Why does my craving for coffee continually lead to my consuming sub-par food, purchased at Starbucks?  Venti Christmas Roast and the fruit and cheese plate.  That should be hard to mess-up, right? Right?

WRONG.

I grabbed some Wheat Thins from home on my way out the door, deciding that Starbucks would have to be my lunch for the day.  The gloomy weather, car trouble, and sleepiness would make me late for work otherwise!

Friendly voices greeted me in the drive-thru lane of the Starbucks at 8801 4th Street North in St. Pete.  I marveled at the car in front of me. I don’t believe in drive-thrus.  Occasionally, however, a need for a caffeine jolt and soggy weather make one a necessity.  How-oh-how could the woman in front of me taken so long?  I can only imagine that she must have engaged the poor Barista in much conversation, spilled coffee all over her, or asked for something wrong/different than one she told the drive-thru box.  I listened to TWO complete country songs before moving up to the window.

No problems getting the coffee, the napkins, the fruit & cheese plate.  In my haste to get to the office, I only casually glanced at the fruit/cheese, before stowing it in a back to take to work.

Coffee was drunk.  Enjoyed.  The Christmas blend tends to be a reliable one for Starbucks every year.

Hunger came.  My toast and blueberry jam that comprised my quickly eaten breakfast were not holding up.  I needed to eat, pronto!  I pulled out my wheat thins.  I pulled out the Fruit & Cheese plate.  I sighed at what I saw.

The Starbucks to-go food was not “expired” according to the sell by date.  The grapes and apples had seen FAR better days, however. I tried the apple. Not crispy, but edible.  Grapes—refused to try!  Green grapes should never be brown.  And brown grapes shall never make it into my mouth intentionally.  The cheese? Just okay.  The brie was ridiculously solid.  No hope for a yummy, ripe, runny brie the way brie should be enjoyed.  Instead a bland, hard brie that mostly just tasted cold. Glad for my crackers, as the two broken Carr’s crackers would not have been overly useful.  Didn’t these plates used to come with bread? Or was that just a NYC thing?

Now I know I will be hungry later.  At least, I can have more coffee (or perhaps I’ll go with the safer Earl Gray tea) with a bite of my Endangered Species 88% Extreme Dark Chocolate bar.