Summer Coffee...

Italians will have a coffee at almost any given moment during the day. There's the morning ritual of a cappuccino, possibly followed by a mid-morning espresso. Then of course there's the afternoon coffee or 3, and some Italians can still be seen enjoying a caffeine hit at about 8pm. Even in the summer months, when it's genuinely sweltering outside, a hot coffee still hits the spot.

Despite the fact that I'm still a fan of a hot, hearty meal during these months (see previous post), when it comes to coffee, I prefer something a little more suited to the hot weather; namely iced coffee. And I don't mean the coffee that's made up, left to cool and then has ice added to it. Yuck. No, I'm talking about the creamy, coffee-ice cream-like 'beverage' that I simply can't get enough of when June and July come around. My favourite cafe has recently 'upgraded' their crema di caffe, much to my delight:

Now who doesn't love a cup that you can eat! It does mean you make rather a large mess though. (Or maybe that's just me...ahem..)

And continuing on the subject of coffee, here's another thing I like about popping into my favourite bar:

Loose translation: Toothbrush: 'I can't work like this anymore, seeing such faces...!' Loo roll: 'Tell me about it!'

 Sugar packets with jokes on them. What better way to accompany a hit of caffeine than a good giggle?

Buona giornata!

Tea Traitor??

Here in Italy, when people find out I'm English, they assume several things:

1. I don't speak Italian (not true...even if my grammar is shoddy)
2. The summer heat must be awful for me and my 'pale skin' (often true)
and
3. I drink tea. At 5pm. (sorry fellow Brits, this is definitely not true!)

Regarding the latter, it's not that I don't like tea...I just don't love it. I haven't actually been into coffee for that long- only since I arrived on Italian shores and realised what I had been missing, did I jump into caffeine city. But tea? I've never taken to it that much. Every now and again when I'm back in the UK I'll have a mug of PG Tips with milk and one sugar, and it does the job. But I can't claim to be head over heels for it.

Believe it or not, even with the abundance of delicious coffee on offer, Italians do actually drink tea every once in a while. But yes, you guessed it: no milk, slice of lemon. I always thought this was sacrilege, even despite my rather unenthusiastic approach to tea. It should be with milk or sugar or both or neither. Why does the lemon have to join in?? How European, I thought.

Well, that was until I tried it. The boyfriend had the sniffles recently (yes, I was the one who gave them to him....woops) and so decided to order a tea at our local coffee bar. It came in this cute little teapot/cup ensemble, which I absolutely loved:

And it also came with these:

So far so good. But look what appeared in the cup!

I gasped, and started going on about how it was the 'wrong' way to have tea, until by man finally persuaded me to a) be quiet, and b) try it. So I did.

And it was lovely. It really was very nice with that bit of lemon floating about in it. So there you have it folks, I am a traitor to my country's tea drinking traditions. Although, if I stick to the milk and sugar option when on British shores, I may be able to hide my filthy tea with lemon habit whilst I'm in Italy...

Have a great weekend folks! Whatever hot beverage you choose....

A wonderful weekend...?

Ever had one of those weeks where everything seems to happen at once, you feel completely rushed off your feet and barely have a moment to yourself?

Well, my week has been a bit like that.

So, methinks that a bit of a relaxing, indulgent weekend is needed. And what does that involve?

Scoffing English biccies that I have managed to save until now. Not sure how I managed that to be honest.

Reading English mags that I have also managed to save until now. Ahh..effortless.

Possibly drinking some of this.

Definitely drinking lots of this.

And certainly eating some of these.

What do you have in store for the weekend? Hope you all have a good one! :D

Coffee...part DUE

So here you have it. A (rather very delayed) part 2 of my post on coffee. Do have a look HERE if you haven't yet read part 1! It's 'stimulating' stuff...! (rolls eyes at self)

So what kind of coffees do people go for here? Well, of course, there's the caffe or espresso. A strong shot of coffee which will definitely wake you up.

If this is a bit to strong for you (believe me, it's pretty strong) then you can add a dash of foam to make a macchiato. Or, a tad more milk and you've got yourself an espressino- my personal favourite. Sometimes they ask you if you want a dash of cocoa on top. I always say yes.

If even this is a bit too strong, or not 'long' enough, you can ask for a Latte con caffe. Don't just ask for a latte, or all you'll get is milk!

