Coffee, tea or.......cioccolato or macchiato or cappuccino or caffe d'orzo

I'm not sure if it's really stupid that I don't know this, and that maybe we have the exact same thing in Chicago, but the truth is, I would be equally surprised and fascinated to find the same thing in an office at home.  Maybe the real problem is that I'm not in an office enough.  Do I need a job?

Anyway, I went to my friend's office in Italy and was invited to join the group at the vending machine for their 8:00 a.m. coffee break.  I never thought I would be in an office in Italy standing at the most incredible vending machine I've ever seen to be a part of the 'water cooler chat.' But, sometimes I'm lucky.

In addition to being the only loser to have hot chocolate, I was also the only loser that had to ask for help with my selection.  Here's what the machine had to offer:

caffe espresso, dolce

caffe lungo, dolce

caffe macchiato, dolce

cappuccino, dolce

cappuccino con cioccolato, dolce

caffe d'orzo, dolce

caffe d'orzo macchiato, dolce

cappuccino d'orzo, dolce

bevanda a gusto di cioccolato

bevanda a gusto di cioccolato forte

bevanda a gusto di cioccolato con latte

caffe con cioccolato, dolce

bevanda al gusto di te al limone

bevando al gusto di latte, dolce

bevanda al gusto di latte macchiato, dolce

bevanda al gusto di latte macchiato, dolce

solo bicchiere 0.05

That's sixteen options.  Does Starbucks even have sixteen options?

All I wanted was a hot chocolate.  They told me that cioccolato forte was just chocolate.  It didn't indicate milk or water.  Would it be like hot fudge?  That's how some hot chocolate in Italy is.  I've had it in a restaurant, with whipped cream.  You eat it with a spoon.  All it seems to be missing is the gelato.

And the plain cioccolato?  Who knows?

I went with a "bevanda a gusto di cioccolato con latte."  That's a drink 'with the taste of chocolate with milk.'  That's really how it is offered.  "A drink with the taste of....."  It's like a commercial right there on the vending machine.  One would expect to see a gondolier paddling by singing, "That's Amore."