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| Letter from Italy: say no to cappuccino | Letter from Italy: say no to cappuccino |
| (6 months later) | |
| Recently a friend from home came over to visit and my wife and I were keen to take him to our favourite pizzeria in Mantova. It's a cosy place we have been going to for some 25 years where they serve good, no-nonsense pizza, run by a couple from the Amalfi coast. Lucio, and nobody else, makes the pizzas. Mena, with help from a hometown friend, serves. | Recently a friend from home came over to visit and my wife and I were keen to take him to our favourite pizzeria in Mantova. It's a cosy place we have been going to for some 25 years where they serve good, no-nonsense pizza, run by a couple from the Amalfi coast. Lucio, and nobody else, makes the pizzas. Mena, with help from a hometown friend, serves. |
| The pizzeria is frequented by a loose set of savvy patrons. With about 13 tables it seats a maximum 50 people. Pastel-coloured murals open up the walls to idyllic scenes of the Amalfi coast. | The pizzeria is frequented by a loose set of savvy patrons. With about 13 tables it seats a maximum 50 people. Pastel-coloured murals open up the walls to idyllic scenes of the Amalfi coast. |
| For us – and indeed everyone has their own – this pizzeria makes the gold standard pizza and all pizza establishments are measured by it. Light crispy bases and wholesome classic toppings. And not expensive: you can enjoy a pizza and a drink for less than €10 ($13). | For us – and indeed everyone has their own – this pizzeria makes the gold standard pizza and all pizza establishments are measured by it. Light crispy bases and wholesome classic toppings. And not expensive: you can enjoy a pizza and a drink for less than €10 ($13). |
| Our guest was as enchanted as we always are; the compliments sliding off the tongue with each delicious slice: excellent, wonderful, so crispy! | Our guest was as enchanted as we always are; the compliments sliding off the tongue with each delicious slice: excellent, wonderful, so crispy! |
| Pizzas enjoyed, we decided to skip dessert and go straight to coffee. The usual: a caffè corretto for me, an espresso for my wife and then we turned to our guest. At that instant I felt my whole body go limp and cold, uncannily prescient of what was coming next. There was a stillness in the air as I watched the syllables forming, as if in slow motion, in our guest's mouth: with the CAP a jolt went through my system like I'd taken a bullet. And next the PUC, another one. The CI and NO seemed to resound off the walls for a very long time. The rest is just a blur. | Pizzas enjoyed, we decided to skip dessert and go straight to coffee. The usual: a caffè corretto for me, an espresso for my wife and then we turned to our guest. At that instant I felt my whole body go limp and cold, uncannily prescient of what was coming next. There was a stillness in the air as I watched the syllables forming, as if in slow motion, in our guest's mouth: with the CAP a jolt went through my system like I'd taken a bullet. And next the PUC, another one. The CI and NO seemed to resound off the walls for a very long time. The rest is just a blur. |
| Having a cappuccino after a meal in Italy isn't considered sacrilege or barbarism or heresy or a crime, though you can be forgiven for sometimes getting an impression of that sort. No, it's simply un-Italian. The Italian reaction to this visceral affront can go from stoic forbearance to a furrowing of the brow, right to hyenic derision or a theatrical churning of the stomach. | Having a cappuccino after a meal in Italy isn't considered sacrilege or barbarism or heresy or a crime, though you can be forgiven for sometimes getting an impression of that sort. No, it's simply un-Italian. The Italian reaction to this visceral affront can go from stoic forbearance to a furrowing of the brow, right to hyenic derision or a theatrical churning of the stomach. |
| Cappuccino here is generally considered a breakfast component, very often taken with a brioche – the now staple Italian breakfast – and most typically in a bar or cafe. Cappuccino can also be had as a snack in between meals, but never after one. | Cappuccino here is generally considered a breakfast component, very often taken with a brioche – the now staple Italian breakfast – and most typically in a bar or cafe. Cappuccino can also be had as a snack in between meals, but never after one. |
| Simply put, ordering a cappuccino in a pizzeria is like yelling out for a bowl of breakfast cereal. You wouldn't do it. Would you? | Simply put, ordering a cappuccino in a pizzeria is like yelling out for a bowl of breakfast cereal. You wouldn't do it. Would you? |
| Every week Guardian Weekly publishes a Letter from one of its readers from around the world. We welcome submissions – they should focus on giving our readers a clear sense of a place and its people. Please send them to weekly.letter.from@guardian.co.uk | Every week Guardian Weekly publishes a Letter from one of its readers from around the world. We welcome submissions – they should focus on giving our readers a clear sense of a place and its people. Please send them to weekly.letter.from@guardian.co.uk |
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