Unfair Trade
Up until yesterday (or, more accurately, up until last Thursday) there was only one good thing about Florida International University's "University Park" campus: the fact that the Einstein Bros Bagels on campus brewed Fair Trade, Organic coffee, and that they sold it for the same price as the rest of their coffee. And, of course, my blogging this means only one thing: the Einstein Bros Bagels on campus is no longer brewing FT, organic coffee. Just another "Fuck You!" from good ol' FIU.
Of course, I really actually saw this coming - last Thursday, in what has become something of a routine this semester (get up, early (like 6:30 AM (actually early (not grad school for Creative Writing early (1:30 PM)))), shower, stupefact in front of balcony doors, bike/walk to campus (chronic tire-popping has prompted some amount of walking (which I wanted to call "pedaling" but that doesn't seem quite right...)), take 8 AM shuttle bus from "Biscayne Bay" campus (1 hour in duration (cost, $2)), buy 1 bagel, plain, un-cut, un-toasted, and one large cup of coffee from Einstein Bros Bagels), I purchased my usual cup of coffee from Einstein Bros Bagels, and filled it from the FT, organic (medium roast) spout, and took it to the library, where I sat on the 6th floor (the lowest possible "quiet study floor" (the other floors being rather obviously not quiet)) to get to my day of online tutoring and class. Once I sat down in the library, however, and took a sip of my now-cool-enough-to-drink (it takes some time to get to the library and up to the 6th floor) coffee, only to find that it was French Vanilla flavored. Clearly not the medium roast, fair trade, organic coffee that was advertised on the tank. I wasn't sure whether to question that the FT, organic coffee ever existed, but it was clearly gone then. And gone now.
So here I am, tired and cranky, having just finished my cup of hypocritical coffee which didn't wake me up enough and made the world a worse place than it already is. No one is signing up for my tutoring hours (thats my TA job) and so this was all for naught.
Of course, I really actually saw this coming - last Thursday, in what has become something of a routine this semester (get up, early (like 6:30 AM (actually early (not grad school for Creative Writing early (1:30 PM)))), shower, stupefact in front of balcony doors, bike/walk to campus (chronic tire-popping has prompted some amount of walking (which I wanted to call "pedaling" but that doesn't seem quite right...)), take 8 AM shuttle bus from "Biscayne Bay" campus (1 hour in duration (cost, $2)), buy 1 bagel, plain, un-cut, un-toasted, and one large cup of coffee from Einstein Bros Bagels), I purchased my usual cup of coffee from Einstein Bros Bagels, and filled it from the FT, organic (medium roast) spout, and took it to the library, where I sat on the 6th floor (the lowest possible "quiet study floor" (the other floors being rather obviously not quiet)) to get to my day of online tutoring and class. Once I sat down in the library, however, and took a sip of my now-cool-enough-to-drink (it takes some time to get to the library and up to the 6th floor) coffee, only to find that it was French Vanilla flavored. Clearly not the medium roast, fair trade, organic coffee that was advertised on the tank. I wasn't sure whether to question that the FT, organic coffee ever existed, but it was clearly gone then. And gone now.
So here I am, tired and cranky, having just finished my cup of hypocritical coffee which didn't wake me up enough and made the world a worse place than it already is. No one is signing up for my tutoring hours (thats my TA job) and so this was all for naught.
3 Comments:
First, I'm cranky about you & Nate fussing about (parentheses)) which made me count them in your post & give up in *%((%#$)^$ frustration.
Secondly, unlike the way university acts, the bagel company should be driven by a profit motive. Maybe they just ran out of the FT medium roast. Ask them about it. If they've replaced it, ask to talk to the mgr & then explain to him/her about why free trade is a good idea & that you're thinking of starting a student boycott if they don't bring it back.
Whether or not you mobilize the student community against Einstein Bros. I agree that your complaint is with the bagel place, not FIU, unless you want to engage the school on preventing private food service businesses from operating on campus.
If you do end up engineering a boycott, I think your handpainted cardboard sign should say "Use Your Brain, Einstein" or something similarly withering.
Well, I don't have class next Thursday, so it's gonna be a while (2 weeks! (and, Dad, I'm almost positive that my "("s in that post are all properly ")"ed)) before I'm even back on that other campus to foment any revolution. A general uproar to be raised over FT coffee on campus would also involve picketing the convenience store (that brews coffee, I believe), the cafeteria, the Starbucks and the Cafe Bustelo, so I'd definitely have my work cut out for me. Maybe instead I'll just try harder to wake up in time to brew my own (Fair Trade, organic) coffee at home, and not have to worry about buying it on campus in the first place.
Post a Comment
<< Home