As I mentioned, I love the process of familiarizing yourself with a place or people. Sydney has been an easy transition due to the many similarities with Canadian life. But there can be different expectations and norms between even relatively close people groups, so it was only a matter of time.
And one area when Australia differs greatly is coffee.
It can be somewhat summed up in a conversation I had with a barista this morning.
Him: G'day, what'll it be?
Me: A large coffee please.
Him: Yeah, a cappuccino?
Me: No, just coffee please.
Him: Yeah right, a long black then. Cheers.
It took me a couple of days, but I've discovered that coffee in Australia means any kind of beverage for which coffee beans are included. It might be a latte, a cappuccino, or the very popular flat white.
You know what coffee never means down here? Brewed coffee. Apparently no one likes it, so you can't get it. Every beverage is a shot of espresso with something else mixed in. A long black has been my drink of choice then, but unfortunately the results have been weaker than expected. And so coffee has been the one negative aspect of my time down under.
Thankfully, the beer has been fantastic!
