Sunday, January 29, 2006


..a demonstration of the Warrior Three pose....

Another word about Starbuck's..

As much as I have tried to loathe Starbucks, I just cant. I feel a loyalty to it, being from Seattle; but I certainly appreciate good coffee that isnt the Starbucks brand as well. I have to say that my first reaction when learning that I could find one here in St. Gallen after living no where near one while in Ithaca was a pleasant one. I like being able to order my drink of choice and know that when I get it, it will taste just like I remember it. In the last couple years, being away from Seattle, I have tried to open my mind about coffee, tried to be forgiving that things are just not the same in good ol' Ithaca, where a mocha isnt really a mocha, but coffee and cocoa powder, and in fact a Mocha in Seattle is equal to a Mochaccino in Ithaca. I had to learn this the hard way when I ordered what I thought was a Mocha and saw the "barista" (if you can call her that) stirring cocoa powder into a cup of coffee. YUK. Or, when I went to order a cappuccino and was told in a couple different places in Ithaca, that a cappuccino, isnt REALLY a cappuccino in the traditional sense, but a latte..WHAT? Why all the confusion?
..Anyway, back to where I was really going with this. So, here in St. Gallen, Starbucks is essentially the same, but it seems just a tad more sophisticated. Aside from the myriad of languages being spoken by the baristas, what I love is that hardly anyone gets their coffee to "take-away" here. The number of porcelain mugs behind the counter heaily outweigh the number of paper cups. I feel like I have rediscovered the "Cafe Latte". It tastes like a whole different drink here. I think I started to get little burnt out on the latte, even at Stabuck's in the states. It just was starting to lose its appeal, in that paper cup, where you cant even slurp up that thick foam because of the plastic lid on top. Maybe it is that the whole coffee experience is different. Most of the recent times that I was in Starbucks, over the holidays, was while out shopping and in a mad rush to get everywhere...with no time to sit and have a "mug"..I think having a coffee for me and so many others is equated to so much more than just that quick cup, but the experience that it brings or the memories of relaxing on a Sunday morning that it invokes. I am really appreciating the European way of not rushing something that can be so enjoyable, if you just give it a little more time...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i totally agree. a good habit to return to....just sitting, sipping, and enjoying.

m