In a satirical piece an American magazine had once quoted “New Starbucks Opens in Rest Room of Existing Starbucks”.
That is almost reality for us hopped up (save this term for beer drinkers) or should I say Caffienated public. See I am so stoned I used the wrong spelling (thinking i before e but alas caffEIne is the other way round).
We are so overdosed we cannot remember when we had a shot, so like a junkie we seek it out and get another one.. just in case. Alcohol has some serious competition. Starbucks partnered with the Tatas and went and opened its first store in Mumbai. They have big plans to sell coffee to a natively tea drinking public. Just making a statement - lifestyle is what they want to sell - in some retarded marketing lingo - not the coffee. Anyone can sell coffee.
Used to be a time when the Japanese used the idea of caffeine intake and developed a whole Zen lifestyle around it - called it the Tea Ceremony. Spent hours preparing and serving and enjoying it. Now in the go go world we try to memorize the weird sounding pseudo Italian nomenclature to order an expensive froth with loads of caffeine to make an elephant go wild. Starbucks and others have got in the game of also convincing us that we need to first fail at home while attempting the exercise of coffee brewing so they now sell fancy machines to generate your first cup. Some cost as much as a small car and both can drive you nuts .. ha ha.
So once you either fail at operating said machinery or get hooked with the first sip, you keep seeking it out at their stores during the day - unless you plan to carry the machine and ingredients wherever you go - and plug and play on the spot - that could be another economical way of doing it. You could spot a man at a street lamp post with an outlet brewing his own ... and the other outlet is charging his iphone.. with Super Storm Sandy we saw pictures of the latter in NY anyway. Addiction is a powerful thing.
I must confess that while I do not enjoy any kind of coffee on a typical day I am partial to the south Indian chicory laced concoction when I can get my hands on one. Its rare state side. What I will imbibe with some regularity is the Starbucks brand Chai Latte. A strong concoction made of black tea and spices and sugar to which is added steaming hot milk. That I like.
Recently the best caffeine I had in liquid form was in Malaysia - went by the name of Teh Tari - which basically translates to Strained Tea. Tar is wire and the act of pouring the hot steaming liquid from one vessel to another while drawing it creates a long stream that introduces air in the beverage making it blend well and also cools the super hot concoction.
For 50 cents US I could have six of them to equal my starbucks small cup. Costs a bunch to get to Malaysia but the tea was worth every sip. Not to mention enjoying the show of the artist actually making that cup (no starbucks machine is going to match that).
Cool cat the Japanese are Tokyo at dusk My second visit to this land of the rising sun after almost a decade. Back then clearly I was wet behind the ears product manager and likely didn’t pay attention to all (efficient) things Japanese. But today I did and of course continue to be impressed. It is as much the obvious stuff like on time travel that is both clean and comfortable and all that which makes it possible. The impressive landmark and landscapes that these humans have put together despite their cramped (or because of it) surroundings and precarious geological conditions could amaze a novice architect among us. But it’s also the little things that someone had to think about which have a phenomenal impact on day to day lives that make the Japanese stand apart. Below are few random examples- 1. Providing a very fine machined wooden toothpick in every packet of wooden chopsticks. The said chapsticks are simply set on the To Go counter of any food vendor/ convenience store wher...
I was going to say, it costs many bucks to be a Star out there...but you already said it! How about the bull called Red Bull? Makes you part with a lot of cash too.
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