Skip to main content

I Don't Go to Starbucks for the Coffee

Nina will hate me for this, but I really don't like Starbucks coffee - the flavor's too acidic. As a matter of fact, the reason I take drip or pressed coffee black without cream or sugar is the fact that I don't get to taste the flavour otherwise. It's just sharp, bitter water.

This excludes, of course, the Christmas blend. That selection is so strong, it feels like a horse punched you in the head. The way I like my coffee.

(Starbucks pales in comparison to Nina's own coffee - which is strong and bitter, the way coffee, decaf or not, is supposed to be).

But the reason I go for Starbucks coffee is the fact that it's so easy to get lost in the chaos. There's the anonymity of being in a place that retains a territorial boundary of sorts despite the fact that it's always full of people. Jericho said something about kids who go to Starbucks because it's cool, something like a fad, but I think this is necessary for the formative teen. You need to waste a few bucks on trying to find your niche, poor or not. And no matter how destitute you might be, there's something calming about knowing that with this eighty-pesos cup of coffee, you are buying something more than just cafe. You're buying the chance to be alone and be left alone, for the most part.

Like this afternoon. I was feeling horrible, and I couldn't focus on work, much less go to a gig, because of a lot of atmospheric elements. There was, to be precise, a party ongoing at my house, and since most celebrations are held at the balcony right behind my room, the speakers of my brother booming my humps, my humps, my lovely little lumps, I'd very much rather check out of the house. So instead, I slept. For several hours. By ten pm, I was feeling strong enough to take a shower and head out to Robinsons Otis and the Starbucks there, which was open til midnight. Thank the heavens Otis was ten minutes away from my place, at best.

Lo and behold. I was able to secure a good spot, and spit out four decent articles in the span of two hours. All I had was a chair, a small table, and breathing space of around a couple of centimeters away from my body. As compared to my room, which was roomier than four sedans put together.

Sounds amazing? It is.

If you need to do a lot of thinking, whether for work or for school - or even for yourself - you need the comfort of faux company offered by the kitsch surroundings of a cafe trying too hard to be elegant. The drone of people talking about a variety of topics - in Otis it's mostly cars and the odd medical group, while in Missouri it's mostly about gimmicks, relationships, and other teenage or yuppie matter - and the knowledge that no matter how tense things became, they wouldn't bother you more than a couple of minutes is very relaxing. You have the world in your oyster. You can observe and be observed, and not care and not be bothered. It's like living and watching your own petri dish in motion, with full mutual respect for the eccentricities of each person.

Because you know that you won't be bothered by these people.

So yeah. I don't go to Starbucks for the coffee. The coffee's just the cherry on the cake, the bagel sandwiches an added bonus. I go to Starbucks because in the chaos of that pedestrian fakery, I can be happily alone.

Comments

  1. the bagels are the absolute bonus for me. if not for them, i would've gone somewhere else. hehehe

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maynilad Water Chronicles: The Clusterf$%#, Part 2

This is the third post in our Maynilad Water chronicles. This time, we will talk about just how inept their record keeping skills are in the face of a massive overhaul in a given area. This involves a technique used by Meralco in high-risk areas called clustering, and is efficient – if utilized correctly. Needless to say, Maynilad has yet to be able to do this.

Clarity in Three Parts

i Maraming beses na kitang nilayasan Iniwanan at iba ang pinuntahan Parang babaeng mahirap talagang malimutan Ikaw lamang ang aking laging binabalikan Manila, Manila I keep coming back to Manila Simply no place like Manila Manila, I'm coming home I walked the streets of San Francisco I've tried the rides in Disneyland Dated a million girls in Sydney Somehow I feel like I don't belong Hinahanap-hanap kita Manila Ang ingay mong kay sarap sa tenga Mga Jeepney mong nagliliparan Mga babae mong naggagandahan Take me back in your arms Manila And promise me you'll never let go Promise me you'll never let go Manila, Manila Miss you like hell, Manila No place in the world like Manila I'm coming here to stay ii. Too, uh, cheesy to mention. Check the lyrics here . iii. I've been drunk or inebriated every day of this week since Saturday last week; since I'm holding an inuman party

Manila Series: Parks of Manila

The other day, I read the post of a friend who was ranting about how Manila can only be beautiful when seen from a specific light. I could understand what he means, because Manila is the center of traffic in the NCR. The poor are here in full force, the most corrupt policemen are here, and honestly, there is no discipline whatsoever. But here’s something that I’ve discovered. You walk Manila. You don't drive it. It isn't the most walkable city in the world, but what can be seen when you do walk it is fantastic. And when you walk around the city, you don’t encounter the corrupt cops (because they’re going after the drivers), you don’t deal with traffic. You can’t do anything about the poor, though. Unless they’re doing something productive, and not just begging, I avoid them. If they’re cleaning up trash, or something similar, then I give them cash.