Living off caffein... and Let them eat cake!

The Italian's don't seem to eat much compared to Americans. In general they eat a small breakfast of coffee and croissant. Then an aperitif and snacks for late lunch and then a late dinner. I think they live off of espresso and fuel themselves with caffein. Junk food does not seem to be common. Although pizza and pasta are common, it might be more for tourists. One of my friends said her Grand Mother who was an Italian immigrant never ate pizza or even heard of pizza. It seems to be an American thing.I gave up eating pizza years ago in my Macrobiotic days. I did enjoy my morning croissant though and coffee while traveling. While it is impossible to get good croissants in my area..I still hanker for a good coffee..seems to help the jet lag.I am convinced the rise of Starbucks and coffee culture is fueling the rise of poor nutrition and an over stimulated by caffein population rushing around going no where. It seems to be the same all over the world!