Mine's a Small Skinny Soya Cappuccino

After a couple of months in Florence and innumerable coffees later (I've recently invested in an electric toothbrush to protect my precious teeth from the dreaded coffee-drinker's blackened smile!), I can confidently conclude that any order found on a Starbucks menu would be met with bewilderment. Yes the Italians drink coffee ferociously (morning wouldn't be morning without an espresso to welcome it) but the menu is short and sweet: espresso (and for those who indulged in a late night, perhaps a doppia).

Unaccustomed to this norm, I opted for the cappuccino option for the first few weeks of my stay. In Italy, a cappuccino is simply coffee with foam. One will be sorely disappointed if you expect an indulgent dusting of chocolate on top (in the shape of a star/heart etc!) There is no skinny option, the milk comes from a cow - not a bean and the size is "as it comes".

Unlike in America and the UK, the standard size is simply: normal. How strange to the unaccustomed ear of a chain-coffee shop frequenter. In said coffee houses a regular coffee will leave you clutching at a very small cup. For regular is understood to be anything but regular. Rather to have anything akin to regular, one must request a grande. Now this instantly plays with the logic of the mind and throws regularity itself out of the window. One is forced to accept daily life on a grander scale, leaving the consumer with a vocabulary that demands more and a desire insatiated by anything representative of normal or standard.

After a few weeks of my daily cappuccino, I thought it was about time to embrace the Italian norm and requested an espresso from my local barista. My Italian espresso was rich, smooth, wonderfully thick - almost like liquid velvet. However, it saddens me to say that, despite being delicious, I wanted more. Undoubtedly my innumerable trips to chain coffee shops have yet to be beaten out of me. The next day, I ordered (to the bemusement of the barista) a Cafe Americano which now makes up my staple breakfast drink. It is the weak man's option - quite simply watered-down espresso. And yet, because there's more of it, I find it more satisfying.

Why? Why, in the modern world are we constantly craving more? Why aren't we able to satisfy ourselves with the simple things? The Coffee Giants offer so much variety, but each option (after daily consumption - nothing is done by halves after all) leaves one with a desire to try the new, improved flavour to establish whether this leaves us feeling fuller, happier, more satisfied with the daily grind. And yet, we know the answer: no it doesn't. A coffee is a coffee after all, its sole purpose is to provide us with an (admittedly enjoyable - nobody would drink it if it tasted of mud) energy boost. The Italians are aware of this - an espresso does the job. Why are the rest of us left searching for more from our coffee beans?!