Stopped by a Target to check something out…what should I find but a Starbucks. This is not news. What I found novel, however, is what they handed me along with my "venti quad no-whip" marble mocha macchiato. For those of you not well versed in Starbuckspeak, that basically means I got the drink with four espresso shots, in the largest size available, without flagellation.

The bonus bit was a "marble chocolate stir stick," defined as "a blend of Belgian milk chocolate and white chocolate," the idea being that I should stir this into my drink, thus upping the chocolate content therein.

And I thought to myself: yes. This is the American way: have a stick of chocolate to add to this heaping frothy coffee chocolate concoction. Why? Because, dammit, anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

I love this country.