Neighborhood

I think I might be a local. This comes not from any sudden improvement in my Italian skills, nor from my dressing habits (which remain haphazard and clearly American, despite my best efforts), but from my experience at the coffee bar this morning.

It has been a busy week, with lots of morning tours. These, of course, are only feasible after a cup of coffee, so I have been making regular requests for 'capuccino e cornetto' in the bar on the corner all week. This morning, since part of my tour for the day was going to be in a car (as opposed to walking), I decided that I would just get a cornetto in the bar. However, when I walked in, the barista smiled at me and immediately started making me a capuccino.

I am pretty pleased to be recognized around my neighborhood, and the people at i Suppli, my regular lunch stop, are starting to prepare my suppli when I walk in the door now, long before I am near enough the counter to order it. The other side of that coin just occurred to me now, though: maybe I should 1. try to look less like I need coffee in the morning, and 2. try a different lunch place for once! Both of these seem unlikely, though, as it is the coffee that makes me look awake in the mornings, and those suppli are the best I have ever tasted...