664557 Tue Nov 03 20:54:13 -0800 2009 12 45 Japan 0 5154029 A colleague came back from San Fancisco (beautiful city). Apparently, in the US Starbucks`coffee is cheap and quite good in comparative to Japan. In the contrary, burgers are better in Japan. Did you witness the same ? Won`t give my opinion, just a political bad joke : Japan`s Starbuck `the future will be better tomorrow'` Bush-ism favorite one ! Tue Nov 03 20:54:13 -0800 2009 1082452 Ninisix 1 5154063 Better burgers in Japan? I think we'd need more detail to debate that statement. Japanese burgers tend not to be 100% beef (Mos&Freshness) but they can be good. Starbuck is starbucks is starbucks, wherever you go. Same with McDonalds and BK and some of the other chains. I think all the US locations are on par with the Japanese with the exception of BK (much better fries in Japan - but no onion ring sauce!) Tue Nov 03 21:22:49 -0800 2009 5154029 101545 lost squirrel 1 5154131 Granted, my 2 trips to Japan were in 2001, but I have never felt that Starbucks is cheap in the US! The coffee was the exact same quality. Burgers -better- in Japan? Not really, IMHO. I disliked Mos-Burger. But! I will say that hitting McDonalds was kinda enjoyable for 2 reasons: The coffee they had was freshly ground, and excellent and the McTeriyaki burger was great! McD's saved me a few times from having coffee withdrawals in the early AM. The bakeries are better (most of the time) and the AM/PM's and 7'11's blow ours away! The food selections at our nearby AM/PM were very good, and helpful when you wanted to grab something quick and cheap. Tue Nov 03 22:19:54 -0800 2009 5154029 23858 Honeychan 1 5154134 I don't know what politics has to do with Starbucks, or why you keep bringing up Bush and Mussolini. Starbucks in the US provides their employees with health insurance, putting them way ahead of most coffee shop chains. Here in Japan they're pleasant places to hang out because they're the only non-smoking chain. The coffee is pretty standardized around the world, although it's easier to get decaf in the US and some other markets. I think the cheapest coffee at Starbucks in the US is $1.50, making them somewhat competitive with McDonalds. There's a wide range of burger quality in the US (and Japan), so comparing one's favorite burger shops in Japan to a couple of random shops in San Francisco probably isn't very representative. Tue Nov 03 22:22:18 -0800 2009 5154029 12676 Robb S 2 5154248 Jokes, same as multinational companies, depend on market, differ and are not taken as the same. That is the reason of this subject. Wed Nov 04 02:05:22 -0800 2009 5154134 1082452 Ninisix 2 5156977 True, I forgot about the decaf thing. My sister is a decaf girl and we always have to wait a few extra minutes for them to brew some (they don't often look happy about it either). We don't really mind though. Wed Nov 04 19:21:58 -0800 2009 5154134 101545 lost squirrel 1 5155935 The only difference I find in Japan Starbucks is that the matcha lattes have a true, straight-up matcha flavor. US Starbucks use a Tazo mix that's way too sweet. Wed Nov 04 13:02:18 -0800 2009 5154029 14041 Debbie M 2 5157483 It's been a while for me since I went to a Starbucks in Japan, but the thing I remember most is that the mochas were less sweet and had a better chocolate flavor than the ones in the US. Another big difference is just the care with which the drinks are made - always identical regardless of location or how long the line is. Also, the stores are much cleaner than in the US. I'll never forget my shock when entering a Starbucks in NYC after having been in Tokyo for 2 years: trash and napkins strewn on the floor, filthy bathrooms, rude service, etc. Thu Nov 05 04:53:12 -0800 2009 5155935 291332 chocojosh 3 5157583 Sorry for the subject, thanks for the comments. I assume that the overall lack of interest in the topics means that MacDonald/Starbucks are out of scope of "cuisine" :]] Thu Nov 05 06:07:58 -0800 2009 5157483 1082452 Ninisix 3 5159237 oh for pete's sake, i wouldnt compare the cleanliness of busy nyc starbucks to the starbucks in the rest of the usa. thats silly. most are in suburban locations and are super clean. what they are not, though, is unionized, despite repeated workers attempts. and for that i avoid them. Thu Nov 05 14:57:20 -0800 2009 5157483 11372 mrnyc 4 5159517 But then you may want to compare them to the cleanliness of those in super-busy Tokyo, then. Thu Nov 05 16:45:41 -0800 2009 5159237 161889 Uncle Yabai 1 5166325 i never go to starbucks in new york but it was essential for our visits to japan. not a coffee culture we found...but an espresso at starbucks was an espresso. better than the canned stuff.... Sun Nov 08 22:37:42 -0800 2009 5154029 1117438 tjust 2 5167401 Not a coffee culture? Guess didn't look hard enough... Mon Nov 09 10:46:04 -0800 2009 5166325 161889 Uncle Yabai