Then there's the cappuccino. Perfect with breakfast in the morning. I've heard a lot of people going on about how you 'can't possibly drink it after midday, it's just not Italian!'. Well, I say if you want one, have one. When you drink your cappuccino won't give away that you aren't Italian- I'm sure the locals will know that even before you've opened your mouth to order!

Then, when it gets all hot and sweaty in the summer months, you can go for a colder option- the crema di caffe or slightly more elaborate espressino freddo. Both are like a thick, creamy, coffee ice cream/milkshake type thing. In other words: awesome.

Down here in the south, you'll get some water with your coffee. This is gratis and often sparkling, so if you want naturale, make sure you ask for it. Whether you should drink it before or after your coffee I'm not really sure, but I do know that it's nice and refreshing after a strong espresso!

So how many coffees a day do people drink here? Well, quite a lot. Several of my students have told me that they drink 5 or 6 a day. Good grief! I can manage a maximum of 3, and even then I feel a bit queasy (although right before the queasiness comes 'animated, excitable and twitchy Amy'). My boyfriend isn't awake without a coffee in the morning, and my colleague can't open a textbook without having knocked one back. And she's not even Italian!!

Whatever type of coffee you want, it can be made for you. And it doesn't cost that much, especially round here. No more than €1 for a caffe. Drink it in the morning, before and after lunch, after your afternoon nap (yes, really) or before you head off on a night out. But don't expect a nice big cup full of it. It's short, sharp, tasty and oh-so-effective. None of those bucket-fulls that you get at Costa (sorry Costa....)

The world's most popular stimulant...(part uno)

Aside from pizza, pasta, gelato and wine..what else comes to mind 'food-wise' when you think of Italy? If you haven't already guessed (which I'm sure you have) it's something that wakes you up, gets you going and can have a real kick to it. And no, I'm not talking about red bull (which, for the record, I'm not a fan of). I'm talking about coffee of course.

Before I came to Italy I wasn't a major fan of coffee. Weak coffee that you can buy in buckets in the UK that is. Living in a country where coffee is like a religion, an addiction, a way of life...there's no escaping it. And so I began a path of discovery...eat, take naps and drink coffee.

It just looks so.damn.good.

Down here in the south, they don't have Starbucks. Lots of people that I've asked have never even heard of it! That's just amazing. A worldwide chain that hasn't even make so much of a whiff of coffee beans in these parts? They must be doing something here that's far better. In my town, you go to a bar to get a coffee. And 'bar' here doesn't necessarily mean a place with pool tables, a load of students and alcoholic drinks offers. Granted, you can get an aperitif, or another beverage with a bit more of a kick, but most of the time, a bar is where you get your coffee.

The Caffe', or Espresso

If you're imagining therefore, a load of coffee shop style establishments with big, comfy sofas you're going to be disappointed. Yes, tables and chairs do exist (see above photo), but most people take their coffee at the bar. They come in, order, drink, and go. That's it. It's not an occasion for socialising (although the Italians never do anything silently..apart from eating perhaps) and it serves a purpose- to get a little hit of something good, without indulging in any illegal practice. One of my students called coffee his 'fuel', and I think this is an appropriate term for many.

Here are a few interesting facts for all you coffee lovers out there:

Coffee is the world's most popular stimulant

The coffee bean is actually a seed inside a bright red berry

Ethiopian shepherds first noticed the effects of caffeine when they saw how their goats reacted after eating these coffee berries (they became somewhat 'frisky' and seemed to 'dance' around)

A man called Luigi Bezzera (can you guess his nationality? :D ) invented and patented the first pressurised cylindrical coffee machine...

...and he invented it to increase his employees' productivity time- by ensuring they had shorter coffee breaks by having a quicker coffee fix.

 For more interesting coffee facts, have a look here. Part 2 of my coffee themed blog post is coming soon!

Tomorrow morning I'm off to the UK, so until my next post, feel free to have a nose around- I would especially recommend checking out the food section.
Ci vediamo presto!!

The little things...

So yesterday, myself and my boyfriend were talking about the meaning of life.

Well, sort of...

Anyway, he said something that I really agree with.

'Devi essere felice con le piccole cose...'

In other words, it's the small things in life that should make you happy. You should enjoy life's little pleasures.

Do you want to know one small pleasure that I really enjoy?

Breakfast on Saturday morning. Coffee and croissants with the boyfriend. The sun is shining. Everything feels really, really good.

Breakfast in Italy is a sweet affair- nothing savoury in sight. The coffee is incredible, and the sugar rush definitely sets you up for the day...