redblueamerica.com

It looks like McDonald's is trying to horn in on Starbucks' turf.

McDonald's is stepping up a caffeine-fuelled onslaught on Starbucks by introducing specially trained baristas and prominent coffee bars at its fast-food outlets across America.

The world's biggest hamburger chain is adding lattes, mochas and an ice-blended frappé to its menus, plus a broader range of "grab and go" beverages such as iced tea, smoothies and bottled drinks.

I hold no brief for Starbucks -- I've got a half-dozen locally owned coffee houses within a 15-minute walk of my house here in Lawrence, so bitter-burnt corporate coffee is an experience I can generally avoid. But I understand that Starbucks does offer benefits to its employees, which is good. And I've heard a persuasive case that Starbucks helped create the gourmet coffee culture in America; without it, there might not be a half-dozen locally owned coffee houses in my neighborhood. So I've got nothing particularly against Starbucks, either.

McDonald's is another question entirely. If we're talking about coffee culture -- all the stuff (twee hipster pop, poetry readings, a comfy public place to read a good book) beyond the coffee itself that make the experience so pleasurable -- then the Golden Arches simply can't compete.

That's probably not what McDonald's is trying to do. They just want to sell coffee. Pray it doesn't kill off coffee culture.