The Way Someone I Don't Know Sees It...

I have a simultaneous love and abhorrence of the little quotes they put on Starbucks cups. I think my feelings about these are similar to the way I react to horoscopes; if they're good I'm pleasantly surprised and if they're bad I think, "Who does this person think they are anyway? Who does Starbucks think they are?" I begin to stew about it: the cliche, sappy, "enlightened" quotes that are the hallmark of the endeavor. It's the thinking person's version of the little message in the inside of the Dove's chocolate foil wrapper, carefully crafted to be self-righteous and pretentious (although that might be less of an actual quality of the quote than a byproduct of being affiliated with Starbucks.)

And yet I'm addicted to them: the drinks, the quotes, the atmosphere, the freedom it has always represented to me throughout high school. And so in honor of the Starbucks where I spent a good deal of my youth (so far) and also a great deal of my money, my quote today:

The Way I See It #270:
Taste is subjective. Taste is democratic. Taste is powerful. Taste—the combination of texture, aroma, temperature, aesthetic and environment—is also a window into someone else's life or cultrue. Be confident in your taste, but remain curious and expose yourself to new tastes. Allow your taste to constantly evolve and grow—while keeping and cherishing the memories that taste creates.

—Marcus Samuelsson (chef, co-owner of Restaurant Aquavit and author of The Soul Of A New Cuisine)

And here is where I weaken. That quote wasn't that bad, I tell myself, and construct my life around it to make it meaningful, as I've done with horoscopes all my life. Approaching such a vast transition in my life.... blah blah blah blah blah.

Argh.