Portioning

Portioning in Europe is all over the place.  In some aspects, it's similar to the US; in others, completely different.

For example, food portions.  The hubster was adamant that Europeans serve smaller portions.  I felt that I did not finish my plate at any dinner meal, so it was similar to US sizes.  If they were smaller, it was not noticable to me.

However, on the other hand, aside from fast food places, drinks are much smaller.  Soda comes in 33 cl cans or 50 cl bottles.  Both are significantly smaller than their American counterparts.  Water also comes in smaller servings.  Same with coffee.  I didn't drink that much soda in Europe, so the smaller sizes didn't affect me and we kept enough water bottles from the airplane to keep us well hydrated with water.  The coffee sizing did surprise me, but I actually prefer the smaller size.

I had noticed when at home I would brew a cup of coffee with the Keurig, but never finish.  It never occurred to me that it was too much coffee.  I think in my mind I was only concerned with maximizing the amount of coffee I got out of each Keurig cup.  Those things are not cheap.  I much prefer the smaller portion with stronger coffee.

I also thought the cups and saucers that the Europeans serve coffee in were adorable.  So much so that I sought out to buy my own small set.  I went out on my own one rainy day to a small shop recommended by many bloggers and bought a set of porcelain cups and saucers made in France.  I will make me think of my trip every time I drink out of it and relive those moments on the train, in the cafe, after dinner, drinking my small cup of cafe au lait, cappucino, or espresso.