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Hong Kong 'Starbucks uncle' becomes viral hero for sipping coffee in a flooded cafe

By Ben Hooper
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HONG KONG, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- An elderly man has become Hong Kong's latest hero and meme and thanks to a photo of him enjoying his newspaper and coffee at a flooded Starbucks.

The man, dubbed "Starbucks uncle" on social media, was photographed by Kristy Chan, 23, whose picture was shared on the popular TV Most page on Facebook. The man was reading a newspaper and drinking a coffee at a Chai Wan district Starbucks that took on water during the rain-fueled flooding this week.

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"Of course I didn't expect it would go viral," Chan told the BBC. "It was quite funny. Maybe he already has that many life experiences so the flood didn't bother him at all."

The photo was shared thousands of times across social media, and led to the discovery of additional photos showing a second, younger man had joined the "Starbucks uncle" at one point.

TV Most put out a call for Photoshop experts to explore the limits of the man's unflappability, and social media users did not disappoint.

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