Would You Like Coffee With That?
I love Australia, but after living in other countries, I am first to admit we are behind in certain aspects of life, coffee, however, is not one of them. Known as the flat white capital of the world, it’s safe to say Melbourne has some of the best cafes and coffees in the world.
A Misadventure with Iced Latte
You only have to venture to Europe once to realise the coffee culture is just as big as it is in Melbourne, minus the baristas… and the milk. But an espresso shot after a meal was just not… well my cup of coffee, so I’d search far and wide for my preference. At first it was an early and jet lagged morning, craving some caffeine goodness before a busy day exploring a new city. It was a hot day so I ordered an iced latte- not even requesting almond milk. The lovely waitress bought me a hot espresso shot with one cube of ice on a plate next to the tiny coffee cup. Had I attempted to put the ice in my coffee, I would have no doubt lost at least half the liquid!
Navigating Unique Coffee Experiences Abroad
As time went on, we travelled to lesser known destinations with less tourists and while the scenery become even more spectacular, the coffee situation was worsening. My travel companions would adapt and order an espresso or stick with juice or something safe. I continued to order my iced lattes with breakfast, more so as it quickly started to intrigue me what would be delivered, it was like coffee roulette. Some of the combinations were clever and maybe even ahead of their times – hipster, ‘deconstructed’ coffee hadn’t even reached Australian shores then, but once I was given a hot espresso shot, separate cold milk and another cup of ice cubes with the waitress putting it all down and saying I don’t know what ice latte means. One little café in France gave two of us long black coffees and when we asked for a drop of milk, they simply said no.
Coffee Fiasco in Rome
The best coffee mishap was without a shadow of doubt my fault. I was at Rome train terminal waiting to meet my parents who were flying from Australia to visit, later that day we would together travel to beautiful Cinque Terre where we would spend the week. I had time to spare so went to the café counter at the train station and ordered a latte. In hindsight I should have known better as the women asked ‘hot’? I said yes please and sat down. For a second I thought it was a strange question as I had typically found it difficult to get a cold coffee but soon forgot about it as I watched the trains arrive and depart around me. I was served only minutes later with a glass of warm milk. I took the drink to the counter and politely questioned if this was for me, looking around to see no one else in the cafe. The women said ‘you asked for latte, that’s latte’. Of course, latte is milk. I asked for milk. I should have asked for café latte – coffee with milk. Forgetting we shorten everything we possibly can in Australia. I had also been asking for latte’s in England, where I had been living the 3 years prior. I apologised and asked for a café latte and attempted to hand her extra money but she refused to take it, smiled and started making me another drink, there was no doubt this one had a coffee shot in it. I put the Euros in the tip jar and swore to never make this novice travel mistake again!