I just started reading a book called "Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture" by Taylor Clark. I have always wanted to read the dirt on Starbucks! Even though I'm only a few pages into the book, I have to share a passage.
The author mentions that the most common complaint about Starbucks is the chain's ubiquity (I TOTALLY agree on that one. I thought I was going crazy when I saw two Starbucks across from each other on Robson Street in downtown Vancouver while I was vacationing there in summer 2006. Turns out the placement of these two stores was only the beginning of Starbucks' rise to fame in 1991).
Anyways, here's the passage (on page 11) I want to share. It's kind of a "fun fact:"
"Which of the following places does not have a Starbucks?
A. Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba
B. A Christian church in Munster, Indiana
C. Beirut, Lebanon
D. The town of Starbuck, Washington
E. The Great Wall of China"
And the answer is...D, of course, because it is the least outrageous place you would expect a Starbucks (until you come to know that the town of Starbuck has a population of 128). Looks like Starbucks is taking over the world...
I have to admit, though, that one can find me at Starbucks every now and then. In fact, while I lived in the US I hardly went there, but now that I live in Germany (and Nürnberg now has 4 stores within a ridiculously small radius) I find myself going there (even though I don't want to support such a big corporation) because having Starbucks reminds me of being in the US and I like having that feeling every now and then. I wonder what people who have never been to the US feel like when they go to Starbucks. Do they feel like they belong to the "in" crowd? To be honest, in the US Starbucks stores are often quite dirty and I prefer going to other chains, such as Peet's Coffee (where I first acquired a taste for iced mochas), and most preferably independent coffee houses! My favorite iced mochas I came across while living in Davis, California, could be found at Ciocolat where they top the mocha with delicious vanilla whipped cream and Mishka's.
As I continue reading the book I hope I will have more infos to share!
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I have to agree with you that seeing a Starbuck on every corner is a real "put off"...(is that a real term??) Anyway, I am not a coffee drinker, but have many friends and family who are. I know that because of so much competition, the company has recently undergone a major reconstruction and has even closed some of it's stores. They are trying to go back to the original stores characteristics of good service and good coffee. I wonder....will it work??? I'm still routing for the little guys!!
ReplyDeleteStarbucks in a church?? That is pretty tasteless, pardon the pun... I prefer the independent coffee houses that don't take over everything. They have more character and are more fun to visit.
ReplyDeleteI love Ciocolat too! Especially the creme brulee, whether vanilla or chocolate. It's places like those that make me want to teach in Davis.
ReplyDeleteIn retrograde reply to your next post, I have sweet teeth too! They're so sweet that they might actually be prosthetic candy inserts. But, seriously, if I eat too many more sweets, I may end up with prosthetics. One day we'll have to compare our love of sweets, perhaps in an ice cream-eating competition...