CONFESSING MY LOVE AFFAIR

They say confession is good for the soul, so here goes. I'm having an affair! It's not something I planned, but rather one of those things that "just happened"!

This has been going on for years. I can't help myself, my love is so strong, I would be totally lost without it.

I've tried to stop many times to no avail and go right back to it. My taste for this whole sordid mess left me for a time, but soon returned!

I found out my love is shared by many and in all sorts of different ways, but it's ok, I'm willing to share!

There are many ways to take my love, but I prefer hot, strong, black, bold and a little at a time. Too much all at once can be painful!

Oh, I'm sorry, did you think I was talking about a man? Not at all, my affair is with coffee!!

I started consuming coffee as a teenager and haven't stopped yet. I didn't want extra calories then, so I learned to drink it without cream or sugar. This reasoning still stands today!

My brand of choice is Community, Dark Roast. I got hooked on it when I lived in Louisiana and can't do without it. Surely, something is added to the roasting process that is addictive. That's my theory!

In the USA we seem to have our coffee any where, time, or way we please. There is not a specific etiquette involved.

However, traveling in Italy, I learned that ordering "caffe" is a complicated process. I soon became frustrated with trying to get my daily fix!

A normal morning coffee is known as espresso, but the word is never used. "Un caffe" is what is ordered, "espresso" is the way it is made. Serving is in a tiny cup, on a saucer, with a tiny spoon.

The biggest difference in Italy is that when ordering coffee during the morning, it's downed standing at a bar like a shot of whisky!

Italians do not sit and linger over their morning Java as Americans do. If one does decide to sit in a coffee bar, the price can be at least 5x higher than normal.

Also, cappuccino, caffé latte, latte macchiato or any milky form of coffee can be ordered only in the morning, and never after a meal. Italians cringe at the thought of hot milk hitting a full stomach.

Milky drinks are served lukewarm. If you want yours hotter ask for "piu caldo, per favore," (more hot, please).

Source

I thought at one point I was going to get American style coffee when I saw "Caffe Americano" on the menu. What was set before me was just a bigger cup of "un caffe". I was not happy, but did learn to adjust!

It was impossible to get drip type coffee in Italy, even at McDonalds. The closest I could get was "caffe lungo" which is a little weaker "caffe".

I'm still confused sometimes about ordering coffee in Italy. I guess the main thing to remember is never order a milk based coffee after noon.

After dinner coffee is usually a "caffe correcto" meaning one laced with a digestive such as Grappa, or the digestivo on the side.

Source

If you have a love affair with coffee and happen to go to Italy, be prepared to be confused! I could not do without my love, so though I sounded like an idiot at times, I ordered anyway!

Remember,

Keep on the Sunnyside!

Photo # 1. Source

Photo # 2. Property of the author