Starbucks just opened properly in Dublin and I’m pleased because I like Starbucks. (There’s been a stand in DCU and on the Microsoft campus for a while, but those aren’t real public stores.) I’m not disproportionately extactic or overjoyed about this development, I’m just quietly weighing in my opinion.
I like Starbucks because most places you go in the world, there’ll be one. The stores are the same, the menus are mostly the same but might have some localisations, for example, the Starbucks in Dubai had a chilled fruity tazo tea I’ve not seen elsewhere. The staff speak English and the environment is relaxed and laid back, ripe for enjoying what-ever-you-fancy in peace. I realise that this global nature of the chain is what many people dislike, but if the product is good and the impact on the local and global economy isn’t overtly negative, so what?
On my travels this year I have relaxed in Starbucks in Switzerland, it came to my aid when I was having difficulty finding somewhere comfortable to eat (familiarity and ease of ordering play a big part here). I’ve had similarly pleasant experiences in Heathrow, Dubai airport and Paris.
Starbucks tend to have nice food too, as well as drinks, savoury (quiches etc.) and sweet (mmm cookies (in Canada they had nice maple leaf shaped cookies with a thick icing on them) and muffins), oh yeah, and the Wifi. This, on the other hand, is not the kind of thing I’m so pleased to read about.
When it comes down to it, I don’t drink all that much coffee. When I fancy a coffee I quite like a mocha from the Butlers Cafés, they know how to do the chocolate right. These days I’m more likely to go for a hot chocolate, as you may have seen from the food logs. Butlers do a nice hot white chocolate.
Foody foody
~6pm - Snack
- Bowl of crunchy-nut corn flakes
~7:30pm - Dinner
- Boiled brown rice
- Vegtables with a creamy mushroom sauce
- Courgette
- 3 red onions
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- mushrooms
- raw pistachio nuts
- sesame seads
- soy sauce
- Seasoning (sage, oregano, basil, salt, black pepper)
Plenty left over for tomorrow and the next day, lunch too.
~9pm - Drinky Snack
- Malted banana shake
- 3 bananas
- 400ml milk
- 2 teaspoons of milo
- 3 teaspoons of horlicks (The difference between a regular milkshake and a “malt” in Eddie Rockets and similar places? A few spoons of horlicks.)
- Dime bar
I have to say, I’m hella impressed by how well you’re eating.
Starbucks’ consistency is its strength, indeed–much like the Spanish teenagers that colonise Dublin McDonald’s branches throughout the summer are well aware that there is better eating in the world, it’s just very convenient to know what you’re going to get when you’re far from home. Seattle coffee is fantastic, though. I wish they’d work on keeping a quality level more representative of their roots available worldwide.
I was surprised by the pricing in the College Green branch - it’s more expensive than in DCU. I think it was over €3 for a ‘medium’ cappuccino. It’s not like Rome you know - I still keep the breakfast receipt from the cafe where myself and a friend of mine had two perfect cappuccinos and breakfast pastry things for a grand total of €2.85. Now why can’t I get that here?
3 red onions?
Aidan,
Thanks, I think my problem, in so far as I have one is that I eat too much, rather than I don’t eat well.
McDonalds is of course the obvious comparison to Starbucks but I feel much differently about McDonalds for what may be obvious reasons.
Colm,
Ah, the rare auld times. Sure, where would ya be? Coffee in Italy is a commodity good and is probably priced as such.
‘LilKitty,
Yes, three. Red onions are very tasty and these ones weren’t that large. I also cooked enough to last for three days, at least.
Nobody in Rome eats breakfast at home. The entire city stops off at cafes on the way to work for coffee and a pastry. And if your coffee has milk in it after 10am (i.e. is not espresso) you’re given weird looks.
Anyway, my point is that yes indeed coffee in Italy is like water in Ireland. Except it’s cheaper than water. The price of raw materials in a coffee generally doesn’t exceed about 20c. We pay too much for service (I’d guess that wages and rent are less in Rome, but not that much).
I’ll still pay it though. Who’s going to Starbucks later?
ok thats good, i was worried…
red onions are tasty.
Man can not live on onions alone.
Do you know that before starbucks (and its a very limited starbucks) opened in DCU we used to have free trade coffee………..can you imagine the shock to return one september and see that change!
Starbucks stock lots of fair trade goods.