I've been absent from the rush of American life for so long that I am sure that upon my return, seeing numerous coffee cups floating down the street in the hands of their eager owners will be an unusual sight, as much as I myself enjoy a pedestrian java. That said, I also very much enjoy taking my coffee slowly in a dark, wooden bar, listening to the clanking of silverware around me while savoring the mildly sweet taste of milk fat mixed with bitter roast. Grande skinny vanilla latté? Not in Spain, thanks.
I believe I have made it perfectly clear by now that Spaniards like to take their sweet time. Therefore, sitting down to tomar un café* is more than a mere afternoon caffeine fix; it is a hefty time commitment. Coffee in Spain is to be consumed slowly, usually with a newspaper or the company of several friends. Coffee conversation trickles considerably past the first depressing glimpse of the bottom of the coffee cup. Needless to say, coffee to go is not a popular concept, especially not in traditional Burgos, where you get odd looks from the very people selling you the coffee to go. Even in Madrid, where Starbuckses abound, the only people walking with coffee are businessmen. The rest of the population elects to stay inside the stores, slowly sipping away its day.
Mini coffee glossary:
café con leche-coffee with milk
solo-espresso without milk
cortado-espresso with a splash of milk
café bonbón-espresso with condensed milk
*have a coffee
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