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Undertoad · 11-21-2001, 10:40 AM

Yes, well, if it turns out that the tyranny of the majority says that you can have good coffee, but can't sit around in the place you got it... well I for one will remain optimistic that I can eke out a life somehow. It'll be difficult to bear, but...

What we are really railing against is change. Today business is short on luxuries like expensive real estate to devote to people sitting around consuming borrowed newspapers and not buying anything. Space is a resource, so in a busy culture where time is at a premium, you'll more likely succeed by volume and throughput.

In a town near me there is a poky little cafe that sells Folger's out of a Mr. Coffee in foam cups. If this cruddy little place were put out of business by a Starbucks, it would be a serious step up. So it works both ways. The "levelling" you refer to would be improving the culture of the crappy places out there.

I have a rant that I trot out at this point, which some people are tired of, but it's time. A few years ago I went to Charleston West Virginia for a week on business. The first day I drank the coffee at the seminar I was attending. It was weak, bitter, and cold. The second day I drank the coffee at the hotel where I was staying. It was weak and bitter.

That night, I drove around town looking for a coffee shop. I found one. It opened at 7:30 am. The following morning, I went there and when it opened at 7:40, I took their Mr. Coffee carafe and poured it into one of the complimentary foam cups. They didn't even pour it for you. And the coffee was weak and bitter.

Facing another day of crappy coffee was too much, but I had a non-refundable ticket. I finally found a decent cup - at a Krispy Kreme.

Now, oddly enough, these West Vriginians worship the laid-back, rush-free culture that doesn't fly in the big city. I take that to mean they don't really need coffee; I take that to mean that coffee is a part of the rush culture that doesn't support sitting around.

It still boils down to: what we are really complaining about is change, and we're largely concerned with style over substance. The people buying coffee at Starbucks have all made a choice in their lives, and they operate to maximize what they believe to be best for them. You can tag them "yuppies" and complain that they are without an appreciation for the better things in life. But at some level, that's unfair too; their choices are theirs, they believe they are improving their lives through them.

Man I can be voluminous when I want to be....

11-21-2001, 10:40 AM	#13
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Yes, well, if it turns out that the tyranny of the majority says that you can have good coffee, but can't sit around in the place you got it... well I for one will remain optimistic that I can eke out a life somehow. It'll be difficult to bear, but... What we are really railing against is change. Today business is short on luxuries like expensive real estate to devote to people sitting around consuming borrowed newspapers and not buying anything. Space is a resource, so in a busy culture where time is at a premium, you'll more likely succeed by volume and throughput. In a town near me there is a poky little cafe that sells Folger's out of a Mr. Coffee in foam cups. If this cruddy little place were put out of business by a Starbucks, it would be a serious step up. So it works both ways. The "levelling" you refer to would be improving the culture of the crappy places out there. I have a rant that I trot out at this point, which some people are tired of, but it's time. A few years ago I went to Charleston West Virginia for a week on business. The first day I drank the coffee at the seminar I was attending. It was weak, bitter, and cold. The second day I drank the coffee at the hotel where I was staying. It was weak and bitter. That night, I drove around town looking for a coffee shop. I found one. It opened at 7:30 am. The following morning, I went there and when it opened at 7:40, I took their Mr. Coffee carafe and poured it into one of the complimentary foam cups. They didn't even pour it for you. And the coffee was weak and bitter. Facing another day of crappy coffee was too much, but I had a non-refundable ticket. I finally found a decent cup - at a Krispy Kreme. Now, oddly enough, these West Vriginians worship the laid-back, rush-free culture that doesn't fly in the big city. I take that to mean they don't really need coffee; I take that to mean that coffee is a part of the rush culture that doesn't support sitting around. It still boils down to: what we are really complaining about is change, and we're largely concerned with style over substance. The people buying coffee at Starbucks have all made a choice in their lives, and they operate to maximize what they believe to be best for them. You can tag them "yuppies" and complain that they are without an appreciation for the better things in life. But at some level, that's unfair too; their choices are theirs, they believe they are improving their lives through them. Man I can be voluminous when I want to be....