Starbucks has been operating and growing by “pouring your heart into it”.
Now, facing the inflection point, the chain is experimenting with Bar and Food, instead of just coffee, Wi-fi and music.
Not all places welcome alcohol.
At Penn State where I spent four of my best years, having a beer is almost like wearing Blue on campus.
In Malaysia, however, a 32-year-old mother of two is being punished (canning) for touching alcohol in a hotel lobby.
Apparently, they are doing her a favor by delaying the sentence until the fasting season is over next month
(“you make me feel, like a natural woman,” sings Aretha Franklin).
In Vietnam, a student who repeatedly failed in his English class hurled acid at the professor and in the process harming other class mates (some friends! Should have seen it coming if you had been “real friends”).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/25/AR2009082500100.html
If I were to market Corona (alcohol, not acid) I would have to be careful skirting all these cultural relativistic issues.
People’s concepts of crime and punishment, when and how much to apply justice, are not uniformed across cultures.
I watched a PBS documentary (in black and white) showing the beheading of a princess, caught in adultery.
From that base line, you can infer how many times the Malaysian Islamic social drinker will have to be whipped, scale wise.
(All these headaches makes Walmart negotiation with the Canadian Union workers seem like a walk in the park).
When Friedman wrote “the world is flat”, he did mention cultural clashes, but at the same time, he inductively came up with a theory
that any two countries who have MacDonald stores are least likely to go to war i.e. Pragmatism takes precedent over principles (ideology, religious or cultural).
Back to Starbucks. The chain somehow managed to open a Starbucks in the Forbidden City. I doubt that they can push
for “and pour some alcohol into it”. Because, in Asia, once you start having beer, you will end up with more than just salt and a twist of lime. Before you know it, business owners will want to throw in peanuts, snacks, snakes and even dogs. (See Australian goat penis imports to Vietnam found contaminated).
Starbucks ruled during the Yuppie rise (easy credits – home equity loan, BMW’s, hence Grande Latte), and known as the Third Place (neither home nor office). In an age of rising unemployment, there is no Second Place let alone Third.
While making my second cup of coffee (with Eric Clapton’s You look wonderful tonight) I always pour my heart into it. It’s the only indulgence I got these days. Reading about the model who couldn’t drink (and certainly couldn’t eat during this fasting month in Malaysia) makes me want to pour some alcohol while I am at it. We are, Penn State.
Thang Nguyen 555 