Starbucks and Me: A Short Short Story “All-You-Can-Pour Milk”

Short-Short: All-You-Can-Pour Milk

This also happened back when I was living in the U.S.

Every town seemed to have that Starbucks with the green logo.

A morning Starbucks.

The smell of fresh-roasted beans drifting slowly,

soft old jazz playing in the background.

People were glued to their laptops,

each enjoying their own personal time.

At the end of the counter sat the condiment bar:

Sugar, napkins, straws—and milk.

Whole, 2%, Nonfat, Half & Half.

Just seeing the lineup made me a little excited.

You’d never see this freedom in Japan.

At first, I poured just a little.

Didn’t want to mess with the coffee aroma.

But one morning, a thought hit me:

“…Wait. Can’t I add as much as I want?”

I tilted the pitcher.

White liquid flooded my cup.

I thought a barista glanced at me—

I quickly looked away.

Well, it’s the “land of the free,” right?

Then I noticed a college student next to me

just dumping milk into his cup with a big grin.

“Free country, right?” he laughed.

I nearly burst out laughing and muttered,

“That’s… milk with a hint of coffee!”

I raised my cup toward him and said,

“Yeah… your coffee, your responsibility.”

We both smirked with a quiet “hehe.”

Our laughter blended with the jazz

and disappeared into the morning air.

Another day in America—

just a little too free.

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※Phrase Note

“Your coffee, your responsibility.”
A playful twist on the idea that freedom always comes with responsibility.
In other words:
“Do what you like — but it’s on you!”

A tiny joke that tastes a lot like the American spirit.

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