A todays headline in the New York Times says "An American Coffeehouse (or 4) in Vienna". In this article, of course about Starbucks, I found some nice parts and since it is interesting to know how an US Newspaper thinks about this "invasion" let's read on. »Many Viennese sniff that their culture has been infected, that Viennese use their 1,900 or so coffee shops to linger and meet, smoke and drink, savor the wonders of pastries with cream and marzipan, ponder the world, write books and read free newspapers. They drink from china cups and order from a waiter, usually in a stained black dinner jacket. Some Austrians say a caramel macchiato is worse than a Coca-Cola, likely to do more damage to European values (and waistlines) than a Big Mac. There was also skepticism about the Starbucks brand, associated with globalization and mass American culture. "It was the hardest part," said Franz Holzschuh, who leads the Starbucks joint venture in Austria. "People would say, `You're the McDonald's of coffee, with paper cups.' I'd explain a hundred times that we're not McDonald's, that we're high quality and not cheap, and only use paper cups to go."« ...just what I sad. I like this article even with the funny end: But without doubt, there is an antiglobalization activist sitting in a Starbucks somewhere, nursing rage while sipping a secret vice, the caramel macchiato.

Labels: eat+drink