Posted on 08/16/2010 11:52:40 PM PDT by JoeProBono
NEW YORK, - A New York English professor said she was kicked out of a Starbucks by three police officers because she refused to follow the cafe's ordering rules.
Lynne Rosenthal, who gave her age as early 60s, said she got into an argument with a barista Sunday morning because she refused to specify whether she wanted butter or cheese on her multigrain bagel, the New York Post reported Monday.
"I just wanted a multigrain bagel," Rosenthal said. "I refused to say 'without butter or cheese.' When you go to Burger King, you don't have to list the six things you don't want."
"Linguistically, it's stupid, and I'm a stickler for correct English," she said.
Rosenthal said a manager called police during the incident and three officers who responded to the scene ordered her to leave the store.
"It was very humiliating to be thrown out, and all I did was ask for a bagel," Rosenthal said. "If you don't use their language, they refuse to serve you. They don't understand what a plain multigrain bagel is."
A Starbucks employee at the store during the incident said Rosenthal was being unreasonable.
Moral: Don’t go into a Starbucks and mention “Bagel”. The forces of law and order will be on you right quick.
In her own way, even with her hair in a bun and wearing glasses, Ruth Buzzy was strangely kinda hot (at least to me). My bet is that this one isn't even close,
I have to admit I see her point. She says she ordered a “plain bagel.” That’s plain English. Why should she have to answer the question of does that mean you want cheese or butter on it? Plain means plain. Anyone who can speak English would understand.
I suspect that Starbucks had several illegals working there who had no idea what she was talking about. If they would hire English speakers, problems like this wouldn’t come up. Maybe that’s the point she was trying to make.
Bwahahahahaha...it's those quiet shy types that are totally wild.
;^)
What was she doing getting a bagel at Starbucks anyway? She was at 86th and Columbus, a stone’s throw from Zabar’s.
Starbucks bagels are bread in the shape of a bagel, and their croissants are bread in the shape of a croissant. But all the Starbuces are nice and don’t mind if you bring in food from outside.
MMM. Tasty.
You should go to lunch with a bunch of copyeditors sometime and watch them tear the menu apart. “What is risotto doing under pasta?” “Why is Appetizers in English and Dolci in Italian?” “It’s egglplant parmigiana, not eggplant parmesan.” “Fish and Seafood? Isn’t that a category mistake?” “Pepperoncini??!! With two p’s???!!!”
By the time you get your food, it’s time to go back to the office.
My understanding from a friend who works in NYC is that the hired help at many Starbucks ‘stores’ in the city is dumber than a box of rocks.
My friend, who is from another city originally, said she was stunned when moving to NY and finding out that it is not what you’d expect — the hustle bustle and efficiency you’d think exists in a world class city (?) ain’t what it used to be — baristas often have the ‘manana syndrome’ and feel no need to hurry or accommodate.
I’ll bet in this scenario the employees got real snippy with the bagel requester and she verbally ripped into them. If that’s all there was to it, I’d have been on her side.
It was tried. I watch the Wobblies try to organize the Starbucks at 36th and Madison.
I am a copyeditor...
I don’t find that unusual in the slightest.
Me too...
“Sounds like a real charmer...
Ruth Buzzy with her hair in a tight bun & glasses comes to mind. Probably single, too”
You forgot the scarf in the summertime. Libs often wear scarfs in the summertime for no apparent reason. Please fill me in as to why, if anyone knows.
Sounds as if an elite diva ran into a diva barista! Cat fight! I don’t see why she phrased it as having anything to do with proper language or grammar. She should just admit she was being a jerk. Bet she’s fun to be around!
The genius of Starbucks is marketing.
First, they appeal to their customer's elitist inclinations (Seattle being an ideal place to start) by convincing them that the only coffee worth drinking is coffee made with very dark (actually over-roasted) beans. Then they convince them to pay for the addition of 600 calories (or more) of flavorings to make that cup of bitter coffee drinkable.
Eh, viola! A cup of good tasting black coffee that cost maybe $0.25 to produce and should be sold for no more than a dollar, can now cost $3.00 to $5.00. Brilliant.
And, if anyone complains about the underlying burnt taste or exorbitant pricing, just impugn their ancestry, education, or politics. In that case, Starbucks should be the official coffee of the Democratic Party. Certainly would fit with its place of origin.
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