Hu Yishan: the difference between European and American Coffee

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I don't deny that my habit of drinking coffee is quite European. Note that it means "European style" in a narrow sense, not "Western style" in a broader sense. " "Western style" may also include "American style", and although I have studied and lived in the United States for a long time, but still not accustomed to the American habit of putting (presumably instant) coffee powder in a (presumably heat-resistant) glass pot mixed with water and then leaving it "warm" on a heating plate, whether at home or outside the restaurant, there is that family member or guest who wants to drink Bring the glass pot and pour a glass. You can add milk and sugar as you like.

This kind of so-called American coffee is insipid and tasteless. except for some bitter "feeling", it is no different from drinking plain boiled water. no wonder in ordinary American neighborhood restaurants, as soon as you sit down in a booth or counter, the waiter pours you such a cup of so-called coffee without saying a word. There is a whole glass jar of sugar or corn syrup nearby, so you can pour it as much as you want. There is also a liquid like thick milk. I don't know if it is really made of milk. You can also "pour" it into your so-called cup of coffee.

The real European-style coffee should be mainly European-style and, more specifically, led by Italy, so the names of European-style coffee, such as latte (coffee with milk), cappuccino (with soaked milk), are generally named in Italian. Italians are really crazy about coffee, and there are all kinds of coffee machines to make coffee, although they may also add milk and other ingredients to make coffee drinks, but they mainly like the original, freshly brewed coffee.

I learned to drink continental coffee because I worked in Geneva, Switzerland, and tried to go south to Italy on weekends to eat and drink. Of course, the streets of Rome and Milan are full of open-air cafes. Everyone sits down to order a cup of coffee and take a sip while "watching" other passers-by. Some people think it's a lot of fun. I just want to immerse myself in that artistic atmosphere. But there are also some coffee bars on the street, and some office workers in straight suits are standing in front of the "bar", chatting with neighbors or colleagues, ordering a small cup of espresso espresso, or even a smaller cup of super-concentrated ristretto super-concentrated, without sugar and milk, and just drink it up like a toast from another country.

In the reality of local drinking habits, most European cafes only serve espresso at most, and rarely soak in ristretto, so the standard coffee I patronize is double espresso. Although I usually don't drink it all at once, I think about it slowly and remember the hard but very fulfilling days when I lived in Europe. People are nostalgic sometimes.