Breaking the International Coffee Commandments
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
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From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
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Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
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Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
Today’s guest post is by Valerie Sisco of the blog Grace with Silk, and the Culture With Travel Food Correspondent.
I faithfully set my automatic coffeemaker every night so I can wake up to the aroma of fresh coffee in the morning. I head out the door with a to-go cup in hand, and sometimes I even grab another cup at the Starbucks in my office plaza. So traveling internationally brews up a host of coffee complexities for me.
Not only is my standard coffee shop order of I’ll-have-a-large-coffee-to-go-please nonexistent when I travel abroad, I also worry about committing a serious breach of coffee etiquette. So when I discovered an article on how to order and drink coffee like an Italian, I thought it might be especially helpful for an upcoming trip to Rome where I hear Romans are quite passionate about their coffee.
There were so many rules to remember, but at the top of the list of thou-shalt-nots was to never ask for a to-go cup or even worse, never take a pastry out to the street since walking with coffee and eating was to risk being branded a rube of a tourist.
With a bit of a shock I realized I’ve already committed these egregious blunders. And they still let me roam around Italy.
On my first day in Milan last summer I walked into a coffee shop displaying a sign for take-away cups. I asked for my coffee in one and instead of laughing at me, the server nicely nodded and made my coffee.
I envisioned a generous Starbucks-esque cup but was disappointed to discover that the cup was thimble-sized, fit more for a doll than a girl who desperately needed an extra-large java jolt. I had no idea I was committing a more considerable coffee crime when I sat on the curb in front of the Duomo to eat my chocolate croissant and drink my tiny cup of coffee before my tour started.
If I was indeed breaking the coffee commandments, then I wasn’t alone since the crowd of tourists waiting with me for the morning tour were doing the same thing I was.
When I moved on to Bellagio for the next leg of my Italy trip, the server at my hotel kindly brought me a silver pot of black coffee every morning with a little pitcher of cream, but on the last day she asked if she could make me an American-style latte. When I agreed, she set it in front of me, eager to know if I liked it. Even though it was lukewarm and I would have preferred my hot black coffee with a splash of cream, I thought it was awfully nice of her to give it her best shot.
I think the adventure of ordering, waiting to see what you get and enjoying the process are all just part of the charm of drinking coffee while traveling.
During a trip to Paris a few years ago, I started my mornings at a little street-side cafe where the owner did his best to accommodate my coffee requests. He was friendly and filled fairly large to-go cups for me, even serving me a giant cup of coffee in a ceramic mug that he invited me to drink inside his cafe on my last day there {at no extra charge}.
I’m just not sure it’s entirely possible not to look like a tourist when you’re traveling.
I live in Orlando, Florida, one of the top tourist destinations in the U.S. and we locals can spot a tourist a mile away. They attempt to cross streets no local would dare navigate, they drive their rental cars through express pass toll lanes, and they dress in athletic shoes and colorful T-shirts even when they aren’t at the theme parks.
But we shrug and put up with their slight annoyances because we appreciate their contribution to our local economy through their visit. And really, what’s so bad about looking like a tourist?
I’m not going to worry about how I order my coffee in Rome. Because I’m pretty sure how I drink my coffee won’t be the only way the Italians will know I’m an American tourist.
Valerie Sisco writes the blog Grace with Silk. She lives in Orlando, Florida, where she’s dreaming of her next travel adventure. Follow her journeys via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Hi! I'm the founder of Culture With Travel and #CultureTrav. Please chat with us on social media and contribute in the comments! Follow @Nicolette_O
Comments (10)
‘DO-NOT-MISS’ Cafés In Chiang Mai - Culture With Travel
07 Oct 2016[…] Unlike in European cities, coffee in Chiang Mai is usually made “to go.” Graph cafe is small, so you will be better off grabbing a bottle to drink on the road, but if you manage to find a seat, I highly recommend trying their nitro cold brew. […]
fotoeins
08 Sep 2016And now, I’m craving a “flat white” from Wellington’s Cuba Street. And yes, I’d like my banana bread warmed, and yes, I’ll have butter with that; thank you …
Nicolette
09 Sep 2016Haha! Sounds great, Henry! 🙂
Kylie
02 Sep 2016Oh goodness, after reading this I am especially homesick for Paris and a table at a sidewalk cafe with a steaming cup of strong coffee!
lynnjsimpson
31 Aug 2016As one of those past tourist in your home town, Valerie, I had to smile on how you spot us! Next time I won’t be wearing colourful running shoes but may still be sporting my favourite Disney hat. Lol! All the pictures are amazing, and you’ve made me think to research etiquette of coffee for the destination, period, the next time I travel. Getting into how the locals do coffee could add to the adventure! Thanks for enlightening me by sharing your story.
Nicolette
31 Aug 2016Hi Lynn, thanks for sharing that take and stopping by the blog! 🙂 I, too, learned a lot about coffee etiquette. One thing that’s wonderful about travel is the ability to sit down at a cafe, too, and just enjoy and sip coffee. At home, things can be rushed and hectic. Thanks again for sharing. 🙂
Valerie Sisco at Grace with Silk
01 Sep 2016Hi Lynn,
Thanks for hopping over to read! And I am sure you look lovely in your Disney hat! Love that!
Brittany
30 Aug 2016This is hilarious! It reminds me of my time in Florence, when we saw the locals eating pizza out of a box looking out into the city square. We decided to join them with our own box and it was one of the most enjoyable meals we had there!
Nicolette
31 Aug 2016Hey Brittany! Thanks for sharing that moment 🙂 Sorry about the delay in posting your comment – never got a notification for it somehow, but so glad you stopped by and shared your experience in Florence!
Valerie Sisco at Grace with Silk
01 Sep 2016Brittany,
I would love to visit Florence someday — having coffee there (and pizza too!) would be dreamy! Thanks for reading and sharing!