If you're not expanding your belly, than the next best thing to expand is your mind.

That's why I thought it might be good to change it up a bit and provide some content that will hopefully expand your mind. A new book entitled, Everything but the Coffee by Bryant Simon just came out and it details his observations of Starbucks and their customers after having spent countless hours sitting and people watching.

John Moore, (blogger and author of Tribal Knowledge) has provided some additional commentary from Bryant Simon about his observations of Starbucks on his blog.

Below is a particular excerpt from Bryant Simon about Starbucks and the promises they make to their customers. So often we visit Starbucks determined to feel something special, something amazing....does it ever happen? Does Starbucks fulfill us? Or are we just being completely misled...

"BRYANT SIMON: Many branders, following the lead of Joseph Pine and James Gilmore, argue that higher-end consumers are looking for experiences and wiling to pay extra to get them. I think about this idea in a slightly different way. I think we pay a premium to get the things that are missing in our lives – experience being just one of them (and I write about this in the chapter in my book on music and the feeling of discovery, both real and vicarious that Starbucks sells.) Back to my point, so I think that people increasingly buy to fulfill their desires or get a hold of the things that are missing in their lives.

But there is another dynamic at work here.

As other social forces – neighborhoods, community, unions, and politics – seem to recede, brands have stepped into our lives to offer more of the things that matter most to us – everything from authenticity to work spaces to belonging to social justice. Really, then brands sell promises – promises to fulfill our needs and desires. Yet, often they deliver only an illusion of what we need and want, some vapory facsimile that looks like the real thing, but usually isn’t even close.

Few companies, in what we might call the “promise economy,” sell more -- e.g. promise more – than Starbucks. But again, the company doesn’t always deliver on its promises.

Take the promise of Third Place. Starbucks has borrowed – expropriated -- this phrase from the sociologist Ray Oldenburg. Oldenburg calls these locations real – not virtual -- sites between work and home where people can gather. Starbucks serves this role, but back to the question, in only the thinnest, most ephemeral of ways.

To Oldenburg, third places are social setting where strangers meet and forge the bonds of community. Once they trust each other, they go on to discuss matters of crucial import to the community. Talk is essential for these places to genuinely work. But that isn’t really what happens at Starbucks. People come to Starbucks to get a moment of respite or to meet with colleagues, but rarely do they engage in the kinds of community discussions needed to bolster civic life. So what they get at Starbucks, is a busy, chatty looking place that looks like a third place, but isn’t really a third place. Kind of like those cup quotes.

Remember when Starbucks tattooed its cups with quotes? They were there the company said to encourage conversation and community, but they didn’t say much that could get anyone to actually talk or engage with others. Who isn’t in favor of finding love, the rainbow of colors, and the innocence of kids playing baseball? When the cups did incite a little controversy, Starbucks pulled the offending cups. That’s not free speech, and free speech is key to Third Places and to community. Just ask Ray Oldenburg.

Same with the environment. Starbucks knows that a growing core of its customer base cares deeply about green issues, so it promises to do its part (and allow them to think they have done their part). On every Starbucks cup, it reads right under the quotes, “Help us, help the planet.”

Sure, Starbucks has done some great stuff to limit its carbon footprint and utilize solar energy sources, but it doesn’t really help the environment, it actually leaves it in worse shape after each latte purchase. By not pushing in-store ceramic cups or reusable tumblers, Starbucks encourages takeaway, throwaway consumption. Every time we walk out the door with a paper cup, java jacket, and plastic lid (and perhaps a green plastic splash stick), we are – and so is Starbucks – creating trash (and all of the energy and oil needed top produce these additional cups and lids and then cart them off to the landfill where the take up place and slowly rot, but not be they get covered up by another bag of coffee house rubbish.)

These are two examples of promises that Starbucks makes – because the ideas they promise have value to their customers and add value to their products – but doesn’t entirely fulfill. And this is one of the avenues of inquiry I explore in my book. I look hard at what Starbucks sells and what it actually delivers."

