aging & comfort

My aunt & uncle are planning on visiting me in Berlin next month. She keeps insisting on finding a Hilton in the city. I keep insisting she try out one of the many interesting non-chain hotels in the city. But in her last email, where she told me she found the perfect hilton in the city, she mentioned that at her age she’s searching for the comfort of familiarity. Then it struck me, that was parallel to a situation I encountered earlier today I as walking around looking for a place to eat. I just wanted: to eat unnoticed, alone, maybe bust out my book to read & take some notes. I knew I could do it at a Subway or Mcdonalds. After trying to do more than eat and was rudely accepted in another joint, i was afraid of making the same faux pas twice. I didn’t feel like gambling with a bad experience, yet I knew I would also feel awful for eating at an american chain restaurant. So I saw an empty bakery. bought a sandwich & sat down. I’ve done it before, I thought: ‘this is my new comfort place, bakeries.’ Now I can understand when she just wants a Hilton, but it’s still sad for the little guys. Certainly the internet and smartphones with it’s powerful reviews will help bridge people to small establishments in the future. But for now, I can understand the power of a brand for a service establishment.