Coffeehouse chalkboard encourages customers to think about situations in coffee-growing regions of the world.
Starbucks locations in Japan may have their own special menu items, but in a lot of ways, visiting to the chain’s coffeehouses here is pretty much like visiting them overseas. You’ll find simple but tasteful woody interior design, jazzy tunes playing through the speakers, and chalkboards with a handwritten message of the day on them.
Usually, these messages are pretty lighthearted and inconsequential, with a quick comment about the season or weather, or maybe a recommendation to try some new beverage that’s just gone on sale. But on August 15, the anniversary of the day Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces and World War II ended, one Starbucks branch in the city of Nagasaki decided to take a moment and ponder a deeper topic, as seen in this photograph from Twitter user @neccoUK.
The message reads:
Almost all of the beans for the coffee we drink are imported from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and other regions of political stability. A year from now, that coffee, which we find so delicious, might be something we can no longer drink, as a product of civil war and other conflict.
Coffee is often described with words like “comforting,” “relaxing,” or “soothing,” but it can actually come from perilous parts of the world.
You probably don’t think of the concepts of war and peace having such a direct connection to yourself, but now, as you’re drinking your coffee or Frappuccino, knowing that you might not be able to do so in the future, is this not an opportunity to reflect on peace.
This is the 72nd summer since the end of World War II. What does “peace” mean to you?
Definitely food for thought while sipping your coffee.
Source: Twitter/@neccoUK
Top image: Pakutaso