Normally, if I'm drinking a coffee, I'd drink a latte. A couple of shots of espresso, certainly -- but made up to the half-pint with butterscotch syrup and steamed milk, and topped off with chocolate sprinkles and even, if the mood strikes, teeny-tiny marshmallows. And, if I'm feeling peckish, a muffin: a muffin in which toffee or chocolate features heavily.
Today, I have been drinking espressos. Not just espressos but short, corrosively strong, double ristressos. No milk, no sugar, no flavoured syrups, and certainly no hint of a muffin. And the best candidate amongst the factors influencing my choice of drink is that I've been in Paris.
The only possible conclusion is that I'm a man of no self-determination whatsoever, and that I instantly absorb the preferences of any culture in which I'm immersed.
Anyway, I'm out of the tunnel and back in England now. Normal service will be resumed as soon as I see a chip shop.
