Angela
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These are two fun articles from "The Local"; nice pictures too. I think many tourists sort of know all this, but maybe not, considering some of the tourist comments I've read.
http://www.thelocal.it/20160817/why-coffee-in-italy-is-a-culture-you-must-taste-to-understand
http://www.thelocal.it/galleries/culture/an-essential-guide-to-italian-coffee-culture
As for not ordering cappuccino after noon, it depends if you're the kind of tourist who wants to show cultural awareness or one who figures hey, if it's on the menu and they're serving it at this time, I'll order it. They know I'm a tourist anyway.
I think option 2 is perfectly ok. I never could stop my own kids from ordering it in the afternoon.
I suppose I should also mention that I don't fit the stereotype; I find espresso really bitter. I drink it for a pick me up in Italy not infrequently since there's two cafes per block and so it's easy, or to be sociable, but I don't really love the taste, not even with a ton of sugar. Plus, I metabolize it really slowly, so I can't drink it after about 2PM or I'll be up all night. If you're the same, don't trust restaurant staff; if the decaf pot is empty, a good number of wait staff people will just give you the regular. Trust me; I know these things.
In terms of caffeine, it's actually got less caffeine than "American" coffee, believe it or not, which goes some way toward explaining why Italians can drink so many cups a day and not wind up in the psych ward.
In terms of total amount of coffee consumed I actually think I recall reading that northern European people drink more of it, probably because the cups hold so much more of it, or maybe because they metabolize it more quickly.
http://www.thelocal.it/20160817/why-coffee-in-italy-is-a-culture-you-must-taste-to-understand
http://www.thelocal.it/galleries/culture/an-essential-guide-to-italian-coffee-culture
As for not ordering cappuccino after noon, it depends if you're the kind of tourist who wants to show cultural awareness or one who figures hey, if it's on the menu and they're serving it at this time, I'll order it. They know I'm a tourist anyway.
I think option 2 is perfectly ok. I never could stop my own kids from ordering it in the afternoon.
I suppose I should also mention that I don't fit the stereotype; I find espresso really bitter. I drink it for a pick me up in Italy not infrequently since there's two cafes per block and so it's easy, or to be sociable, but I don't really love the taste, not even with a ton of sugar. Plus, I metabolize it really slowly, so I can't drink it after about 2PM or I'll be up all night. If you're the same, don't trust restaurant staff; if the decaf pot is empty, a good number of wait staff people will just give you the regular. Trust me; I know these things.
In terms of caffeine, it's actually got less caffeine than "American" coffee, believe it or not, which goes some way toward explaining why Italians can drink so many cups a day and not wind up in the psych ward.
In terms of total amount of coffee consumed I actually think I recall reading that northern European people drink more of it, probably because the cups hold so much more of it, or maybe because they metabolize it more quickly.