My Blog

I just read this article from Jem’s blog. It’s has some interesting ideas. Some of my friends and I usually meet up at Starbucks after watching a movie for the coffee and ambiance It allows us to talk for hours without the blaring music or alcohol in your usual bars.

The Starbucks Principle

by Nick Garcia

Haven’t you noticed how Starbucks has taken the place of Megamall,
Enchanted Kingdom, and Jollibee?  Today, Starbucks spells gimmick.
Suddenly, everyone is mad about coffee, and is willing to spend a
whopping hundred bucks for "one tall mocha frappe please!" or "I’ll
have one grande iced coffee please!"  Everyone claims it’s different,
it’s something else, it’s to die for.  Instead of catching a nice flick
at the cinema, the Filipinos’ new idea of fun is to voluntarily park
their buns at the cafe and gulp all the caffeine they can.

No one knows exactly why Starbucks has become the hot spot, when
what they serve is just foamed Blend 45 for crying out loud.  Oh, try
pointing this out to Starbucks fanatics (i.e., the likes of
teeny-boppers and kikay girls), and you can expect getting attacked on
how little you know about coffee.  Get ready with answers like "Duh!
Starbucks isn’t just coffee!  They’re ground beans and processed
chocolate and skimmed milk!  What do you know about that?"

They have a point there, though, because even in the United States,
when you talk coffee, Starbucks comes first.  Their ingredients are
never questionable, and if I’m not mistaken, Starbucks is an
established-since-year brand.  In short, Starbucks is the coffee
authority.  But it ends there.  Starbucks is coffee, period.  Certainly
not a gimmick place of some sort, not convincing enough as an
alternative for the mall.  This, I repeat, is the case in the United
States.

But Starbucks invades Manila and Here it becomes an obsession.  As
you may have already seen, the interiors of Starbucks cafes are all
designed to create a distinct ambiance.  Notice from the Italian-tiled
flooring, to the cowboy-motif wall covering, to the fancy lamps, tables
and chairs crafted like those only seen in home magazines.  Of course,
who would miss the complicated bar counter, behind which all the
grinders and blenders are displayed as if to remind you they really do
process your cappuccino.

I mean, who can resist frequenting a posh place like this?  Instead
of worrying about other important things, the typical kikay teenager
puts on her best dress, and with her kikay friends goes straight to
Starbucks where she orders "one tall caramel frappe please!"  This
takes time to prepare, which is fine.  She feels rewarded by the fact
that the ethical barista would shout her name across the room by the
time her frappe is ready.  After she claims it, she heads for the
self-service corner where she takes excessive packets of extra sugar,
extra cream, an inch thick of Starbucks tissue paper for souvenir.
Then she sits by the front window, hoping someone she knows would pass
by and see her drinking expensive coffee.  She takes remarkably small
sips in order to prolong her stay, like a real smart-ass.

During the entire process, there is the obligatory flaunting of
Nokia cellphones, the occasional eruptions of "yeah" and "sure" here
and there.  You get the impression everyone in the room is from the
conyo sector.  Pathetic as it is, the Starbucks atmosphere is so
contagious that it simply brings out the social climber in one.

You have to admit that the Philippine franchiser of Starbucks -
whoever he is - deserves credit.  He’s certainly not stupid.  He sees
through us Filipinos, and definitely knows how to flatter us.  Mr.
Starbucks is aware of the average Pinoy desire to be associated and
considered among the elite because well, in reality, the average Pinoy
is far from being that.  The average Pinoy home is less attractive than
place like Starbucks.  The average Pinoy meal is without garnishes.
The average Pinoy environment is less comforting and convenient than
the service of Starbucks.

But when in Starbucks, the average Pinoy is instantly made to feel
he’s in New York, or Las Vegas, or Paris, or anywhere else but Manila -
one probable reason why we Filipinos buy this flick.  We are total
suckers for anything that is western in concept.  But Starbucks has
gone beyond colonial mentality; it has become pure escapism.  It helps
us forget about the EDSA traffic jam, the Hostages in Mindanao, and the
decreasing popularity of Erap.  In this age of harsh realities of
poverty and chaos, anything that offers oblivion and temporary
indulgence sells fast.  No matter how costly it is.

With their little creativity in repackaging, Starbucks is no longer
just coffee.  It’s already a religion.  That we Filipinos practically
worship that green logo with the exotic lady shows where we derive our
strength to move on.  It is from the promise of Starbucks every pay day.