starbucks sporing

i was in honolulu for two weeks, counted two starbucks within 50 yards of each other near my hotel, and three starbucks in ala moana shopping center--one on each floor, in different sections. i think i may have missed one in the makai food court though. i thought manila was bad. at least in los angeles they space them a little further apart than that.

i stopped into two of them in the mall, but didn't get coffee in either; i was looking for something different, like in the manila and tokyo stores, where they have frappuccinos with coffee jelly or matcha frappuccinos. i tried something called a tazoberry frappuccino, a black tea based slushythingy which tasted like a discontinued foremost popsicle--raspberry, grapey, limey--not bad but not natural, and the macadamia nut bar, which was nut-tastic--shortbread crust, brown sugar pecan pie-like goo, and an layer of chopped macadamia nuts that was as thick as the crust. mmmm.

if you are in honolulu and have a need for it, they will be carrying a hawaii-themed duetto card (the in-house debit card) starting july 12th. cute and useful souvenir, i would imagine.

the ladies at the store hidden deep in the bowels of sears at ala moana were definitely some of the most cheerful starbucks employees i've encountered stateside. i suspect they probably stay away from the caffeine. they were making tribble-sized pink fraps as samplers. i don't have a clue as to what they were (i think i heard raspberry coffee, ick), but they sure were cute: