Nancy Young
I understood that the woman was offering skim milk, which pretty poor form as a hostess. Here, in cafes, if you want milk in your coffee the management puts it in - people will specify soy milk or skinny milk or whatever if they want. If you want milky coffee you ask for a latte, less milky a flat white. If you really want to add it yourself you'd order a long black and ask for milk separately, but it would come in a little jug, not one of those plastic containers. They are not unknown, but they are used for UHT milk, used where there is no adequate refrigeration.
The trouble with adding milk separately is that it cools the coffee down. If you order a flat white you expect the milk to be warm, but not frothed of course. I think Craig has dealt with that. The definitions of milk and cream basically tally, but we don't have half and half - the nearest in consistency would be evaporated milk, which nobody would ever think of putting in coffee. It's just a matter of what you're used to, I suppose, but it's little things like that which you notice when you're traveling, like light switches going the wrong (OK, other) way, and shallow toilet bowls! And two prong power plugs, which made me really nervous!
Christine
