One of my favorite entries in The Meaning of Liff, an exceedingly middle-class British book that assigns place names to shared experiences that there aren't words for, is Louth.
LOUTH (n.) The sort of man who wears loud check jackets, has a personalised tankard behind the bar and always gets served before you do.
And now, in the year of our lord 2024, America has achieved a like degree of civilization: Starbucks will now vend almost all orders into the vessel of your choice.
For drive-thru orders, customers tell the barista during the ordering process that they've brought their own clean mug that staff will collect at the pickup window "using a contactless vessel to ensure hygiene and safety."
For orders made in the Starbucks app, a new "personal cup" option is now added to the "customization" button during the ordering process. The customer places a order, then brings it to the store where they give the mug to a barista in the pickup area where the drink is made and given back in a "contactless vessel," which is a larger mug.
Two caveats: Starbucks notes that the cups must be cleaned before bringing them and that baristas won't rinse them out. The chain also won't accept cups larger than 40 ounces.
It's sustainable™.
