The Beauty of Espresso

Well--I have a confession to make. I have fallen in love...again. No need to doubt my fidelity however, this love is not of the romantic variety. This love is of the frothy, strong, and exhilarating variety. This love is for a little drink called espresso. Why did no one ever show me espresso before? Of course I had heard of espresso, but this always conjured up images of preppy rich kids and snooty businessmen going to expensive coffee shops to feel like there life was worth something. My first day in Braila everything changed.

We were sitting on the porch of an old Communist apartment bloc sharing the Gospel with some younger guys smoking cigarettes. A few minutes into our conversation, one of them excused himself to run an errand of some kind. He soon returned with a small cup filled with some kind of coffee drink. The look (and smell) of this beverage captured my attention. Later on that day I spotted a sign for espressos and that was all she wrote.

A beautiful thing about Romania is that virtually every convenience store and street stand sells a small cup of this big flavor for just 1 lei (33 cents). That's right, just 33 cents! My favorite place to buy them was a convenience store behind the church. Not only did they give you more for your money, but the flavor was so strong it literally gave me a buzz every time I drank a cup...which was multiple times a day. Anyway, I realize this was a semi-pointless post, but I just wanted to share my fascination/appreciation for this Romanian delicacy. I'm told we have them in America too, but I don't think I will feel comfortable paying more than 50 cents or so.


Notice the cup in my hand.


Group of college students from the church.


Jesus would have drank espresso.