Which size do you drink?

Hello there dear readers!

Today, I want to share a curiosity that has been on my mind lately.

A couple of days ago, I visited a Starbucks here in Oslo. When ordering a Frappuccino, I noticed something peculiar about the size names: Short, Tall, Grande, Venti, Trenta. As we all know, sizes are typically ordered according to their names. I chose the one that suited me best and thought that was the end of it. But what really caught my attention was the mix of languages in the size names.

We have a combination of English and Italian. My question is: wouldn’t it have been better to stick to one language from the beginning? Why call it a Tall size when it’s just slightly bigger than Short? And what about Venti and Trenta?

This left me speechless. Being the curious person I am, I had to investigate. I discovered that Venti means twenty in Italian, which corresponds to twenty ounces, and Trenta means thirty, corresponding to thirty ounces of Frappuccino in a big cup.

Even with these explanations, I still find it odd to mix languages in this way. Considering Starbucks is an international brand, they could have used a more logical approach in naming sizes.

Why not use one language consistently, such as:

Short, medium, tall, big, and super big (English)

Otto, dodici, sedici, venti, trenta (Italian, according to the ounces)

Or even artistic names with some form of logic?

Do you agree with me? It seems being international doesn’t mean using languages without a coherent plan.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!