6 Cups Before 2pm

by Davidi

I made a terrible mistake on my first out-of-town trip. I was greeted by the Chief Prosecutor, who immediately offered me a coffee. I declined, stating that I had just had coffee at breakfast.  His face looked stricken, a combination of sadness and incredulity, as if I had just told him that his dog had been hit by a truck.  The interpreter scowled at me, then looked down. The meeting hadn't even started, and I had already blown it.

When you meet an Albanian professional at their office, you will be offered coffee, and you always accept.  Oh, at times you can substitute tea or even bottled water, but you must take something or they have failed in their duty of hospitality.  Not everyone has espresso immediately at hand, so many people you meet with will offer to take you down the street to a cafe for coffee.  Just like coffee in the office, you must accept this offer for a 45 minute side-trip.  (Don't schedule your meetings close together, you can't hurry the coffee sessions.)

When I made my next out-of-town trip, I had six meetings with judges, prosecutors, and police officials. You guessed it, by 2pm, I had consumed at least 6 cups of strong espresso. My hands were shaking!  (no such thing as decaf in Albania). But I was glad I had accepted. Coffee is a conversation lubricant here. While an official may be guarded in what they say at the office, that same official will become very candid over coffee.  That's important when you are asking about corruption.

While I must accept coffee offered me by officials I am visiting, I've learned to be careful when Albanian Embassy employees offer me coffee.  At first I thought they were offering to pour me a cup and bring it to my desk. How silly of me.  Albanians only drink coffee at a cafe, and there is no such thing as a "to go" cup in all of Albania! When I accept an offer of coffee at work, I have implicitly granted the Albanian employee a 30 minute break down the street, or at least in the cafeteria.

If you come to see us, and you don't like coffee, don't despair.  Merely explain that you are from a culture from the Southern United States that drinks iced tea.  Then don't be surprised when it comes in a can.  And pour those ice cubes into the ashtray before you fill your glass -- they are made with local tap water.