YOGAYUGA

Starbuck is totally out of Forbidden City. After years of protests against Starbuck by tramping in Chinese culture, it eventually closed down. The new policy of Forbidden City announced that they are going to have an unique brand name for all kinds of products being sold inside Forbidden City included coffee. They required Starbuck to sell Chinese national brand coffee rather than their own brand coffee if they wanted to remain their store inside the Forbidden City. Of course, Starbuck chose to leave the palace. It was funny that the store is going to be taken place by a national brand store selling national coffee. It’s kind of sarcastic for my understanding. Let says some people want to kick western culture out of the Chinese palace, but they want to sell national brand “western coffee” for national benefit?? Is it contradicting? Coffee is part of the western culture. If Forbidden City needed to remain being very Chinese, then why they need a store selling coffee regardless what brand they are. Coffee is still coffee. Coffee is from the west. Tea is from the east. Why don’t they sell tea? Traditional Chinese tea should be respected, and being introduced completely in a historical palace. Well sure, there must be a tea house somewhere inside the palace, but it seems to be less important in this case.

There is a joke spreading around in big cities of Mainland China.

“If I wasn’t in the office, I must be in Starbuck. If I wasn’t in Starbuck, I must be on my way to Starbuck.”

You can tell how popular of Starbuck is in Mainland China around middle class people and young teenagers. Starbuck is very popular in HK too apart from office people and general public you can see them often; there must be many students around. Students love to sit in Starbuck and Pacific Coffee for hours. They can buy one drink, and sit there, doing their homeworks with laptops on the tables. This is the reason why Starbuck and Pacific Coffee are both so crowdy almost over ten hours a day no matter which one you go. If I didn’t remember it wrong, Starbuck entered in HK market after year of 2000. The first time I visited Starbuck was in Taiwan. Taiwan is a place filled with American and Japanese coffee and restaurant chains, which I don’t think HK will have them at all.

Since I met such congested situation in Starbuck and Pacific Coffee, I found Prets. Prets has less stores compared with Starbuck and Pacific Coffee, and mainly located in HK island side but usually you can find seats easily. People don’t stay long. I hardly see students as the environment is not suitable for them. They can’t connect their laptops with wireless. Since I tried the Americano of Prets, I am really addicted to it. I don’t drink coffee much, but I seriously love their Americano. Theirs is actually Italian type. When I finished one, I would just want another cup, and must be the hot one. The feeling is just so good by having it.