(Used with permission from John Moore)

The year was 2002 and I had never heard of Friendly's before.

This particular hot summer I was in Stamford, Connecticut for a few days on business. It was around lunch time and we were looking for a place to eat.

Driving through Stamford, nothing seemed good until we drove past a Friendly's. Not knowing what the heck a Friendly's even was, I asked the people in our car...they called me a fool for not ever going to Friendly's and then explained that they have some of the best ice cream on earth.

Since we were all salivating from talking about Friendly's we decided to pull in and grab lunch there.....little did I know this lunch would forever change my entire life.

After reading over the menu I chose the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae. (You're reading that correctly...I had a sundae for lunch with no other food).

Never has peanut butter, ice cream and hot fudge been so flippin satisfying. In that moment, my taste buds were forever changed - the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae was my new food idol.

Upon returning back home to the Tampa area after my trip I searched far and wide to find my nearest Friendly's. Much to my dismay the nearest location was 90 minutes away in Orlando.

About two months after I got back I couldn't resist it any longer so I convinced my brother to drive with me to Orlando to go eat at Friendly's. (Yes, I drove an hour and a half for an ice cream sundae).

This wouldn't be my last journey to Orlando just to eat Friendly's. Later in the year I was dating this girl (not my future wife) who I talked to on a regular basis about Friendly's....probably to the point that it drove her insane. One weekend she blind folded me, told me to get in her car and an hour and a half later I was in the Friendly's parking lot in Orlando.

To most of you, this probably sounds completely ridiculous. However, if you have ever tasted a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae from Friendly's you might feel differently. To this very day, I still love Friendly's and I wish there was one closer to me...unfortunately my nearest location is still 90 minutes away.

Since I can't have Friendly's I figured the next best thing would be to share it with all of you. In celebration of Friendly's and their amazing ice cream, I'm giving away one $10 Gift Card to Friendly's to the first person who comments on this post and writes about their favorite Friendly's sundae. After you comment, please send me an email so I can get your contact info to mail you the gift card (danielrholm@gmail.com).

Dear Cinnabon:

I can smell your goodness from a mile away....it's like being wrapped in a warm winter blanket on an icy cold day. If heaven had a smell...I know it would smell like you.

Just the look of you from a distance makes my eyes water with joy.

As I slowly approach you in your warm glowing case I can't help but admit my heart skips a beat. Then you slowly pull yourself away from the crowd of your friends and come running in to my arms.

Your delicate, sweet and heart warming icing slowly rolls off of you. As I take my first bite.....your gooey bits roll down my chin.

The warm taste of your sweet cinnamon flavor is almost more than I can stand. I crave you every time I come within 100 yards of glorious shop and I can barely resist the temptation of your calling.

My favorite part of you is the left over cinnamon sugar goo that is on the bottom of the container. It's an enormous glob of everything amazing about you and when I scoop it up with my spoon and taste it my heart is sent into complete oblivion.

I can't get enough of you...in every mall and airport you're at....I'll be there...I can't resist you. Please, don't tell my wife I am cheating on her with a giant cinnamon roll...you are my secret guilty pleasure.

I love you,

Dan

I never really planned on eating sushi in London. It doesn't seem like a city where you would get great sushi.

But then all of the sudden YO! Sushi came roaring into my eating life and let me tell you I couldn't be happier about it.

YO! Sushi first caught my attention when I walked by their restaurant one evening. I looked through the window and little plates of sushi were being carried around on belts all through the restaurant. The customers were sitting in front of the moving belts of sushi and just pulling them off and eating them.....at first glance it looked extremely odd.

After about 5 minutes of gazing through the window I decided this hip restaurant must be worth a try. Upon walking in, the host seated us on one side of the moving sushi belt and explained how the process worked.

All of the sushi plates on the moving belt are each on different colored tiny plates. Each plate represents a different price, starting at about $2 and going up to $6 (I'm rounding based on a conversion from pounds to dollars). You're given a menu that has an image of everything YO!Sushi serves with a description...so as the plates come around you can look it up in the menu and decide if you want it.

