The Caffe Morocco

When I ask Italians about the shopping mall (il centro commerciale), they immediately say they can't stand it.  They prefer to walk an open market where vegetables, seafood, and clothing come at great prices.  They also prefer small shops to chain stores.

And yet, every evening and every weekend the shopping malls in the suburbs of Naples teem with people.  The parking lots are full, people push through crowds outside stores, and the food courts draw families and teenagers to eat at McDonald's or at the chain restaurant Fratelli La Bufala.  You can find movie theaters as well as snazzy chain clothing stores like the Spanish Zara.  The French-owned grocery stores Auchan and Carrefour are versions of Walmart with electronics, music, books, toys, clothes, beauty products, and gourmet foods.

All this glitz has also given rise to excellent caffe.

At the mall in the suburb town of Guigliano, a caffe bar called Lino's Coffee  has an array of proprietary drinks.  The Morocco is my favorite, made with a teaspoon of cocoa powder, a layer of espresso, a layer of flavored chocolate syrup, a layer of milk foam and then -- optionally -- a dollop of whipping cream with or without chocolate powder on top.  Once you get the drink, preferably al banco (or at the bar), you must spend a good amount of time stirring until all the ingredients are mixed together.  Therafter, three or four gulps are enough.

Don't forget to use the water they always give you on the side.  You can ask for either natural or frizzante (carbonated) water.  Drink the water before and after the caffe in order to clean the palette.

Mmmmmm.