At a a time when the "Ground Zero Mosque" (even though it's not a mosque and not at ground zero) is the biggest story in New York, another news story is gaining traction and causing a stir of reactions.
Here is the picture, which sounds like an opening to a joke: An English professor walks into a Starbucks and orders a "plain multigrain bagel." The barista behind the counter asks her if she would like that with butter or cream cheese. This question apparently upset the professor who restated the fact that she wanted it "plain," meaning she didn't want anything on it. At some point she launched into a tirade against the barista and used some not-so-polite words, and she was eventually kicked out of the Starbucks.
The professor told the New York Post that she "just wanted a plain bagel" and "refused to say 'without butter or cheese'" because "linguistically it's stupid, and I'm a sticker for correct English." The professor went on to criticize Starbucks for the language they use on their menus and said that their use of language is just a way to control people and to create a different reality. Um, really? Sure, I never remember whether a venti is bigger or smaller than a grande, but I don't assume that being in the presence of those words will somehow suck my soul down to hell or into the arms of an evil corporate or governmental power. I just say small and usually still get a small and walk out of the store relatively unscathed.
The professor turned this situation into a valiant battle for the English language. Considering I have a degree in English and Classics and work as an editor for a living, I can appreciate anyone who upholds the value of grammar and vocabulary. But did it ever occur to the professor that maybe the poor barista asks every bagel customer if he or she wants butter or cream cheese on the bagel? Maybe that's just a standard question, a polite offer for optional toppings. Sometimes they even ask you if you want the bagel toasted, perish the thought. If you're going to be picky about the word plain, will you be picky about everything? When you order coffee, the barista will often ask you if you'd like room for cream. If you do, they don't fill your cup to the top of the cup; if you don't they fill it up. It's just a polite (and sensible) question. And will you throw a tirade over the fact that they ask if you'd like room for cream when you might put 2% milk in it or half-and-half or soy milk? I WANT ROOM FOR SOY NOT CREAM, GOD DAMNIT! Sounds a little foolish, doesn't it?
Putting aside the linguistic argument over the entire event, what really blew me away was the simple interaction between customer and server. The big problem with a LOT of people in the world is that many people treat servers as servers, in the sense that they are there to serve the customer in a submissive and subservient way. These people might be bringing you your food or coffee or cleaning your tables, but they are still human beings. Maybe I was raised differently and maybe I was taught to respect everyone regardless of whether the person is the president of a company or the person who empties that president's trash can at the end of the day. A person is still a person no matter what they do and they generally deserve some level of respect.
What a lot of people also don't realize is that when you treat your servers well, if you're polite to them, and if you respect them, they will appreciate you and will remember you. And if they appreciate and remember you, you will be treated like gold. I can't even begin to count how many free drinks or appetizers or desserts my family received from waiters and waitresses, because we treated them well like they were friends.
So while people might be discussing this event in terms of language or whether Starbucks is too snooty and pretentious, a lot of people fail to see the complete failure of social skills and human interaction.
And my last question is: If this lady ordered a multigrain bagel, you'd assume that she'd have enough fiber in her system to keep herself unconstipated, so why is she so gosh darn cranky?
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