An Italian conversation by the coffee van

Yesterday, I made a visit to the Café2U van in the afternoon (I blogged about it before here and here). It is now my favourite food van at my workplace, because it sells sweet things and because I can speak and learn a few words of Italian with one of the employees there. I try not to go too often because I don't want to spend too much on croissants and hot chocolate (this is what I usually have), but on a Monday or at the end of the week (or the middle), it is sometimes a necessary treat to keep the morale. And since the van is quite popular and it takes a while to prepare the coffee, it gives me a nice, long break.

So I had my usual basic Italian conversation, just saying a few polite words (buongiorno, buona giornata, grazie, prego, etc.) with the guy working there and I learned a few more words: hot chocolate is cioccolata calda. I find it fascinating: cioccolato is chocolate, but it is masculine, used for the chocolate bar and the food itself. As a beverage, it is feminine. I joked saying that in a month's time I would be able to speak Italian fluently. As he was preparing my cioccolata calda (with a brownie this time, not a cornetto), we talked a bit (in English) about Italy, the latest news, Berlusconi being chased away from power (good riddance!) and so on. It was a small trivial chat, but somehow it reminded me that I love this country, even when I can't stand it. I still wonder why.