Imagine this Coffee in a Chocolate Cup! Mmm!
“I’ll have a coffee thanks” is a question heard regularly throughout the day in France. But what you receive when you ask this question varies noticeably depending on where you are. However if you are travelling through France, Italy or the rest of Europe, such a question will result in you being served a small espresso coffee – a short black!
Now I love an espresso coffee, but in Australia and New Zealand where I come from, such a drink is more of a novelty, and anyone drinking such a coffee will be looked at sideways! But in Europe this coffee is an important part of daily life. Take a look at this coffee above which I recently came across in Italy – an espresso coffee in a chocolate dipped wafer cup. Mmmm! Bliss, yes!?
Coffee in Europe is very much part of the daily ritual! It provides a moment to catch up with friends, or just a moment to think!
As well, try leaving a restaurant without having a coffee at the end of your meal. “Are you sure you won’t have a coffee?” the waiter asks, translates to “another bloody crazy tourist!”.
The Europeans regard Coffee (ie short black espresso) as being used mainly to help digestion and to finish off a meal, and therefore at lunch or dinner it is ordered after the meal has been consumed. If you were to order a cappuccino to go with your spaghetti carbonara, expect a nasty look…from everyone.
To help you ordering your next coffee in France remember these words and translations to make sure you get what you want:
Espresso (short, black!): Café (pronounced car-fay)
Long Black: Café Americain (car-fay ameri-carn) or Allongé (allon – jay)
Milky Coffee: Un crème ( craime), or just Café au lait (car-fay o lay)
When ordering your coffee remember also that if you sit outside on the terrace of a café the price will be different than if you just stand at the bar.
Enjoy!
Good tips as ever John. You should have seen the bizarre, frothy concoction I got served when I ordered a cappuccino on Avenue Motte Piquette last time I visited! I’ll send you a pic maybe!
There is a lot of snobbery about when you can and can’t order one in Italy certainly, order one after 11am and expect rolling of eyes or smirks, but I didn’t realise the French share this view too.
The only good one I had was outside a little Tuscan restaurant looking out onto Square Montholon in the 9th. It was the perfect tonic before I made my weary way homeward via Gare du Nord. And more on the trip on my blog soon…
Hope you’re well!
Jools
Hello again John, remember that cappuccino I mentioned? You can see it in my latest guest post on Paris for the Unexpected Traveller:
http://unexpectedtraveller.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/jools-trains/