The guy who is traveling the world by visiting each Starbucks was in Columbus, Ohio yesterday. A Columbus Dispatch reporter wrote this short article about Winter. Like Cher and Madonna, Winter has just one name after legally changing it-probably, a good idea when one is searching out celebrity. Justin wrote about him in a post back in March. I read about Winter again this morning when I was drinking my own coffee brewed at home.
Just think. Starbucks drinking does appear to be one way to become a self-made celebrity. Winter is getting interviewed and a movie made about him. Neat idea. I’ll never be this kind of celebrity though. My problem is, I’d get bored. I’d visit, say, ten Starbucks and proclaim, “Nah! I don’t like the stuff. Not really.” This is true. I’d rather visit every White Castle and have their coffee; it’s cheaper and, I think, tastes better, but that wouldn’t take me much further out of Ohio than Northern Kentucky, and I’ve been there. I’d also wonder while I was sitting in a Starbucks what other interesting thing I might be doing, like visiting an out of the way place where Starbucks isn’t.
We did collect Starbucks mugs when we lived in Asia which I have to say are pretty cool looking. At three mugs (London, Bankok and Taiwan) it’s not the biggest collection, but their size make them stand out items.
I am curious about Winter’s Starbucks visits and the documentary that goes along with it. Unlike Coca Cola, whose icon is recognized everywhere as an every person’s drink, Starbucks, to me, is more elitist. At least Coca Cola has soft drink brands that match the tastes of each country’s population. (Visit the Coca Cola museum in Atlanta, Georgia and you’ll see what I mean.) Mind you, I’m not a big pusher of Coke products either. It’s just some musings here. I wonder as Winter travels if he notices that the crowd he’s hanging out with isn’t necessarily the every person crowd-but those who can afford a cup of java, and the price is over that of a cup of coffee in a New York City diner. The diner version generally comes with free refills. But then again, I drink White Castle.
The comments that accompany this photo of a Shanghai mug that was posted on Flickr by chubbo129 reflect a Starbuck dilemma.