A “Short” Challenge
So it’s Wednesday during the first week of the NEW YEAR and in running to my next meeting, I though I would stop in to Starbucks to pick up some tea*.
While waiting I decided to pick up a “guess how many empty calories/fat/sugar is in this stuff” document-that-the-law-says-they-have-to-put-out-now brochure. I was looking at all 450 things they have in the menu when I saw IT. The solution. The plan. The goal.
IT was a little word I had never seen actually printed on the big menu, presented on the counter, or uttered from the lips of any one person in any of the 10,000 times I had been at this Adult Candy Land.
SHORT.
Uh, come again?
No, that’s it. I mean IT. Short. It’s a size. And not just the length of a roller coaster as compared to the line you have to stand in. SHORT is a size of beverage you can get at Starbucks.
SHORT. It’s right below TALL. Which is right next to GRANDE, which means big, but is really the MEDIUM at Starbucks, which is right next to the largest cup, the VENTI, which is Italian for twenty. As in ounces. Or as in pounds you can attribute to Starbucks over a lifetime or the number of monthly sleeping pills you will need after a lifetime of having one of these for lunch every day.
Interesting fact. In Japan, the SHORT is the small, and they don’t have the option of the super-sized version, the VENTI. (I wonder if they put it in Italian so you don’t have to order the GIGANTIC. Too embarrassing.)
A goal for you readers, this year. I’m not asking you to ditch the Starbucks habit, quit the coffee, or even start eating whole and fiber-rich food to fuel your body instead of your afternoon mocha. I am suggesting you give a SHORT a try and save yourself HALF the empty nutrition and a third of money as well. The hard part of changing is breaking a habit. Taking the SHORT Challenge will minimize your discomfort by allowing you to still follow most of your animal tracks while reaping the rewards of minimizing the poor nutritional input.
Sorry, you can’t get a blended-frappa-creamy-whatever in SHORT. But, a milkshake probably isn’t a great breakfast, lunch, snack anyway, now is it? What would your mother say?
Also, when you take a good, up-close look at the SHORT cup, know this. The volume that fits inside that cup is almost TWICE what an appropriate glass of WINE should have in it. But, that a different post, isn’t it!
Note*: I’ve weaned off coffee during the holiday break. Nothing that three entire days of sleeping couldn’t handle…
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So CAN I have a SHORT glass of wine then? Or that would be inappropriate?
Glad I don’t drink coffee at Starbucks hardly EVER. But I did make the switch sometime this last year, when I do go, to ordering just a regular coffee instead of a cap or a latte and putting my own cream and sugar in it- cuz it’s way cheaper and probably a teeny better for me and I like it just as well, if not better.
Somebody asked me just this morning at 6:30am what we would do without coffee and I replied, “I don’t know, I guess we’d have to actually sleep or something crazy like that”
You are right.
Bring your attention to the choices we are making.
Maybe just tea every other time.
Modify is good… a step to stepping away.
I found out about the “short” option at St. Arbucks about 6 months ago and gave it a try, now I can’t even finish one. It is very doable(is this a word?) Of course it has been six months!!
Love your blogs, you’re a very good writer. Fortunately, I’m not a Starbucks person and when I do go there, I just get plain old coffee.
Money, coffee, tea…save even more by making it @ home while you’re getting ready for work! BTW-does S-bucks drip coffee give anyone else a headache? Methinks, their processing methods for the cheapo coffee are fouled up.
sleep…..that’s that elusive thing we never seem to get enough of right! I don’t buy that saying “you can sleep when your dead” so I will take my short coffee and maybe some elusive sleep please ;o)
“Coffee, Tea or Me”…well, I usually choose herbal teas. They are delicious and good for you too. Roobius or black currant are great transition teas from coffee. Thanks Katy
You got me off of coffee all together. Now I can’t start my day with out Tea.
I drink hot chocolate at Starbucks, and a short hot chocolate (8 oz.) there is $2.20, while a tall (12 oz.) is $2.30. I just can’t bring myself to order the short when there’s only a dime’s different in the cost.
What’s even more annoying is that I think the “child’s” size is the same as the short, and it’s $1.10. But they won’t sell it to you if you’re not buying it for a child under 10 or something like that.