Food
Usually, the handwritten message of the day at Starbucks cafes are light-hearted, but to mark the anniversary of Japan’s surrender that ended World War II, a Nagasaki Starbucks outlet decided to take a more serious tone.
Nagasaki was one of two Japanese cities destroyed by a nuclear bomb near the end of the conflict.
“Almost all the beans for the coffee we drink are imported from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and other regions … A year from now, that coffee might no longer be available because of civil war and other conflict,” says the message.
It says coffee 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?” the message continues.
“This is the 72nd summer since the end of World War II. What does ‘peace’ mean to you?”
“Hate has no home here”
Meanwhile, in the US, Starbucks executive chairman Howard Schultz convened a forum in Seattle entitled “Hate has no home here”.
A small rock Schultz had brought back from the Auschwitz concentration camp 17 years ago was passed around as “a tangible reminder of unchecked hate” as the gathering addressed the recent events in the US involving white supremacists and neo-Nazis.
“I come to you with profound, profound concern about the lack of character, morality, humanity, and what this might mean for young children and young generations,” he told the crowd of more than 500 in the room, plus 1000 in overflow areas. “We are imprinting them with levels of behaviours and conduct that are beneath the United States of America.”
He said it was a critical juncture in American history. “The moral fibre, the values and what we as a country have stood for is literally hanging in the abyss.”
For 90 minutes, as the rock circulated around the room, Schultz shared his thoughts, followed by Starbucks partners.
