Starbuck served as a faithful first mate to Captain Ahab in the novel Moby Dick. It was Starbuck, whose patience and wisdom was an invaluable treasure to Captain Ahab. He made many ardent attempts at convincing Ahab to stop chasing the whale. It was as if he new, this seductive path, and was warning Ahab of its lure. Starbuck stood staunchly as Ahab's reason, while the captain danced on insanity's plank. In the end, it was the whale, that called out louder.
In 2010, we see the precise desecration of this noble man's name. In a mall, called Short Hills, the demanding customers, throb the threshold. Persistent, insatiable, they pour in. As they demand quad espressos over ice, I freeze time and take in the scene. An endless line, makes my head pound, and I ask, the unanswerable question, "What for"? An angry customer asks to see a manager, my submissive boss, practicing his smile, before he approaches register to meet her demands, " I said I wanted my cappuccino extra dry, double shot, half-pump, 154 degrees. TASTE THIS, you tell ME if this is 154 degrees!!!" My boss quickly refunds her and quiets her with a free coffee coupon. She walks off, still steaming (Much hotter than her 154 degree cappuccino, I might add).
Green apron now on the floor of my apartment, I sit back and think about the day. It scared me to see human beings acting in such away. It scared me to think, that a simple cup of coffee could throw someone over the edge. Is it one person having a bad day? or has it become a common state of mind? We expect certain things, and when we receive less we become agitated. Reasonable, they are paying high prices for those shots of espresso. But when does inconvenience become insanity? America's entitlement, money, upbringing, any of these could describe the causality of our plagued state. We have essentially taken advantage of the consumerists Bible, interpreting the passages all wrong. It was never about how much you could get out of the place, for how little. It was about the good feeling of getting a one-of-a-kind item, receiving a smile, calling you by name, handing you item with care right up until it reached your fingertips. It was not meant to be an incorrigible line, like pigs prepared for slaughter. So, the next time someone asks where all the hospitality has gone, where all the mom's and pop's have gone, where all the quality over quantity has gone, look back at last weeks Walmart receipt, and quickly recall. Keep pushing for faster, more efficient, cheap options, and watch as consumerism evolves and begins to push back. We'll be wishing for First mate Starbuck's advice then.
In 2010, we see the precise desecration of this noble man's name. In a mall, called Short Hills, the demanding customers, throb the threshold. Persistent, insatiable, they pour in. As they demand quad espressos over ice, I freeze time and take in the scene. An endless line, makes my head pound, and I ask, the unanswerable question, "What for"? An angry customer asks to see a manager, my submissive boss, practicing his smile, before he approaches register to meet her demands, " I said I wanted my cappuccino extra dry, double shot, half-pump, 154 degrees. TASTE THIS, you tell ME if this is 154 degrees!!!" My boss quickly refunds her and quiets her with a free coffee coupon. She walks off, still steaming (Much hotter than her 154 degree cappuccino, I might add).
Green apron now on the floor of my apartment, I sit back and think about the day. It scared me to see human beings acting in such away. It scared me to think, that a simple cup of coffee could throw someone over the edge. Is it one person having a bad day? or has it become a common state of mind? We expect certain things, and when we receive less we become agitated. Reasonable, they are paying high prices for those shots of espresso. But when does inconvenience become insanity? America's entitlement, money, upbringing, any of these could describe the causality of our plagued state. We have essentially taken advantage of the consumerists Bible, interpreting the passages all wrong. It was never about how much you could get out of the place, for how little. It was about the good feeling of getting a one-of-a-kind item, receiving a smile, calling you by name, handing you item with care right up until it reached your fingertips. It was not meant to be an incorrigible line, like pigs prepared for slaughter. So, the next time someone asks where all the hospitality has gone, where all the mom's and pop's have gone, where all the quality over quantity has gone, look back at last weeks Walmart receipt, and quickly recall. Keep pushing for faster, more efficient, cheap options, and watch as consumerism evolves and begins to push back. We'll be wishing for First mate Starbuck's advice then.
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