love/hate relationship

with starbucks. i love starbucks chai lattes and iced chai lattes. no one (as of yet) makes as good of a chai drink as starbucks. and maybe this is because i don't actually like tea and sbucks makes theirs so scrumptiously delicious with no hint of tea taste. ive ordered chais at many a different coffee joints in hopes of finding a cheaper solution..but to no avail. i also love their vanilla bean frappucinos (no coffee...basically a real expensive vanilla milkshake).

i hate that it costs me over $3.50 for a small "tall" tasty treat. i hate that starbucks charges you to use their wifi. hello, you can get free wifi from dairy queen, schlotskys, saxon pub for goodness sakes. really starbucks, you are in such desperate need for money that you have to charge your customers to browse the net while drinking your already overpriced liquid concoctions? i hate that you have somehow gotten away with making chai with half a cup of hot water. i love that the guy at the drive thru let me in on this little secret so that i could make sure and ask for my tall chai latte with "NO WATER." granted, i can't taste a big difference but knowing that i didn't pay 350 cents for half a cup of hot water allows me to sleep better at nite.

so starbucks...i hate you. see you tomorrow morning...

however, i will give some props to the coffee shop inside of borders bookstores. next time you're in one, make sure and try one of their drinks. they have amazingly good stuff there. ive had both their vanilla chai freeze and a newer creme brulee freeze and both were exceptionally pleasing. plus, each time im there, there's about 5 other things i want to try. so, if you're anti starbucks (which i hear some people are) then try borders cafe. although i guess thats still kinda corporate america type...so then try dominican joe's. your money will go to helping communities in the DR.