As I was sitting in the drive-thru line at Starbucks this morning, something occurred to me. Something that had never occurred to me until right then.
Before I get to that, let me explain something to you about food. Specifically about how I like food. If you know me, you know I like routine. I like to do things in an expected manner. I like things (especially food) how I like them. I look forward to my food. I look forward to knowing what my food will be like because I know what my food will be like. What it will taste like. How good it will taste. You know why I know it will be good? Because I get it prepared how I like it. Very specific.
Hence, when I go to McDonald’s, I get a Double Cheeseburger meal, ketchup only (on the burger), large size, and i know it will be roughly $4.02. Why do I know that? Because there are MANY times before where I’ve gotten the same thing. And yes, the ketchup only thing is a “special order” but, come on, it’s just leaving off onions, mustard, and pickles. Is that so much to ask?
The same goes with pizza. I like pepperoni pizza. Period. I like pepperoni pizza, sometimes with chicken and sometimes with sausage. But, I don’t like peppers or onions or mushrooms or any other kind of vegetables. Not on my pizza. I just don’t like it. It’s not that I have something against those things on pizza. It’s just I don’t like them.
Apparently, this type of thing makes me stand out and causes people to comment on said habits. Ribbing from my friends is fine. It’s light-hearted. It’s jokey. That’s fine with me. What’s unnerving is people who actually comment on it that don’t know me. Why is it odd to only like specific things on or in my food? I realize other people like to try new things all the time with their food. Good for them. But everyone doesn’t have to be that way. It’s not odd. It’s just different.
Which brings me back to Starbucks. All of the remarking on my food habits seem to disappear when it comes to coffee. I mean, come on. Non-fat, no whip, 1 shot, peppermint mocha. That’s perfectly fine. No one ever says anything about that. In fact, in some sense, it’s expected. It’s almost like a prideful thing that you like this specific type of coffee prepared this specific way. It shows that you “know what’s going on” within the realm of the coffee universe.
Why the double standard? Why am I an oddball for knowing (and expecting) exactly what I want with the preparation of my food and yet, when it comes to coffee, it’s exactly the opposite?
Just wondering…
