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> I just can't get the day started without the smell of breakfast.

> a cappuccino without cornetto it's almost not worth it.

> you can ask for a cappuccino whenever you want in Italy, the only exception is...

> grandma is not gonna be happy that you are not eating your 30th fettina panata

This is all so beautifully Italian I love it! <3

It's also 100% true.

> a cappuccino without cornetto it's almost not worth it.

This in particular, it's 200% true.

As a fellow Italian (also from Roma), I fully support all your points. I often have a cappuccino in the evening in lieu of dinner, and wouldn’t bat an eye at people having it at any time of the day, except, as you write, immediately before/after (or during!) a meal. I wonder what they have in place of taste buds when they do that.

I met a wonderful, wonderful lady from Poland who is the joy of my heart, but she once had a cappuccino right after herrings and it was so shocking it’s giving me flashbacks.

I don't know why you are being downvoted, this is the most on topic comment I've read so far.

No reason to be downvoted that I can see. I checked your comment history and see a fair amount of on-topic constructive comments that were also downvoted (some you probably deserved).

Appreciate the Italian insight; sorry about the downvotes.

> Contrary to what people believe you can ask for a cappuccino whenever you want in Italy, the only exception is meals, no cappuccino during lunch/dinner, no cappuccino immediately before or after it.

I thought this was funny. "You can order it whenever, except when you can't."

Yeah, no clue why you were downvoted....

I am Albanian, and we drink coffee all the time, even in the evening. We just don't have any rules on can't have coffee after a meal.

The main reason some places would stop serving coffee after 7pm is because they switch into 'bars', and they'd rather sell alcoholic drinks.

> @moderators ok this is getting a bit ridiculous. Few minutes in and the usual downvote arrives.

Theory -

HN has changed their algorithm (I think they always are) and bots are interacting with it causing this.

I'd guess HN pushes you down if your last comment was downvoted.

And the bots who need to seem normal assume you've been downvoted so also downvote.

I enjoyed reading your comment. As someone who has never been to Italy, I found it informative.

I've worked as a barista in the US and I've never heard of using different milk for cappuccinos vs. lattes -- instead, I've always just imbued more air into my cappuccino froth than when I make latte froth. Is it especially common for Italian coffee shops to use different milk for each, or am I just misunderstanding your comment?

On the (admittedly off topic) note of you getting downvotes: I suspect some of it probably has to do with your English writing skills, unfortunately. I would suggest giving a service like Grammarly a shot to try to make your writing a little more professional, because a lot of folks will dismiss comments outright that look poorly written without even considering the underlying thoughts being expressed. It definitely sucks when you're trying to communicate in a language other than your primary language.

It used to be very common, but not anymore (I guess one of the reasons is that it also costs a bit more and many - like me - are discovering to be mildly or moderately lactose intolerant).

In some places they care more than others, but you can make a perfect cappuccino with simple whole milk.

My problem with English is twofold, I'm not the best at it and I find writing from the smartphone painful, even in Italian.

I'll give a shot to grammarly, thanks!

Nothing wrong with your English mate and nothing with a little Italian “flavour” in anything you’ve written, IMHO as an Englishman.

English is such a mixed up language but you can mangle it up in loads of different ways and it’ll still come out fine.

I worked as a "barista" at Panera and I also just steamed the cappuccino longer. Needless to say Panera is not the highest quality coffee you can find.

There was nothing wrong with his English. It was easily comprehensible and was some first-hand or ground level knowledge from an Italian person. I completely disagree with the idea that HN is so petty that they would dismiss an informative and useful post over "unprofessional" writing. What professionalism are HN users expecting from the comments on an article about Italians and coffee?

Just came to say thanks for providing my American family with a great after dinner drink :) It's pretty much the only time we get a cappuccino. Usually at nicer than average restaurants. Not limited to Italian food.

Hey, just because you're Italian how do you dare to explain why Italians do this or that...

If it's of any comfort, I find your post informative, thanks. And who cares of carma points anyway...

> there are a lot of options for lactose intolerant, one is skimmed milk

How would skimmed milk help with lactose intolerance?

Yeah its rude to downvote without a comment explaining why.