well: Where was it grown? Who grew it? How was it grown and processed? How does this knowledge impact your experience?
Pg. 31-50
10. Miguel’s farm is in jeopardy because he is not able to earn as much as the farms of the companía (23). Make a list of the many other struggles that Miguel faces. Then consider, what possible solutions do you see A Cafecito Story offering?
11. What is the role of literacy and education in this story? How does literacy change the lives of Miguel’s family and their community?
12. How does the story end? Why do you think Alvarez chooses to end this way?
Pp. 52-59 (Afterword)
13. What were Bill and Julia’s initial dreams for growing coffee? How did these dreams shift?
14. What is one thing that you find inspiring about Bill and Julia’s story?
15. What is one question you have about Bill and Julia’s story or about A Cafecito Story?
Final Reflections
16. As you finish the eco-fable, choose a favorite quote or section from the entire book that interests you. Share it and why it interest you.
17. A Cafecito features many images by Dominican artist Belkis Ramirez. Choose one image and look at it closely. What do you notice? What does it add?
18. Take another look at your doodle on the print-out graphic. Is there anything you would add or change after reading A Cafecito Story?
19. A Cafecito Story is presented as an eco-fable or a parable (53), a term often used for a story to teach a lesson. What lesson do you hear in this story? What is the impact of telling it in this literary form as opposed to a more direct, factual account?
20. How do you seeing this story speaking to our connections to the earth? To connections between coffee consumers and producers transnationally? Do you notice any other connections that A Cafecito Story highlights?
Extension Activites
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Exploring endnote resources
Visit one or two of the websites in the “U.S. Resources” section at the back of A Cafecito Story.
As you review the website(s), consider: What is the mission of this organization? What recommendations or resources do they have for coffee consumers?
*note: “Co-op America” is now called “Green America”Julia’s coffee story
Read the article "Hill of Beans" about how Julia Alvarez got involved in growing coffee in the Dominican Republic.
References
Alvarez, Julia. A Cafecito Story. Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2002.
Brady, Emily. “Hill of Beans,” Smithsonian Magazine,16 Oct. 2007, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/hill-of-beans-173397296/.
Julia Alvarez. “Julia Alvarez.” https://www.juliaalvarez.com.