Readers scold me every time I write about Starbucks: We should be patronizing our local coffee shops — not Starbucks, the outspoken ones say. They have a point. I have hated and even boycotted Starbucks over the years. It’s been a rocky, love-hate relationship that saw me through many college papers, home improvement projects and reporting deadlines. I spend a fair amount of time and money at Legal Grounds and White Rock Coffee, but I’ll never entirely break free of Starbucks.
And c’mon, I never walk into the Lakewood Starbucks without seeing someone I know (yesterday it was one of the yoga instructors from Bikram Dallas) . It’s undeniably neighborhood-y.
So, in short, the Starbucks franchise is 40 years old today. In honor, they introduced a new coffee, Tribute, a stout, biting blend that I am sipping as I write. This weekend they will give out free petite pastries when you buy any drink. Not a lot for my decades of dedication — I think I at least deserve a free cafe Americano — but, sigh, I suppose it will do. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5kEs-bhJ30[/youtube]
