MarkRD

I sometimes ask for a caffé americano .. then promptly regret it.

Twinkle Canelli

Glad it's not just me. It's what makes us stand out as British isn't it? I just don't do black coffee at all..... Is there anything else I could order that would be acceptable?!

MarkRD

Do any of you ever drink caffé d'orzo? Sometimes it's OK if want a "hot" drink after a meal but not a 2mm high espresso...

Do we have it in UK?

malcesine99

Haven't seen in UK but my OH was allowed this as a teenager before he drank proper coffee. I sometime let my older boys have a cappucino takeaway from Starbucks as a treat, usually without OH in tow as he would disapprove!

MarkRD

why?

Engliano

I cant believe how my "inlaws or friends" get all giddy and excited about stopping for a coffee during a country run !! its like there partaking in some ceremony of the occult or snorting a line of the white stuff etc....they look at me in shock and horror when i order a Gin Lemonsoda ! my god how can anyone drink bloody strong black coffee in this heat !

malcesine99

Must be inherited as his mum freaks if boys ask for a cappucino. She made them Babychinos once, just frothed milk with a sprinkle of cocoa, they were not impressed!
Mind, I have just googled Kids and Caffeine, there is no official recommendation but its suggested no more than 100mg of caffeine a day for older children. An espresso has 100mg, iced tea 70mg and a can of coke is 32mg (42 in diet!). Fair to say they don't exceed that!

MarkRD

- it's like how they get all excited about going for a bloomin' ice-cream . .and start drooling when they see the frigo with about 65 different flavours...and take about half an hour to decide which flavours/combinations etc..

.. plus I always seem to be the only person in a range of 100 km who likes ciocco-menta, ie. good old mint choc chip!



Ok ..fair enough! I once read cappuccino is one of the worst drinks you can ever have cos of the caffeine mixed with warm milk ... gives me the guts ache for sure.

Garbatellamike

Ok so far I think I am guilty of:

Wine crime
Wine Pizza crime
Bread Pasta crime
and more coffee crimes than I can count

So at dinner on Friday there will be:

2 Austrians
1.5 Italians
2.5 Americans
1 Frenchman
3 Scots
2 Germans
1 Slovenian
and me

Goodness only knows how many international social faux pas I am going to commit during the meal - I think it probably best if I drink loads and loads of wine (being most careful to only refill the glass when empty ) and don't worry about it too much Down the hatch

malcesine99

Haha - guilty as charged! Your dinner sounds fab, great mix going on there. Are they from your local community?

Garbatellamike

3 of us work together and then it's people one or more of us know but essentially a good gang of us foreigners going out to whinge about Italy and drink some good vino

jonwel

I personally prefer beer with a pizza, like most people, but the pizza was invented long before beer came into fashion in Italy and they most certainly drank wine with it! So if that's your preference, don't be ashamed. Except that you shouldn't go mad drinking wine all the time as the Brits tend to do just because it's more available in Italy. That will show you up as an ignorant foreigner!

Eating bread with pasta? It's frowned on in the best circles, but I'd have thought it was more a crime committed by Italians - the British tend not to eat much bread with their meals anyway. But if you want to mop up the sauce on your plate with a piece of bread you'll be in good Italian company, if not the politest. Again, if you really want to stand out as an ignorant foreigner, invite people to dinner without putting bread on the table at all!

Cappuccino after dinner? The trouble is that the long coffee drunk in GB is more watery and slips down more easily. It's not the same as a cappuccino, which is milkier and harder on the digestion. I'm happy with an espresso and maybe an "amaro" afterwards.

Cheers all.

PS Drinking wine socially (i.e. outside meal times) instead of beer is definitely not an Italian habit. When my Italian wife sees people drinking wine without food on British TV programmes, she says, "Non sanno bere il vino"!

Pica

It's like a dessert-that's why. Short, sweet, aromatic and to the point. I love the stuff.

Engliano

Well tally ho we'd get on just great ! you drink all the coffee and i'll sup all the Gin !

ononno

Never seen it in UK, but Camp Coffee is probably from a similar origin. It's all ersatz coffee anyway. Terrible stuff. I have to buy it because Donna C likes her caffe latte first thing in the morning with it; after the 'wake up' espresso.
My coffee intake is 2 macchinette during the course of the day; and a Nescafe decaff to go to bed with.
ciao for now,
'o nonno