The Green God (Part Deux)

Nothing like mentioning Starbucks to get lots of feedback on the blog. It's funny, too, because while I was writing the post, I was going to write "Now, I normally never go to Starbucks, but I have never been so happy to see a Starbucks in my life," but instead I wrote, "I have never in my life felt such joy at seeing a Starbucks" because upon reflecting a bit, I realized it's not true that I never go to Starbucks. I guess you could say I rarely go to Starbucks.

The Green God is definitely not my first choice in coffee. If I'm in Spokane, I'd rather go to Bittersweet, Rockwood Bakery or Thomas Hammer, and yet I'd pick Starbucks over the Rocket anyday. Sorry Rocket fans. In Portland I'd rather drink Stumptown Coffee. When in Seattle, my first choice would be Café Fiore, then Lighthouse, then Diva, and then just about any of the millions of incredible coffee roasters in Seattle. But sometimes in Seattle those places are really far away, so a quick pop into one of the millions of Starbucks is a natural thing to do. Especially one that has those yummy breakfast sandwiches. Mmmm.

In the Northwest, there is a different attitude and relationship toward coffee than in the rest of the United States. Last Spring I was in New York and Pennsylvania for my brother's graduation and didn't have a decent cup of a coffee for a full 6 days. On day 4, I saw Starbucks in Manhattan and you better believe I was happy then. The only problem there was that they seemed to have altered the Starbucks Americano to suit the taste of East Coasters. It tasted like watered down coffee to me and my sister Amy, a fellow coffee connoisseur. But, hey, it was better than diner coffee which I'm convinced was Sanka or some equally disgraceful powdered disaster.

I'm not saying that Starbucks is the only good coffee outside of the Northwest. The basic truth is, that when you live in a place long enough, you know the good coffee and where to go and you don't really need Starbucks anymore. But here in Switzerland, the whole notion of Starbucks is so comforting, so like home and so familiar, I can't help but love it. I am a Northwesterner afterall. I like my 16 ounces of coffee in a paper cup, and I like walking around with it even more. The closest thing I can get to that in Neuchâtel is nasty Migros "à l'emporter" coffee in a whimpy 12 ounce cup that's only half full, too hot and they're really stingy with the cream and sugar. So, while at home in the States I am more or less neutral on the topic Starbucks, here in Switzerland I am devotedly PRO-Starbucks.