I must say....I never had any idea that sushi could be so much fun. Throughout the entire evening we would pull plates off the belt, flip through the menu, decide if we wanted it and if not we would put it back on the belt (not sure if you're suppose to do this or not).

In the middle of the moving belt is an open kitchen with two chefs preparing more sushi and placing it on plates and then onto the moving belt. The atmosphere is fresh, hip and a whole lot of fun.

Aside from the exciting experience, the sushi is unbelievable. With all of the variety you get a combination of any type of sushi that you want, plus tuna, squid, salads, soups and desserts....all moving around the belt in the restaurant. The YO sushi roll was probably my favorite (salmon, avocado, mayonnaise, and masago (fish roe). The Chocolate Raspberry Truffle is extremely tasty as well.

So here's the really really really bad news. YO! Sushi doesn't have a single location in America. This means that you have a few choices.

1. Hire a sushi chef and build a moving belt in your house to enjoy fun sushi at home.
2. Eat sushi at normal sushi restaurants and fantasize about YO! Sushi while you're eating your far inferior and boring sushi.
3. Go to London and eat at YO! Sushi.

If you can afford it, option 1 is obviously the best. However, I strongly recommend that you choose option 3 and somehow get yourself to London to eat at YO! Sushi. If you live in the UK and you're reading this, I hate you and I'm jealous that you get YO! Sushi all the time.

YO! Sushi....it's flippin awesome.

I don't think I really understood the beauty of tea until experiencing tea time in London.

It's no wonder that people from London take time out of their day to get a cup of tea....it's such a luxurious experience. Late this past Wednesday afternoon I found myself in a small, yet stunning restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea from 3:30pm - 5:00pm every day.

We ordered two cups of tea and shortly after we placed our order the server came out with two mugs, two tiny tea pots, and two scones with a glob of Jersey Clotted Cream on the side.

The display was simply stunning. Feeling British and sophisticated I poured myself a cup of tea and then proceeded to spread the Jersey Clotted Cream and strawberry jam on my warm scone.

Let's take a moment here to discuss the Jersey Clotted Cream in more detail.....it's a crime against humanity that we don't have this in America. Basically it's like a really really thick Cool Whip...imagine a smoother and sweeter version of cream cheese. It's so completely satisfying I could probably eat it straight. The clotted cream, topped with strawberry jam made this scone far superior to anything you might have had a Panera Bread.

So there we sat as the afternoon went by, sipping our tea and nibbling on our scones discussing how brilliant the day was. When tea time finally came to a close an emptiness filled my heart...what a shame that we don't have such a delightful ritual here in America. We truly are missing out on something fun, refreshing and sophisticated.

In celebration of this great British tradition, I am committing to having my own personal tea time every single day. In fact, as we speak I just started sipping on a fresh cup of tea that I made at home. So, bust out the Earl Grey tea bags, dig out that tired old tea pot and order up some Jersey clotted cream and join me....it's Tea Time.

"If you want the best coffee in London," she said, "we're going to have to take a short bus ride."

This one simple statement from my friend/tour guide in London earlier this week began an adventure to a coffee shop that many of us only dream about.

We walked 2 blocks from my hotel and waited for bus number 19 that would take us through Piccadilly Circus and down some streets which I can't remember the name of. After the 10 minute bus ride we walked about 2 more blocks, got a little lost and then finally found the mysterious coffee shop she was taking me to.

Upon walking up to Monmouth Coffee Co. I was a little caught off guard. The line started outside of the shop and everyone was ordering at a tiny register near the front door. If you look inside, the people who had ordered were all lined up against a wall and there was barely any room to walk inside as it was so congested.

Generally speaking, the shop itself was probably about the size of some people's walk in closets. Following the lead of my friend/tour guide we leaned our heads in the door and placed our order: 1 filtered coffee (black coffee) and 1 cafe au lait (coffee with steamed milk). Then we waited in the line against the wall.

