I'm a selective bugger.

Back in the late '90s, globalisation was on the march. There were few parts of the world that didn't feel its reach. North Korea comes to mind... that's about it.

One such facet of globalisation I detested was coffee houses. Not a fan of generic coffee culture, I only drank the stuff back then to keep me awake whilst doing my 'three days without sleep' stints during planting or harvest, however, I did very much appreciate the genuine feel and culture of the coffee house with its unique sense of privacy, belonging, warmth, and sense of community and knowingness with the operators.

Starbucks did a Model T Ford on the coffee house and marched them out around the world, but that's one cup of ambition I never tried. In my selective war on globalisation I levelled my sights on Starbucks. Never went in one and did my best to discourage my mates from contributing to the faux sense of warmth and belonging.

So there is a little sense of 'yay' in me tonight upon hearing quite a few of their doors will shut across the world, not because of my boycott but maybe just maybe people didn't want to contribute to faux any more and are after the authentic.

Let's hope so.

The only other alternative is that we are heading smack bang for a recession, and the people who frequented Starbucks are people who were trying to buy that sense of belonging and can no longer afford it thanks to the need to belong in their petrol loving car or their mortgage loving house.