A Starbucks State of Mind: 600th Post!

Writing in The Washington Post, Anne Applebaum describes the arrival of Starbucks in Warsaw: "[H]ere in Central Europe, the arrival of Starbucks has been greeted with undiluted enthusiasm -- so much enthusiasm, in fact, that the phenomenon seems to require further explanation."

To Applebaum, Starbucks symbolizes 21-century century success. She adds that Starbucks signifies the kind of go-go capitalism that still resonates in Poland, even while U.S. readers may find such a utopia to have gone flat. Another snip:

"But even if you haven't quite attained that financial latitude, you can pretend to have done so at Starbucks. If you are still a student, or if you are just starting out in the stock market or fashion, you might not yet have the money to buy designer shoes or a new car. You are therefore more likely to indulge in small luxuries, such as overpriced coffee."

She concludes with a clever reminder that, for centuries, central European coffee culture has provided a social and class vacation for folks who otherwise live working class lives. To her, the arrival of Starbucks to Warsaw represents a culture coming full circle.

Read the entire article: A Starbucks State of Mind