The woman who took our order, without missing a beat said the order out loud to the employees (look in the upper right corner of the picture above) who were making all of the drinks. Behind the register was a display of a variety of coffee beans that are all available for sale by the pound.

Dumbfounded by this extremely unusual arrangement, I walked in front of everyone in line to the back left corner of the restaurant to get a better view of the coffee magic that was unfolding.

It really was amazing. Traditionally speaking, when people have to wait longer than 30 seconds for their coffee they get irritated. Everyone in line at Monmouth however seemed completely content, you could even say they looked excited. They all knew there were about to receive amazing coffee and it would be worth the wait.

Slowly the Monmouth employees passed the coffee drinks over the counter in the back to the person in line. Below the counter was a small station where you could add brown or liquid sugar to your coffee. Instead of stir sticks, Monmouth offered wooden spoons for customers to stir their coffee (very cool).

My anticipation finally ended and they handed me my cafe au lait. I walked over to the mixing station and stirred brown sugar into my coffee.

Unlike most American coffee that we order at Stabucks, Dunkin Donuts or McDonald's, the coffee from Monmouth was full of love.

After my initial sip, it became clear to me why my friend/tour guide insisted that we travel over 20 minutes to get to Monmouth. The flavor was bold, distinct and smooth. Every single sip was a passionate and fulfilling experience. From the coffee itself to the employees and atmosphere, Monmouth Coffee Co is exploding with character.

You know that coffee house that you always dream of? The place that is authentic, non-corporate, cozy and original? Monmouth is that place....it may be the only true coffee house on earth. Every Starbucks in the world wishes they were Monmouth and to be honest, they're not even close.

Is it worth a trip to London to get a taste of Monmouth? Simply said, yes. Monmouth might not just be the best coffee in London, it may be the best coffee in the world.

I never realized how big a cupcake could really be until yesterday.

In Tampa, there are gourmet cupcake shops all over town and they all charge about $2.50 for a tiny little cupcake. I was always impressed with the architecture of these particular tiny cupcakes. They are made from scratch in a variety of flavors and super delicious.

However, my tiny cupcake infatuation came to a screeching halt when I was introduced to a cupcake from Crumbs Bake Shop in NYC.

En route to London yesterday, my sister-in-law (who lives in NYC) was gracious enough to meet me at JFK for my 4 hour lay over.

She has been talking about Crumbs Bake Shop for months and every time she mentioned it my mouth began to water. I didn't want to miss this perfect opportunity to jam a giant cupcake down my throat so I enlisted my sister-in-law to bring me a variety of cupcakes to the airport for us to enjoy during my layover.

When I asked her to bring more than one I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. I wrongly assumed they were the same size as the tiny Tampa cupcakes. Wow was I wrong.

She met me with a giant bag full of three enormous cupcakes that were each the size of a softball. Inside was a BaBa Booey (pictured above) it's a chocolate cupcake filled with peanut butter icing with peanut butter/chocolate icing on top and peanut butter chips, a Red Velvet cupcake, and one not on the daily menu called Half Baked which was a vanilla cupcake with cookies crumbed on top and filling in the middle.

These cupcakes were so giant I had to come at them with a knife - and since this was basically a one chance opportunity (I couldn't take them on the flight with me) my sister-in-law ate all three. They were absolutely phenomenal. It puts every other cupcake I have tried to shame. They were big, sweet, fluffy, tasty and completely satisfying. The Baba Booey in particular soothed my soul....the peanut butter filling was light and not too sweet.

Feel free to keep enjoying your local cupcake shop because they still are good, but keep hoping for more. If you want true cupcake satisfaction it can only happen at one place: Crumbs.

London is famous.

I'm not exactly sure all of the reasons why it's famous, however I do know that for hundreds upon hundreds of years, London has been an iconic city around the world.

