Use Your Bean
It always amuses me the way Starbuck's has built its brand on its pretentious coopting of Italian words to mean things they don't mean in Italy. I suppose the clientele are supposed to feel a bit closer to the romance of the old country, but the whole Starbuck's "experience" couldn't be further from the familial community gathering place offered by the ubiquitous Italian cafe. Everything about Starbuck's seems forced and ersatz to me, a counterfeit rip-off of the real thing. Silliest of all is the little name badge worn by the servers identifying each as a barista. In this case the term is correct, but the wearing of the label is ridiculous, like writing tazza on the cups would be. The first time I noticed one I actually thought it was the young man's name, and remarked on the coincidence: "Wow, your name's Barista, do you realize it means counterman in Italian?" He looked at me very oddly.
posted by John M Crowther @ 7:53 AM
4 Comments:
I might also add that the notion that one can no longer call a small coffee small and that a medium cappuccino is a “grande” is as preposterous notion as calling a teenager with a cap a “barista.” My suspicion is that the Starbucks and Viagra people are the same. Viagra tells you that if your erection lasts more than 4 hours, you must consult a doctor. My experience has been that if you venti cappuccino lasts more than twenty minutes you should do the same.
So funny! We don't have Starbucks here in the deep north... but I remember the taste of my first Starbucks taken in "grande" Italian style in downtown Honolulu(!) of all places...
Liquid tar ;-/
Never been in a Starbucks myself. I object in principle to paying three times what a cup of coffee should cost to get a lot of advertising and a fake ambiance. roger. GOOD Cartoon John.
my ISP must be having hiccups. Could not get the Sunday cartoon on Sunday. Bummer!
Knew there was a reason that I only drink tea. Saves me a lot of money evidently.
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