You Drink It Like That?

The reverse culture shock when visiting Canada sometimes surprises me. My brother and I went for an espresso in a small coffee shop in Almonte. My brother ordered at the counter and asked what I'd like in it. 'Nothing,' I replied, 'I take it black.' The sales clerk was taken by my answer and asked with surprise in her voice, 'You drink it like that?' She then told us that before working at the shop that she believed espresso was never taken straight, but always made to be combined with other ingredients to make drinks such as a cappuccino or latte. Absolutely not. I explained that espresso is the coffee of choice in countries such as Italy and Switzerland and that my Swiss friends scoff at the idea of filtered coffee.

The espresso wasn't bad but neither great. It was on the weak side, but to their credit she offered to make me another one. I declined; two morning coffees were enough.

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