The packaged food at Starbucks reminds me of airports,
cheap toys, and Lysol. I do not go there for the coffee
or the atmosphere, but because I have to: my apartment
is airless and tense, and I have to read somewhere.
Starbucks is six blocks closer than the nearest library.

One day I had been at Starbucks for two hours and I was
hungry. There was a Fiesta Chicken Salad, a turkey
sandwich (Try It Warmed!), a Fruit and Cheese Plate and
crudites on sale. I did not want any of it, but my
stomach hectored me into buying a Fruit and Cheese
Plate.

The little tray came with three slices of bread, three
cheeses, and three fruits. All of it was small-- about 85%
the size of normal food. I like small food, because you have
to eat it with methodical savor. My plate looked like a
hearty peasant meal portioned for an incredibly small boy.


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