" (I'd like coffee with milk.) To which he'd smile and reply in perfect English: "Would you prefer your milk cold, or steamed?

BBC: Nine must-learn local phrases

Once in a great while I stray from my own travel norms, but most of the time I prefer my travel experience the way I like my morning coffee: consistent, effortless, and predictable.

FORBES: Soon the Travel Industry Will Become Your Personal Concierge

When I walked into the building I was greeted with smiles, and a cup of coffee, which made me feel important, like I belonged there.

FORBES: For-Profit Colleges Are Not The Problem, State Schools Are

This year, thanks to a serious caffeine addiction, I felt like I was owed my daily Starbucks until I denied myself it for a month and had to make coffee at home.

FORBES: Reader Story: How I Use Superfrugality Month to Curb Lifestyle Inflation

Like Sisyphus, I get up every morning, grab a cup of coffee, and sit at my desk.

NPR: Our Lives Are Ephemeral

Like the vast majority of coffee drinkers, nine mornings out of 10 I stare blurry-eyed at the menu to figure out which Italian phrases I have to say to get what I came for: my usual.

FORBES: Soon the Travel Industry Will Become Your Personal Concierge

"I like brands that have a go, and Starbucks is trying to break the conventions of selling coffee in big coffee chains - it's a solid attempt to get closer to the customer, " Guilar adds.

BBC: Will you tell Starbucks your name?

They talk about it like, for instance, you and I - not in our official capacity - would be sitting somewhere in a coffee shop and we are discussing, for instance, the situation in, say, Latin America.

NPR: Darfur Casts Shadow Over Khartoum's Ambitions