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AnSionnachRua  ·  2387 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: September 13, 2017

I remember having Italian students who were obsessed with coffee, and obsessed with Starbucks. They'd complain about how the coffee in Ireland is terrible - "too much water!" they'd say, being used to espressos rather than americanos, and it always fell on deaf ears when I pointed out that they could just order an espresso. But I digress. I remember their obsession with Starbucks and their excitement to visit it, which just about made sense to me until I discovered that they'd never even been there before. As in, Starbucks doesn't exist in Italy. Their love for this place they'd never been that served coffee they didn't like was based entirely on social media, it seemed - on American Instagram and Twitter accounts that they followed.

I wouldn't knock Starbucks. I don't really go there, but their coffee is coffee. It's okay; it does the job. The way they label their sizes is annoying because saying "cappucino grande" makes me feel like an idiot, but other than that they're just a big coffee chain like any of the others. I have no feelings toward them one way or the other.

But I agree that I don't really know why they're popular.