# Breaking news: The new US ambassador to China stands in line at Starbucks himself! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 17, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-new-us-ambassador-to-china-stands-in-line-at-starbucks-himself/593052 "2011-08-17T17:43:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-new-us-ambassador-to-china-stands-in-line-at-starbucks-himself/593052/1 "2011-08-17T17:43:01Z")
Story [here](http://news.yahoo.com/photo-bag-carrying-ambassador-charms-china-184349082.html) This made me smile a bit (as in “what’s the big deal?”). But I come from one of the more egalitarian societies in the world, where the Prime Minister during the first two decades after WW2 lived in a fairly small and mundane apartment on the east side of town (i.e. not exactly the most upscale part of the city), and the King paid his own streetcar ticket during the 1973 oil crisis. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-new-us-ambassador-to-china-stands-in-line-at-starbucks-himself/593052/2 "2011-08-17T17:49:15Z")
May I ask which country that would be? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-new-us-ambassador-to-china-stands-in-line-at-starbucks-himself/593052/3 "2011-08-17T17:51:41Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > May I ask which country that would be? I think the OP is Norwegian. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-new-us-ambassador-to-china-stands-in-line-at-starbucks-himself/593052/4 "2011-08-17T17:58:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Locke tried to use a coupon or voucher for the coffee, but the barista rejected it, Tang said. The ambassador then paid with a credit card, he said. This part made me smile. ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-new-us-ambassador-to-china-stands-in-line-at-starbucks-himself/593052/5 "2011-08-17T17:59:04Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I think the OP is Norwegian. Yup ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-new-us-ambassador-to-china-stands-in-line-at-starbucks-himself/593052/6 "2011-08-17T18:19:35Z")
Not that big of a deal in the US either, but apparently it is interesting to some people in China. I remember reading a story about Supreme Court judge Souter riding the bus to work every day and I always pictured him sitting on the bus in his black robe with a bag lunch and his gavel. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-new-us-ambassador-to-china-stands-in-line-at-starbucks-himself/593052/7 "2011-08-17T19:00:54Z")
[This article](http://behindthewall.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/08/15/7371518-the-abcs-of-being-ambassador-to-china) included more commentary about the significance of the photo to Chinese citizens. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-new-us-ambassador-to-china-stands-in-line-at-starbucks-himself/593052/8 "2011-08-17T21:01:33Z")
> [@Norse](#): > > Yup Doesn’t the prime minister of Iceland live in a small house outside the city with essentially no visible security? I love the egalitarian nature of scandanavians … The speech by Harald V after Oslo was great, no major politicalizing, just short and to the point. In the US Obama or some other politician would be there getting facetime on TV for some political agenda.