Viral Infection

I really admire Starbucks. Not because I particularly like the place, but their marketing is amazingly effective. I've often likened Starbucks as a Metropolitan Virus. It only takes 1 Starbucks to infect an entire city. After the emergence of the first branch, it's only a matter of time before branches pop up at a geometric rate all over the city, often times as near as opposite sides of a street.

Case in point, a Starbucks just opened up in my housing complex. Business couldn't be busier. Amazing.

Anyways, to commemorate to opening, they've been giving away buy-one-get-one free deals on their new drink: The Red Bean Frapuccino. Gave one a try today. Mixing the popular HK drink of Red Bean Ice with iced coffee was a clever idea, but in practice the taste was a bit strange.


This drink is pretty thick though. It's able to hold up a straw at an angle even when there's less than a quarter left in the cup.


I remember reading somewhere that an iced cappuccino frappe has as many calories as a Big Mac. Seems like such a rip-off. I mean, all that fat a sugar for just a drink! If I had to take in 500 calories, I'd like it to mean something, you know? Eating a burger seems like accomplishing so much more than just drinking a frappe.