Studying Starbucks

LONDON - A cup of coffee is just a drink. But a frappuccino is an experience. So believes Bryant Simon, a historian who is searching for the meaning of modern life amid the round tables and comfy sofas of Starbucks coffee shops.

Simon, who teaches at Philadelphia's Temple University, thinks that by spending time at Starbucks — observing the teenage couples and solitary laptop-users, the hurried office workers and busy baristas — he can learn what it means to live and consume in the age of globalization.

"What are we drinking, and what does it say about who we are?" Simon asked during a recent research trip to London.

His research has taken him to 300 Starbucks in six countries for a caffeine-fueled opus titled "Consuming Starbucks" that's due for publication in 2008. He is one of several academics studying a type of 21st century cafe culture — Italian coffee in an American package — that has spread rapidly around the world.

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Le Pain Quotidien

Driving down Ventura in Studio City we spotted a nice looking restaurant, and were hungry for lunch. I'm glad we did- the food was great and so was the coffee.

This is French themed place, but has some unique things about it. There's a central table for community style eating. The coffee was served in a metal flask instead of your cup. I've seen this in England before. And my sandwich was served on a plate that resembled a cutting board-- with a hole on one end, and completely flat.

All of the food on the menu is health and "organic", which is a far cry from the heart-clogging (but yummy) meals we had in France on a past trip.

www.lepainquotidien.com

Speaking of Starbucks

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tom Hanks sure likes his triple venti latte.

The actor is attached to star in "How Starbucks Saved My Life," about an advertising executive who loses his job and family and has to work at the coffee chain to pay the bills. He befriends the young manager and learns about life and love.

Gus Van Sant is in negotiations to direct the Universal project. Hanks will also serve as a producer.

The project is based on a fiction book proposal by Michael Gates Gill, a former ad exec who co-wrote the nonfiction book "Fired Up! The Dramatic Truth of What It Really Takes to Move from Fearful Employee to Successful, Fired Up Entrepreneur."

Hanks next stars in "The Da Vinci Code," which opens May 19. Van Sant is attached to direct "The Time Traveler's Wife" at New Line. His credits include 2005's "Last Days."