Visit one of the most beautiful National Parks in Croatia
April 28, 2020
How did the Coronavirus affect Croatia?
April 29, 2020
Coffee (kava) culture in Dalmatia
To understand everything better I would like you to return to sometime where you were sitting on your couch and watching any of the episodes of ”FRIENDS”. Remember how they spent countless hours in the Central Perk talking about this or that? Ok, so now when we are on the same page just add a cup of warm coffee to that thought and you will almost get the whole picture.
In the world coffee is famous as something that helps you wake up in the morning, something that gives you more energy, something that you pick up on your way to work - in general something that makes you feel a bit better. In Dalmatia we have reached the next level on how to use coffee, that is why you will often hear that coffee in Dalmatia is the way of life - and it is, because the world could be falling apart, but as long as there is coffee the people of Dalmatia will survive (as we proved with Corona virus).
For an average Dalmatian, it usually works like this
A cup of coffee in the morning before the day even starts (breakfast is optional)
A cup of coffee at work, because your boss and colleges understand the need (but do not come first because you will have to make coffee for everyone at your office + drink it for at least until break)
A cup of coffee on the break (while nibbling on your sandwich or something else + inviting a family member or friend to join you, because if you're sitting in a cafe alone, at least you're weird)
A cup of coffee once you return to the office (drink it till the end of your shift)
After a proper work day, there are billions of options to sip one more cup, so here are few of them
A cup of coffee with the colleges(stay at least an hour, otherwise you are being rude)
A cup of coffee with a group of friends (stay at least an hour, otherwise why did you even invite them)
A cup of coffee after shopping with your friends and kids(kids, shopping - it's an obligation)
A cup of coffee while you are preparing a lunch for your family (this drops are usually the leftovers from that first morning coffee, because lets be real you were late and you didn’t have time to finish it off)
A cup of coffee on the cafe meeting(with a new employer, because the current one makes you prepare coffee for everyone)
Also, coffee in Dalmatia can be used as
Measurement of time (we say “I don't even have time to have a cup of coffee” - that is the moment when it gets is serious, you are too busy and your life's going nowhere)
Measurement of the current financial situation (we say: “I don't even have for a cup of coffee” - this is much more serious; you are lazy and your life is going nowhere)
A way to show real love, or to hear the fresh gossips (we say: “Come to have coffee at my place” - mostly used by women, a host has an obligation to apologize for the mess in their house even though their house is perfectly clean, and a guest has to bring a symbolic gift … guess what….something that you can't fail with of course... coffee, but not any coffee. It has to be Franck cigla - a brick-shaped 250 grams vacuum-packed coffee of the Franck brand which is also Croatia’s oldest coffee roaster)
A way to show love and respect ( we might say: “My treat” or “I am paying for this one” - we only say that when we love or respect someone, but as we did pay our ego grows a little more + they owe us for the next time)
If you want to make frends while in Dalmatia, now you have got all the necesary knowledge on how to do it - get yourself a brick of Franck cafe, a big smile and don't ever say we are coffee addicts - we will welcome you with our hands wide open! Fine, with a bottle of good wine you can't go wrong either, but we will "talk wine" in the future posts.
