the Dunkin’ Donuts Dilemma

Adjusting to my commute this week, as I kitty/condo-sit for one of the managers in my department, I’ve come to the ultimate conclusion that it’s only fair to repay/treat myself to a delicious beverage to get the morning started. Today, I rode the bus (the silly T train didn’t stop for us yesterday, and today I got there just as one T was leaving – I think the one earlier than I meant to catch, but I get there early because I don’t want to miss the later one, and I’m up anyway, because the kitties start getting hungry at 5:30am – and the bus (that essentially goes the same places as the above-ground section of the train)) was sitting there happily, with its doors open waiting for me.

However, in an attempt not to be foolish and waste money, I had brought a soda (yes, also QUITE terrible for a breakfast drink!) along to accompany my wheat toast breakfast (which I am currently eating). However, commuters, bus ones especially, have the annoyingly tasty habit of bringing various coffee beverages on board. Then I smell them. Then I see the cups, and, marvel of marketing (tehe), the cup reminds me of the taste, which reminds me how much I really want a coffee over a soda. I mean, instead. Not over/on. Coffee on soda might be gross. At least this morning. SO, I decide that, if I happen to get off at the stop, because someone requests it, on Huntington, that is very near a Dunkin’ Donuts (and, sadly, a Starbucks, which I can’t bring myself to go to everyday. A Dunkin’ medium is nearly twice the size of a Starbucks “medium” grande, and is still half the price. That could have to do with the fact that I get fancy stuff at Starbucks because I don’t love their plain coffee, but have built up a tolerance for Dunkin’ regular coffee (specifically iced))… then I would go get a drink. Otherwise, I’d push the button for the stop after it, a few blocks away, and go directly to work. As it happens, some happy lady pushed the “stop requested” button for the stop with the convenient coffee, and I decided to hop up and get on out of the bus, and head over for some delicious death-beverage.

All this information is just the intro to what actually prompted this entry. You see, all was fine, I stood in a very short line, ordered my medium iced coffee, no sugar, paid, and then… it was handed to me. The plastic iced-coffee cup. Inside a Styrofoam hot-coffee cup.

UGH!, I said to myself. This is not right! I do not need twice as many cups as my beverage requires. Unless I had intended to share my beverage with someone else, splitting the drink into two cups, there was no need.

Now, I had seen this before. My first introduction to the idea was at my “regular” (yikes) Dunkin’ Donuts, which I visit generally between 1 and 2 times a week. It is in the Prudential Center, it is cheaper than the one on Mass Ave and the one on Huntington (today’s stop), it is nicer, and doesn’t leave a tip cup out (oops, there it is, I’m stingy. I’ve left them tips before, but generally I don’t. Especially at Starbucks where things are already twelve prices). My regular D.D. stop had put up a sign at the beginning of iced-coffee season, saying adding a foam cup to the iced cup when ordering an iced-coffee was an additional 5 cents, or something along those lines. How odd, I had thought, that anyone would request such a thing. But still, nearly everywhere I went, I would see these double-cups from Dunkin’s. Yet, as my place never gave it without you asking, I never got one. And that is why I was so surprised this morning.

Here’s the problem. Two cups. Two cups! Who needs two cups! Is it because the iced one has so much condensation? Because it’s harder to grip when wet? More stylish (I would disagree. the foam one is very plain)? More… something else? Without a REALLY good reason, it’s just a waste of a second cup. Paying for it or not, you don’t need that second cup, do you?

So here it is: the voting section. If you feel so inspired, please place your vote via a message stating your selection, and, as always, add any comments you wish.

Tell me, is the double-cup syndrome:

1. TOTALLY awful! You certainly don’t need two cups. What a waste.
2. Completely practical! And here’s why…
3. Not that big of a deal, Andrle. Shove off.
4. Who cares? Stop wasting a variable $2 on coffee all the time, Anderschmee, you bum!
5. So hot. I loooove the double-cups, because it’s so in vogue.
6. I still don’t understand what you’re talking about.
7. A shame!

Pick any or all. Probably not all, for how contradictory! Anyhow. There it is.

Do not worry… I arrived at work quite early today, despite the coffee stop, and so, rather than getting back to the HUGE project that kept me here 45 minutes late yesterday (yes, that’s on top of the 10-hour day, with two 35-40 minute commutes on either end, starving kitties wondering what happened to me – or their real owners) (I’m really good at making things sound tragically worse than they really are) (and over-using parentheses and dashes today, apparently), I decided to write a semi-quick blog to express my feelings on the double-cup subject. That is all.

Happy end of July!
Happy late birthday to my awesome sister!

Kisses,
Ander-Chewie

P.S. Yes, I’m aware that my name does not have an “e” inbetween the “d” and the “r.” Boy, am I aware! But Andr-Chewie looks more to me like I was writing my name and then thought better of it. In all actuality, that is not actual. Ander (like Ender! yay the fact that all the cool people who read this have read Ender. I think. Well, Peachie certainly has!), in this case, and this case only, is better.

P.P.S. Quite a bit of condensation is building on the foam cup now as well. Which means, unless to hide the shade of the coffee, so other, less bitter coffees don’t realize they are superior, (but where in Boston to get non-over roasted, watered-down coffee is beyond me. Where are the non-chains?!?!), I don’t have a clue why one would need a double-cup. If you know, let me know, please!