Woman Refuses to Speak 'Stupid' Starbucks Lingo, Gets Booted; Who Is in the Wrong?

Lynne Rosenthal I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets irritated with Starbucks and its uppity terms for coffee and fare. Only I've never gotten this irritated.

Lynne Rosenthal, an English teacher from New York, says she was physically removed from Starbucks by three police officers because she refused to talk the Starbucks talk.

Seriously.

According to the New York Post, Rosenthal became "enraged" when a barista asked if she would like butter or cheese with her bagel.

"I just wanted a multigrain bagel," Rosenthal told The Post. "I refused to say 'without butter or cheese.' When you go to Burger King, you don't have to list the six things you don't want.

"Linguistically, it's stupid, and I'm a stickler for correct English."

The barista said she wouldn't get her bagel if she didn't answer the question. A screaming match ensued, cops were called, and Rosenthal was threatened with arrest if she attempted to enter the establishment again.

"It was very humiliating to be thrown out, and all I did was ask for a bagel," Rosenthal told the paper. "If you don't use their language, they refuse to serve you. They don't understand what a plain multigrain bagel is."

I'm all for good grammar and sound linguistics (ask me about the time I lobbied a grocery store until it added an apostrophe to its sign), but in this case, it sounds like the woman was just looking for a fight ... and perhaps a little publicity.

In the past, she's refused to use words like "tall" or "venti" or specify "no whip." While the barista certainly didn't embrace the whole customer-is-always-right philosophy, I'm guessing he or she was just sick of Rosenthal and her mission to make a point.

Sure, the terminology at Starbucks may be a little ridiculous, but the fact is if you don't like it, you can go get your fix elsewhere. And badgering a barista, who barely makes more than minimum wage, just makes you ridiculous too.

Do you think Lynne Rosenthal was right in her refusal to talk the Starbucks talk or did she go overboard?

Image via New York Post