I was supposed to meet up with some friends tonight at a local Starbucks. I don’t love going to Starbucks – I’d much rather go to a locally owned place where they know what I like and have it ready for me when I walk in the door. The problem is that those places don’t seem to exist.
I’m not one of those hippy-dippy people who only eats locally grown foods. None of the meat I eat it from these parts – and have you ever tried to catch a salmon or seabass in the middle of the North American continent? If the strawberries they’re shipping in from God-knows-where in February taste like real, honest-to-God strawberries, I’ll buy them and enjoy them. Eating only locally grown stuff would mean several months of the year I’d be living on potatoes, onions and carrots – not much else. I can’t do it.
In a similar way, I don’t want people to suffer so that I can enjoy a venti decaf-skim-mocha latte, but I’m not going out of my way to find fair-trade coffee. In theory I support all of these movements to eat locally and organically and humanely. But in practice, I can’t be bothered. I work long, hard hours. I don’t have the time, or frankly the money to search these things out.
So why would I rather go to a locally-owned place over a nondescript world-wide chain? Well, I like supporting small businesses. I have a small business – and I like to support my own. Back to that small problem – there are no little, hole-in-the-wall coffee joints in my neighbourhood. But there are 4 Starbucks within 5 minutes of my house. One of them even has a drive-thru – and another is located in a grocery store I frequent. I can have a latte or iced tea as I squeeze the tomatoes and peaches.
Convenience my friends. It’s about convenience. My world involves working 5-6 days a week, up to 12 hours a day. Then I come home and work on a second job. I’m just tired. Starbucks is convenient. Almost anywhere I go, there it is, just waiting for me to stroll up to the counter to try this season’s new flavours. Large cities, small towns. There it is – like a beacon calling out to me.
So I went, I sat on the patio, enjoying my chilled beverage and catching up with old friends. Could I have had a better cup of iced coffee somewhere else? Probably. But you know what – I got home from work at 7, was able to grab a quick dinner and was at my local Starbucks by 8. And I had a lovely evening.
Maybe one day I’ll live in the neighbourhood that I picture in my head. I’ll walk in and the barista will be steaming my lactose-free milk for my caramel macchiato. But for now, I’ll survive.
Oh – by the way – the green tea frappuccinos are darn tasty.
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