I Went To Starbucks In Paris

I confess.... in the land of the charming (almost archetypal) cafes, with their small, perfect espressos accompanied by dainty cookies or simple chocolates, I sought out the Starbucks. I was tired of being on my feet, looking for the appropriate cafe to munch on a crossaint, sip a big milky coffee, and write for hours without being hassled. Pierre reminded me about the Starbucks outlet near the George Pompidou Centre. Just a hop from the Metro and voila! I sighed with relief. Thank God for Starbucks and its big, impersonal space, clean bathrooms, and enormous venti lattes with vanilla and milk and all that good stuff that the French scorn. Who cares about the globalization of American culture when Starbucks fills a niche as it does in Paris? The chain has proved so successful in Paris-- my first visit, to the Opera location, unearthed a surprising discovery of fashionable Parisians who think Starbucks is cool)-- that there are now 17 outlets in the city. (And Starbucks isn't exactly McDo. With its mission of environmentalism and fair trade, the chain is actually helping educate people about important issues. Though it's yet to be seen if the small coffee growers in Central America and other parts of the developing world actually benefit from Starbucks' programs. Lastly, another economic argument in favor of the big chain (first introduced years ago by The New Yorker): Starbucks is not taking away business from Mom and Pop stores, because Starbucks can be described as a tastemaker, thus helping inspire a taste and desire within average people-- in this case, the small luxury of a vanilla latte every morning-- that they didn't crave or want prior to the existence of Starbucks. Therefore, the argument goes, the small cafes also benefit from Starbucks, because folks will not always patronize Starbucks in their search for their morning coffee fix...)

Fascinating further reading:
SuperFrenchie, "Le Starbucks"

Image via Wikipedia