"BlackCoffee" news and stories

I've been working on this story for months, because I wasn't sure which songs I should include and which songs I should leave off the list. And then I finally decided what the rules would be: only songs that are about food or drink or have them in the title. In other words, just because a song mentions food or drink doesn't mean it's about food or drink, so I'm leaving those off the list. Here we go:

1. "Black Coffee" (Julie London): OK, I'll admit it, this is a truly personal choice. I'm a big fan of standards, and also a big fan of film noir. And this song has noir written all over it. Julie London (you might remember her as the head nurse from the TV show Emergency) sings it so seductively and in a sultry manner you just want to run out and buy some coffee and take up smoking (several people have covered this song, including Sarah Vaughan and k.d. lang, but London's version is the best). Really cool song.

The fact that Howard Schultz wants to tweak Starbucks operating procedures and the cafe atmosphere to be more appealing to coffee lovers is admirable, given that the current "sterile" formula seems to have brought the company a great deal of success. A recent Time Magazine article goes to show that there is no pleasing everyone, as writer Bill Saporito expresses no pleasure in the fact that the cafe atmosphere might improve. Doubtless, he is expressing the sentiments of millions when he says that all he cares about is not having to wait for more than a millisecond for his cup of black coffee.

Unfortunately for Mr Saporito and people like him, they seem not to realize that just because their drink doesn't take that long to make (although brewing the coffee takes several minutes), that it doesn't mean that other people don't want a latte, a mocha or a cold, blended drink and, as with service in all restaurants - even McDonald's - you have to wait in line. There are also people who like their coffee black, but enjoy a few minutes in a cafe setting in the morning.

Perhaps those looking for instantaneous service above factors like quality, taste and experience should just stop at the convenience store on their way to work in the morning. The coffee that comes out of those automated machines doesn't seem to take that long to dispense and they won't be bothered by all those pesky people waiting for espresso drinks on their way to work.

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