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Shengbo

>I can remember a time (1980's and earlier) when the modern version of the coffee shop didn't exist.

Are you talking about the US here? I'm pretty sure they've been around in Europe and the Middle East for centuries.

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Yeah, in Lisbon one of those "modern" coffee shops has celebrated its 230th anniversary.

Those hipsters.

They were hipster before hipster was hipster

Yeah, he's talking about the US only. My US suburb, quite large, never had a coffee shop until Starbucks in 2001. Sad.

It's interesting how long it took for the US to adopt them. I wonder why the coffee shop culture wasn't exported earlier. I wouldn't compare Starbucks to European style cafés though. It's sort of like the McDonald's of coffee shops. Not a good experience if you're looking for quality coffee and a pleasant atmosphere.

Yeah Sbux is terrible, there is still a dearth of good cafes across the US. Only now is NYC picking some up via Australian imports.

You're joking right?

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