I'm going to be in London for 4 days this week and while I should be excited about all of the rich history, museums and Big Ben, I'm mostly excited about the food. Therefore, my agenda revolves around eating. I don't have all of the details worked out yet, however I'm planning on trying to do at least these three things:

- Enjoy afternoon Tea Time
- Taste authentic Fish and Chips
- Check out one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants

So yes, I'm going to London and all I plan on doing is eating. Is there anything wrong with that?

In addition to what I have planned, do you have any suggestions of restaurants I need to check out?

Fall seems to have come to an abrupt end a lot sooner than expected.

As of yesterday, all of the stores that I frequent have already taken down all of the Fall decor and rolled out all of the Christmas decorations. The seasons are starting earlier and earlier every single year.

To wrap up our Great Pumpkin Taste off, below are the final three reviews of the fall season:

Dunkin Donut's Pumpkin Donut
Unlike the Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spice doughnut, Dunkin was a huge disappointment. I'm a bug Dunkin fan, however their take on a pumpkin donut treat was completely unsatisfying. To be completely honest it literally was like eating a pumpkin flavored sponge. I wasn't even able to finish the entire donut because I was so uninterested. If you're after a festive fall donut, hit up Krispy Kreme.

711 Pumpkin Latte
I know what you're thinking. I've completely lost my mind to be willing to try 711's Pumpkin Latte. However, my decision to get a 711 Pumpkin Latte came after an intense taste testing.

Every night I go to 711 to get my wife a slurppee (yes, every night). 711 has a coffee machine set up for customers to get hot chocolate, cappacino's and their featured Pumpkin Latte.

Next to the machines are sample cups and on several occasions I opted to try the Pumpkin Latte on my way to the check out. Much to my surprise....it was very good. Don't get me wrong it was not a luxurious Starbucks experience, but for only a couple bucks it was creamy, tasty and delicious.

Pumpkin Pie Blizzard
Nothing beats the sweet taste of Pumpkin Pie mixed in with DQ's fantastic soft serve. The Pumpkin Pie Blizzard is a classic fall treat.

Although it's not my favorite Blizzard flavor (peppermint is, and it's coming up soon), it's still a good choice if you're in a fall festive mood.

There are a lot of great options out there for those of you who crave the sweet taste of pumpkin, however of all the different things I tasted there is one that truly stood out: Krispy Kreme's Pumpkin Spice Doughnut. I was surprised at how good it was and the combination of pumpkin and spice was perfect, not to mention the sweet topping of Krispy Kreme's signature icing.

Since the season is now coming to a close, you better hurry if you want to eat any more pumpkin products that restaurant's are serving. After all, Christmas is just around the corner and word on the streets is that Starbucks is rolling out their holiday drinks tomorrow...

Why do restaurants feel the need to take something that's perfect and try to make it better?

Bagels are a great example. They are a divine creation and nothing is wrong with them. Baked right and topped off with a satisfying cream cheese there is nothing like a fresh made bagel.

So why change it?

Einstein Brothers Bagels didn't think plain old bagels were good enough so they went ahead and invented Bagel Poppers, which are a cheap rip off of Dunkin Donuts Munchkins.

The poppers are basically tiny little bagel balls. The featured flavor, Pumpkin, has a coating of pumpkin icing on top of the popper to add a little extra sweet flavor.

In the spirit of trying everything Pumpkin, the last time I was at Einsteins, I ordered up some Pumpkin Bagel Poppers. Much to my surprise, they were served in a plastic cup with a lid, all stacked on top of one another.

The icing was good, but it was extremely messy.....it was all over my fingers, hands, face and clothes because I had to dig in the cup to get the little frosting covered popper. The other problem was that the popper was chewy like a bagel. Therefore, eating it was not a pleasant experience because you're holding on to the popper with your hand and it's slipping all over the place because of the icing.

A price point of $3 for some bagel balls in a cup also seemed a little excessive. At most bagel shops you can get an entire bagel and cream cheese for about $2.

Here's the deal. Einsteins serves awesome bagels, they don't need to take the left over dough and turn them into little bagel bits. What they should have done was just offer pumpkin bagels with that rich pumpkin icing on the side......now that would have been sweet.