Sunday, September 12, 2010

Starbucks in Paris

There is a Starbucks near my new office building (Hallelujah!). I have come to the horrible habit of going nearly every morning. I am not the only person there – often I wait in line behind French people (not tourists from the nearby hotel). French people often are waiting in line behind me. These French people get beverages to go. But, and this what I don’t understand, if you are walking on the sidewalks outside Starbucks, near my building, you do not see people carry Starbucks cups. Do the people just magically melt in to the ground when the leave the store? Do the French have some sort of secret cloaking device that make the Starbucks cup invisible so they are not noticed?

So much for eating outside and enjoying the summer ... I did a few weeks ago with a friend/colleague and a friend of hers who was in town on a one-day layover. Great dinner, great view (Eiffel), great conversation. Horrible because 1-2 days later I realised that the French-super-mosquito-noseeum-bug-things attacked me. At least 7 bites on my right leg and 2 on my left. They not only itched, they hurt.

I had several work colleagues over to my place for an end-of-summer party (or Rentree, for ‘re-entry’ into the city). As the French love fruit for dessert (pineapple and melons), I decided to buy some. And I was yet again amazed at people in the grocery smelling, squeezing, examining them. Like they really have any idea?

Ok, back to Starbucks ... I’ve now decided to ‘boycott’ it for 3 reasons (1) cost ... paying 4.50€ for a grande chai latte is not the best use of my money (2) calories ... not the best for health (3) rudeness ... on two occasions in August I was at the door about 7:45 or 8, and even though it opens at 7:30, it was still closed. Last week I went at 8 and a worker was setting up the chairs outside and the doors were open and so I start to walk in. The woman stops me saying (all French) the store isn’t open yet. I look at her with a confused/are-you-kidding-me look, and reply (in French) that it is 8 and the store opens at 7:30. She says, yes, but she is the only person there .... seriously??? And there is a new woman working there who is rude (too long/petty to write, but just know that I don’t enjoy being told ‘Non!’ with a finger shake before 8 a.m. when I’m there paying an exorbitant amount for a tea). Oh, and a carry-over annoyance of Starbucks from (1) Boston : the store on State Street opened at 6:30 but across the street Au Bon Pain was open at 6, Dunkin Donuts at the next corner was 5:30 or 6, and the independent coffee shop in Faneuil Hall was 6. Seriously? Starbucks couldn’t open at 6? Nothing worse than getting there at 6:20 and wanting Starbucks they are closed ... at least the rest of the competition was open! And (2) Cincinnati : now, I’m thrilled there are Starbucks’ on the west side of town, but certainly they could’ve hired people with better math skills?

I know I’m definitely going to miss the food here when I leave in 2 years. And already I find it easier to read a menu in French instead of English. I’ll know intuitively what something is in French, but when you ask me the equivalent in English, I blank – but it just makes sense to me in French, and the choices all sound more appetizing!

And, I know I’ve been here too long because I was out with my new friend and her husband, and another American couple who just moved over, and they couldn’t fathom eating a cheeseburger with a knife and fork. Well, I can. In fact, I think eating one w/o a knife and fork, when in France, is disgusting. Don’t get me wrong, if I’m in the US, I’m eating with my hands and making a mess, but here, that just seems so uncivilised, whereas in the US a knife & fork is too pretentious. Random.

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