No, it's not the start of a bad joke. Instead, it is an opportunity to talk about differences. In Italy, a bar is not what you think of in the US. In Rome, a bar is a place where you can pick up a drink and a sandwich. Here in Viterbo there seems to be less of a distinction between a bar and a caffe. Most of them serve coffee and pastries, but most of them don't serve sandwiches. On the other hand, there is usually alchohol in a bar here in Viterbo. Not that they pour out massive shots of whiskey to people getting shloshed all night long but sometimes you just need a little something in your coffee to get you started in the morning, or at lunch, or in the afternoon ... you get the picture.
So, you are in a bar and you want some coffee. What do you order? Unlike your local Friendly's, the list of coffe-type stuff is a page long. And, we're not talking Starbucks-style, pretentious, flavors etc. Do you want cappucino, espresso, macchiato, caffe latte, doppio or cioccolato? Espresso is a shot of super concentrated coffee. Think all the flavor and caffeine of an entire cup in a mouthful instead. Macchiato ads a little steamed milk to your espresso. Cappucino has quite a bit of steamed milk and caffe latte is more milk than coffee. A doppio isn't a different thing at all, it is a double helping for those who need their eyeballs to pop out of their head before they can wake up. Cioccolato was slipped in there to keep you awake. It is actually a cup of hot chocolate. While it is perfectly alright to socialize or read the paper at the bar, the morning coffee break isn't usually a sit down and sip affair taking hours. Most Italians take their espresso while standing at the counter. In truth, many bars don't even have a place to sit down. While it is possible to get your coffee-shot in a styrofoam cup to go, it usually isn't worth the bother. Just toss it back and be done with it. On the other hand, if you have a working relationship with the bartender (I just had to say that) then they sometimes don't mind if you disappear with their cup and bring it back later.
What do you do if you are crawling out of your skin, needing that caffeine fix and you happen to be in the one area in all of Italy which isn't within spitting distance of a bar? During the summer, Italians will sometimes carry little shots of pre-packaged espresso around with them in a pocket or purse. During the colder months they have an even more pleasant alternative called "Pocket Coffee". It is a piece of chocolate with a liquid, espresso center. I have been told they are addictive. Amy can comment more on that.
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