Happy New Year! In mean that sincerely. I want everyone to get as positive, inspiring and energetic a start to 2021 as they can. We’ll need all the ‘up sides’ we can get in our lives just to survive the next 9 months (probably more) of pandemic living we have ahead of us. And Dunkin’s is trying valiantly to do its part. But…
Everything will be just dandy: Have another cup of coffee…
Thus far, the COVID-19 lock down and the war-time lifestyle that came with it have been marked with little gestures from restaurant operators such as occasional free delivery offers and family meal deals designed specifically for take-out/delivery business model. That’s all well and good, but I’ve been thinking lately that the general public needs something more to help it get through the days, weeks and months of drudgery ahead.
People I’ve talked to, blogs I’ve read and opinion columns I’ve seen in various media all have remarked at one time or another over the past few weeks that an amazing number of people are expressing frustration, ‘helplessness and hopelessness’ (as my ancient and venerable mother says), and plain old depression – at times intense. And even when it’s all over, and we can go back to work, school and the other daily activities we’re used to, life will never be the same again. We wonder if we’ll ever get back to anything like the ‘normal’ we were used to before the pandemic came to town.
Is the new normal now?
On top of everything else, government officials and public health experts are starting to hint that life will never return to ‘normal’. I read a headline just yesterday that revealed a growing opinion among those who know that COVID-19 will never be completely beaten; that, like the common (but nevertheless deadly) ‘regular flu’, we’ll need some kind of booster shot against it every year or so to avoid getting it again and again. COVID-19 will be ‘endemic’.
Resto biz commentators say mask wearing and other enhanced sanitation measures may become permanent, even after the crisis is over. Fast Food chains are redesigning their protocols, business models and even the architecture of their stores to make contactless service the norm. No more hanging out at McD’s. Pre-order and pre-pay via online app. Grab and go.
I used to remark that folks of Asian extraction I saw on the street – primarily at the Asian supermarket – who maintained their old-world habit of wearing a COVID-19 style face mask everywhere they went were just being paranoid. That kind of thing had never been necessary here and never would be. I had another think coming.
I’m old and doomed
I’m already old, becoming brittle and unbending in my ways. I admit it. I resent having to live under the strictures of the scenario described above. Kids today will never know what it’s like to be me, to remember a time when I could just go about my business without masking; perhaps gloving, too; using hand-san before entering or leaving a place of business. Most distressing is the thought that there will be no more spontaneous hugging, hand-grasping, much less the universal kiss-on-the-cheek.
No more cheerful chats with the checkout person at the supermarket.
Dunkin’s thinks it has the solution
Dunkin’s – the Doughnut and Coffee people, have announced something new they think may be the answer to all of our current emotional woes. They have announced Extra Coffee. Not more of their regular brew, but the same sized cups with up to 20 percent more caffeine that regular (natural) coffee. They actually officially call it ‘Extra Charged Coffee’.
According to Heidi Curry, Senior Manager of Research & Development, and Janet Rock, Research & Development Manager at Dunkin’, “Some of our guests told us they were looking for a little extra caffeine boost from their favorite coffee drinks. But, adding an espresso shot actually changes the flavor profile of the coffee. So, we brewed up a new innovation, Extra Charged Coffee, to give guests the benefit of additional caffeine without altering the taste of the high-quality Dunkin’ Hot and Iced Coffee that they know and love.”
A bitter pill
Actually, caffeine is a very bitter substance and would spoil any drink you added a big shot of it to. That’s why it’s formerly been added only to beverages that were already sweetened, like zipped-up Soft Drinks (Sodas) and so-called energy drinks. Anyway, I for one, don’t like having too much caffeine in my system. I makes me jumpy and brings out the worst in my type-A personality. And I’ve always resented people who brush me off when I try to express something that concerns me and they say, “Take a pill!”, as if that was the ultimate answer to under- or over-active emotions.
Tellingly, Dunkin’s doesn’t say anything about using their Extra Charged Coffee responsibly. Remember the hubbub about energy drinks when the first came out, and folks became alarmed about caffeine overdoses? Sounds to me like they’re hoping people will get hooked even harder on their drug. They also say only that they’re going to offer the new souped-up coffee for just $2 per cup at first. Could it be that they’re planning on charging more later, as folks get hooked harder? Or am I just letting my old, brittle side show?
Naw. I’ve probably just had too much coffee this morning…
~ Maggie J.