Abulfazal of neweurasia.net blogs that the popular coffee shop Starbucks may be opening in Tashkent.
He found out about it from Starbucks' Facebook page where a user posted a picture of a store, that seemed to be a Starbucks coming soon, with the familiar green-and-white logo, called the "Siren's Eye" by the company.
The sighting was an occasion to remember a fake Starbucks started some years ago by dictator's daughter Gulnara Karimova -- replete with fake t-shirts and mugs.
A man named Jason who has traveled to some 80 countries of the world stopped in Tashkent, and had this to say:
I noticed a small booth that seemed to be selling food and drinks. On the side there was a picture of what looked like a latte. I approached the hatch and pointed at what I wanted. The young man nodded and set to work. First he picked up what looked like a discarded white plastic cup, peered inside and shook the contents into the sink. Next he searched for a spoon and found one under a dirty dishcloth. He gave it a quick rub with his greasy fingers and dunked it into some white powder, coffee whitener I presumed. Then he shook in the most miserly amount in instant coffee and filled the cup up with water. After stirring it with the filthy spoon he passed me my latte. Starbucks it was not.
Maybe he should have checked out Lonely Planet or the Tashkent Facebook page to find the good stuff.
Of course, there's plenty of criticism to go around for Starbucks, too, and not everyone will be convinced it's a good addition to Tashkent.
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