Monday, June 30, 2008

StarHortonBlenz

It wasn't my intention to bring this up right now, but once the subject broke into the last post, let's do it.

Raised in Belo Horizonte, the world capital of pubs, barrooms and related, I'm used, since a young breed, to see one of those noble enterprises at each street corner. It doesn't seems akward to me to find bakeries and pharmacies side-by-side in every Brazilian city's blocks.

But here, they love their Coffee. StarHortonBlenz (SHB) is a Frankenstein created by the fusion of Starbucks, Tim Hortons e Blenz. Walk arround Downtown Vancouver without stumble in one of those is pratically impossible. If you stop anywhere in Downtown and, as a gazell would do it perform a Pirouette Arabesque, at some point of the spin you'll find yourself facing a SHB.

|| Pause.
For those, who just like me, have no idea of what is a Pirouette Arabesque, the definition:
A pirouette is a especial spin, usually related with ballet. A arabesque is when you lift your leg 90˚behind you. A pirouette arabesque is a mix of both. It is, by itself, a surreal scene that I had the misfortune of seen in my second day in Vancouver. Now imagine a bearded 200lbs dude, wearing a Hell's Angels leather jacket, ballerina skirt, ballerina socks and soldier's boots doing it at the corner of Burrard and Alberni.
> Play.

Where was I? Oh... yes. The SHB and its Coffees. Yeah, they're everywhere.

Oh, but we Brazilians love coffee too, don't we? They don't. When I referred to the product sold here as Coffee, italic, i wasn't trying to make it look cool. I was trying to separate what they sell here from real coffee. Not this tea.

The easiest way out is to order the Expresso. Grazie Italia! But even then, don't expect more than some strong black tea. Francesco, a italian-Canadian PLI teacher, told me that I'll be able to find some really good coffee at some places on Commercial Drive. I have to check it.

Until then, does anyone know where can I find a StarHortonBlenz nearby?

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