Does Starbucks really say "coffee" to you? If I were starting up a coffee shop tomorrow, I can't imagine coming up with Starbucks as a name. Because it has all these strange, slightly negative connotations.
It's Star, then Bucks. That's, like, one of these * followed by some of these $$$. You stick that together you get this *$$$.
And that, my friends, is Donald Duck swearing. Four random symbols stuck together - it's how comic books show bad language. When Bruce Banner stubs his toe and realises he's about to turn into the Hulk, he's giving it plenty of *$$$, I can assure you.
I recommend the next time you feel the urge to curse, just say "Starbucks". It's the swearword polite society has been waiting for.
Can I also say Ricardo that Starbuck was the name of the ever-polished Dirk Benedict in Battlestar Galactica. Although I was more of an Apollo fan myself, he could be considered quite dreamy i suppose in his pre-A-team days. Nice bit of intertextual reference in the opening credits of aforementioned A-team when a cylon saunters past 'face' randomly... hmmmmmm. They're scary muthers aren't they?
ReplyDeleteAre Cylons scary? Not sure if scary and shiny mix. They can't sneak up on you unless you're cooking a roast and have a lot of baking foil around - otherwise they stand out too much.
ReplyDeleteSurely the most unfortunately named High Street food-outlet must be the macho burger chain that called itself "Wimpy."
ReplyDeleteJust FYI, in case y'all never knew:
ReplyDeleteStarbuck is a character in Moby Dick-- I think the first mate. And in the book Melville describes him as having a fondness for drinking coffee.
That's where the company got it's name from. If you look at the company logo you see that it's got a mermaid on it? A nautical touch. Again, Moby Dick.
Thanks Anonymous. Your knowledge of whale-centric fiction has shamed us all.
ReplyDeleteY'see, if I was naming a coffee shop after a character in Moby Dick I would have gone with Ahab or Ishmael, maybe the big Moby himself. Who remembers Starbuck?!