A Taste of Home: Starbucks in Palermo Soho
Starbucks in Palermo Soho
I ran out of VIA Starbucks packets two days ago, and I have been running on no caffeine in the morning since. (If you haven’t tried the VIA instant coffee, I highly recommend, especially if you are used to a morning cup of Starbucks or just miss the familiar taste.) This morning my craving was quite strong, and I had prepared myself to go the Alto Palermo Mall just to get my fix, until Andreas schooled me on the ways of the Internet, specifically “search nearby” function on Google Map. He had entered my address in Google Map and “searched nearby” for a Starbucks. He discovered a Starbucks two blocks away from my apartment! Needless to say, I was incredulous, but I decided to walk to Malabia 1720 to see for myself. Five minutes later … There it was! I couldn’t believe it. It was packed full of Saturday Palermo Soho shoppers, but I didn’t care. I stood in the long line ready to order an alto (tall) Cafe Latte and a chocolate muffin. What can I say: My first sip felt like a little bit of home.
Just an interesting observation: Porteños don’t like to drink their coffee on the go. I think I may have been the only person to order my coffee and depart the store. I even went into a clothing store with my coffee and felt very uncomfortable shopping while sipping – like I had been targeted as the foreigner in the room. While you’ll rarely see people carrying their Starbucks cup on the go, you’ll definitely see many people carrying their hot water thermos under their arm and mate sipping cup – talk about labor intensive!
