Take it outside the shop and sit beneath an umbrella. Or if you’re only drinking espresso, stand at the counter and spend a few minutes sipping. Get a pastry, get a sandwich. Stare at the purple jacarandas across the street. If you zoom down the sidewalk with a paper cup in hand, guzzling a boiling galão, you will not see anyone else doing the same.

In Lisbon, and Portugal in general, food is very important. It’s possible to get fast food and fast coffee (yes, Starbucks has taken over the world) but you won’t see many locals at the speedy spots. I had to get used to this during my first week. I’ve been living American hustle food culture my whole life (making five lattes at once to get everyone’s orders out quickly, etcetera). So when I got my first weirded-out looks for asking to take my coffee and pastry para levar, I realized I needed to relax.

Sure, there is something to be said for shoving down McDonald’s burgers in your car; that’s a classic experience. But I’ve got to say, I enjoy feeling obligated to slow down in Lisbon. If you go out for dinner, you’d better be prepared to stay for at least an hour and enjoy espresso and dessert at the end. Even at work, you’d better leave your desk and eat – go get some fresh food from the grocery store, sit with your coworkers and talk and rest.

I already love coffee and pastries and food in general, and sitting down and enjoying that galão before work makes it even better. I pay more attention to what I’m eating and drinking. I’ve gotten to know my coworkers at my Técnico Lisboa internship very quickly just by sitting down to eat with them. All benefits, all different from the paper-cup coffee shops and take-out I’m used to back home. So, six more weeks to go, and I’m going to see how many coffee shop views I can sit down and enjoy.