People have been left gobsmacked after an American woman insists ordering a coffee in London is “the hardest thing ever”.
Most of us need a cup of coffee or tea to start our days right – and if you work in an office or are spending the day away from home, you may grab a hot beverage from an independent or chain coffee house.
Nowadays there are so many different flavour options and sizes – but it’s unlikely that anywhere in Europe you will find a coffee larger or more syrup pumps or ginormous sized coffees than in America.
One US woman, who is so used to coffees the “size of her head”, was stunned by how awkward she found ordering a brew in London, Spain and Portugal while travelling recently.
The 25-year-old, named Alicia Mae Holloway and lives in New York City, went viral on social media after sharing her experience recently.
“Why is order a coffee in Europe the hardest thing ever as an American?” she said on TikTok. “We do not drink coffee with whip cream and drink it out of a bowl,” she added.
Alicia elaborated and said: “When I was in London I was like ‘can I have a coffee with cream no sugar’ and the barista was not getting it. She said ‘I’m sorry i don’t understand’ and I was like ‘you know, a regular coffee just with cream’.
“She was trying to figure it out and she was like ‘a drip coffee’ and I said ‘yes exactly’. I step aside and I watch her make it and she’s doing everything right, then I watch her try to put the cream on and I was like ‘what the hell is she grabbing’. This lady literally grabs a bottle of whipped cream. She starts to put whipped cream in my drink.”
Alicia, who said the whole experience was like “pulling teeth”, called the woman out and explained that’s not what she wanted. She added: “She [the barista] was like ‘what? You said cream”. Alicia explained she wanted milk in her coffee, not whipped cream.
In the US, often a light type of cream is used to make a cup of coffee. It is known as ‘half and half’ or ‘half cream’ which is made up of light cream and milk. It was first introduced as a means of making the bitterness associated with low-quality coffee taste nicer – but has since become a staple of American drinking habits.
Alicia said she and the barista both “started bursting out laughing” following the awkward encounter. The content creator, who has over 549,000 followers on TikTok said London wasn’t the only place she found ordering a coffee a strange experience – she found the same in Spain and Portugal.
Speaking about one experience on a flight, she said: “I’m flying back from Portugal, sitting in first class and I ask the flight attendant ‘hey may I have a coffee’ and she was like ‘yeah do you want a shot of expresso or do you want coffee in a bowl’.” The flight attendant joked Americans drinks coffees “in a bowl” because their coffee mugs are typically large.
Alicia continued: “I told her how to make a coffee and it was good. But those are just two examples of how difficult it is to order a coffee in Europe. But it was like pulling teeth every time I tried to order a coffee in London, Spain, and Portugal. I had a very lovely time but I am glad to be back in the states where I can get a coffee the size of my head.”
Her confession on social media rilled up many Europeans. One individual said: “So, the problem is that you call milk cream.”
“Why don’t you just call milk…milk?” another questioned. A third baffled individual wrote: “So you were annoyed when you said cream and then she put cream in your drink?”
One stunned individual said: “I beg your finest pardon, so you’re telling me that in my 42 years of life I never realised when Americans say they want cream in coffee it’s actually milk!? I thought they added pouring cream!”
“Nobody expect for Americans put cream in their coffee,” pointed out another.
Another American relating to Alicia said: “I moved to US from UK just over a year ago and found ordering a tea the hardest thing.”
Do you agree? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
