Last fall, two of our riders enjoyed their biking to the S. Waterfront via Tillicum Crossing to check out this recently opened shop, supposedly owned by the vegan drummer of the Fall Out Boys band, and operated by his Midwestern hometown buddies.  After visiting the vegan coffee shop in Gateway multiple times this summer, seeing how a vegan coffee shop could succeed in the upscale Waterfront area, was part of our perverse curiosity for choosing today’s destination, on this thankfully dry winter day.

Though our photo doesn’t capture it, this morning at 9:00 a.m. Oracle enjoyed having a healthy multicultural/multi-aged clientele, who seemed happy to be enjoying their goodies in this attractive setting.  Though the design, furniture and layout are well done, they would be equally at home downtown or in any newly constructed building; we think the shop would benefit from some additional homey touches that reflect its surroundings.  Vegan-wise, we didn’t think Oracle’s oat milk measured up to half and half, but we’ve been brainwashed by decades of the latter.

Discussion topics included: G’s recommendation of the book For All the Tea in China, a fascinating history of the East India Co.’s stealing of China’s tea secrets and how it affected history; how essential tea was to historic cultures, and could be the lightning rod for our Revolutionary War; how tulips and beaver pelts were similarly prized as much as gold later was, and again lightning rods for various traumatic international interventions; Portland Center Stage’s Astoria Part 2, about John Jacob Astor’s attempt to control the world beaver pelt trade, and ART’s Magellanica about an Antarctica overwintering in 1986 to study the ozone layer’s shrinking; and how H. saw 10 Fertile Ground productions of new local works, and was wowed by 8 of them.

3875 SW Bond          http://www.oraclecoffee.com