(An espresso enjoyed along the shores of Lake Bled, Slovenia)
I have learned that ordering a large (venti) coffee “to go” from a drive-through window is a uniquely American concept. I did not realize this until I stepped outside of my own culture and entered another. Three things make this activity uniquely American and they are:
- 1. Driving to a coffee shop to buy your coffee.
- 2. Ordering coffee to take with you “on the go.”
- 3. Drinking more than 8oz of coffee at a time.
Since visiting Italy and Slovenia, I have come to understand that “going for coffee” is not just about the coffee. It includes three elements and they are…
- 1. Exercise – Europeans walk to the coffee shop! Truly, they walk everywhere they can and save the car (or train) for longer excursions.
- 2. Relationship – “Coffee” isn’t just about the coffee. It’s about the friendship and the conversation that takes place over coffee. It is a foreign concept to order coffee “to go.” It is expected that you will sit down and enjoy it in a real cup along with some good conversation. If you didn’t come to the coffee shop with a friend, then you would stand at the counter and drink your coffee from a ceramic cup at the counter and chat with the barista.
- 3. Experience – Coffee is meant to be savored, not slammed. The flavors should be enjoyed slowly, especially since the amount is so much smaller than what we are used to here in America. Europeans order either an espresso (1 inch of strong syrupy coffee in a tiny cup) or cappuccino (that same amount of espresso with steamed foamy milk incorporated into it). While an espresso or cappuccino can be slammed back rather quickly by a busy person, it is meant to be sipped and savored.
(We found a tiny coffee shop along a side alley in Venice and ordered espresso!)
(In Florence, they add flair to their cappuccinos with foamed milk designs.)
What have I learned about “coffee” from my visit to Italy and Slovenia?
- * Walk, if it is possible. If my destination is less than 2 miles, then I should default to walking rather than driving. It is just plain good for me.
- * Don’t be in such a hurry! Plan my time better and make wise choices. If I don’t waste my time with TV or internet, then I have more time for the people I love.
- * Don’t be a glutton. Often less is better than more. Appreciate what you have. I need to appreciate and savor what is right here in front of me, rather than trying to get (buy or consume) as much as possible.
(The espresso served on the Vernazza harbor overlooking the Ligurian Sea was simple, yet divine!)
Here’s a funny story in conclusion…
My daughter and I needed to catch a 9:30am train in order to make our two other train connections and then a flight out of Italy to Crete. After hurriedly packing, we stopped in at our favorite breakfast place in Vernazza, Italy about 9am. We asked if it was possible to take our cappuccinos and pastries to go. One of the Sicilian twins who owned the establishment asked if we would rather sit down and enjoy our breakfast.
We replied that no, we needed to catch our train in half an hour. He cocked his head to one side and said, “Well then, why did you not come by earlier?”
I was stumped. I thought about it for a moment and all I could say was, “poor time management.”
He replied, “Ah, that is too bad! Yes, I will pack up your breakfast to take to the train.” Then with a wink, he added, “would you take my brother with you too? I am weary of him!”
Question: How can you slow down and savor the sweet moments of your life?
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 30th, 2013 at 4:58 am and is filed under Health, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Lifestyle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
