I came across some interesting news today about a Starbucks franchise in China’s Forbidden City. It seems that the locals felt that Starbucks was too “western” to be accepted into such an ancient city. From what I can tell, the store was forced to close down after they refused to sell generic non-Starbucks coffee alongside their brand. The catch was that Starbucks would not be aloud to use the name “Starbucks” anymore. The Chinese government doesn’t have a problem using custom American-made Microsoft Windows software, but, apparently drinking an American-made cup of coffee is jut too much. Something doesn’t quite add up. Maybe it’s just me.

I find it hard to believe that there is a place in the world that would oust Starbucks, but hey what can you do. It’s not like there aren’t already too many Starbucks coffee shops in the world. I’m not a big fan of coffee in general, so I’m not too worried about this whole situation, but, I do find it funny that a Starbucks was shut down when there has been a McDonald’s in the SAME city for years. If McDonald’s isn’t “western” culture I’m not sure what is. Now, granted the McDonald’s in the Forbidden City has also undergone political scrutiny and has been forced to make some changes, but, they are still in business as of today.

Source: The Times of India