In 1989 one of the first Starbucks*
opened in Chicago.
I had been to Starbucks in Seattle,
had tasted the future,
and was ready when they opened
their Chicago doors.
My drink was a
“Grande Skim Misto…with a straw”.
Twice a day. Every day.
I believe my kids still shout this in their sleep
from time to time
because it was mostly them
who ran in on our way to school.
(This sounds like really bad parenting but, hey, they got a
cookie, so I don’t think they minded)
After a decade of that,
Starbucks lost its appeal
and I moved on to local shops
where I settled for the last decade or so.
“Small Skim Latte”.
Twice a day. Every day.
Until last Saturday.
At a coffee shop near my house,
a triple shot latte
(That’s right: triple shot.
That’s how it goes with addiction.)
is $6.40 with tip.
SIX – FORTY!
I haven’t bought a coffee since.
Oh, I still drink coffee.
I’m not dead.
I make it myself in this adorable
coffee maker my daughter bought me.
People talk about how hard it is to change.
It can be.
Or, it can be as easy as choosing.
* This was not the first Starbucks in Chicago, but it was the first in my then neighborhood near Oak & Rush Street. Starbucks opened its first Chicago shop at 111 W. Jackson Blvd. in the Loop on Oct. 19, 1987.
