Coffee, Cream, and Culture

In our second two-month stay in Montreal last fall, my French teacher Nicolas--who came from the beautiful 7th arrondissement of Paris--was talking about the relative merits of different coffee shops right around our school.  Someone in class then asked him whether one would ask for a cappuccino if someone wanted coffee with cream in France.  Nicolas responded that, in fact, either Italian cappuccino or cafe latte would be understood, along with the more French cafe au lait, but that there is another French name we could use, for a better coffee drink.  He asked if anyone in class knew what that might be.  I did.

As a side note: Although our French classes were quite international, because so many of the students in class were still quite young (Will and I were both the oldest students in our respective classes, sometimes by 10+ years), they had not traveled as much as old fogies like us.  That being the case, I always tried to temper my enthusiasm in speaking about world travel with not wanting to be one of those annoying people who always have to one-up someone else's adventure tales.  (Because, after all, those people really drive me crazy--even after I became old enough and traveled enough actually to become one of those people.)

In any case, the correct answer--because there actually IS a correct answer to Nicolas's query--is cafe creme or grand creme (if you want the large size, which is what I usually wanted).  And, of course, there is a story behind how there is a world of cultural differences, not just language and vocabulary, when it comes to ordering coffee with cream in Europe.  So, let's flash back.

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It was painful to hear.  Will and I were enjoying a cup of lovely coffee in a quaint little cafe in Amboise--our base town for exploring the Loire Valley chateaux country back in 2004.  (Notice how annoying that can be to someone who hasn't visited the Loire Valley?!  And, honestly, I couldn't afford to step foot anywhere in Europe until I was in my 30s.  Anyway...)  A British couple was also trying to enjoy a cup of coffee, but they were running up against cultural blockades in their endeavor: they spoke no French, and the server spoke no English.

The coffee itself was not the problem.  Somehow, everyone manages to get herself understood these days on that count.  If "coffee" doesn't ring a bell, "cafe" seems to.  No, it was the milk that was causing all the difficulties, which we could not help but overhear, as the negotiation went on endlessly.  

The traveling British couple probably expected that most people would understand what they meant if they just kept on repeating "M-I-L-K" more slowly and enunciated more clearly.  On the flip side, the elderly French server simply could not fathom why these visitors kept on saying the same incomprehensible thing over and over again when she clearly had already delivered the coffee that was ordered.  Will and I had earlier encountered the same coffee confusion in France before consulting our helpful guidebook which told us exactly what to order, so we understood and sympathized with both sides.  

I considered offering up the French word for milk but quickly decided that wouldn't necessarily help because beyond the language barrier--or upholding that barrier--was a more significant cultural disparity.  In the United States, the United Kingdom, and many other parts of the world, people ordering coffee can expect to get a cup of black coffee with the option to add in a creamer to their hearts' content.  (This can still get complicated in other English-speaking countries.  In Australia, we ordered a "long black with milk on the side," or, a different drink altogether, a "flat white"--essentially the equivalent of a cafe latte, no foam.)

In parts of Europe where we had some of the consistently best coffee in the world, to receive a creamy coffee (not necessarily a cappuccino or a latte) you do not actually order a "coffee."  Consider asking for a cheeseburger vs a hamburger in the United States.  The server would be puzzled and perhaps even a bit affronted if someone orders a hamburger with the expectation that she could get (free of charge) slices of--nicely melted--cheese to put on top of her burger.  After all, to us, these are different foods, ordered specifically, and charged accordingly.  Coffee ordering is as clearly differentiated in Europe, except it's a bit more complex.

For instance, in France, what you order could still change with where you are--Paris and other larger cities vs the countryside.  In general though, if you want a milky/creamy coffee, you could order cafe au lait or cafe creme.

Cafe au lait is a favorite breakfast beverage in France.  In some cafes (or perhaps even in some homes), you might be offered two separate containers with coffee and hot--hopefully a little frothy--milk, and you have the pleasure of pouring together desired amounts of the two into your cup or bowl (as in the picture above).  When we ordered it in Montreal, it actually tasted stronger and richer, but generally I find it lacks a certain oomph factor.  In fact, while the French cafe au lait, Italian cafe latte, and the Spanish cafe con leche all mean the same thing ("coffee with milk"), I find them slightly different from each other.

Though some French guidebooks might say cafe au lait and cafe creme refer to the same drink--and they might in some places--most cafe cremes I've tasted are richer, more like a cappuccino or cafe latte (where the coffee taste more espresso-like, and the creamy part sometimes even tastes more like steamed half-and-half than the lighter milk--thus perhaps the "creme" in the name?).  Cafe creme is definitely my own drink of choice in France!

In fact, when we order a cafe gourmand (a French dessert item which allows you to choose a coffee drink served with a changing variety of small sweets--as in the picture below), I always opt for a cafe creme as my coffee drink.  Will orders a noisette sometimes.  It means "hazelnut" in English, and it is essentially the equivalent of the Italian macchiato.  (Perhaps I'll address this and others in another post?)

It's been a long time--over a dozen years--since we were in the Loire Valley, and we wonder whether things there are very different now.  Even when we were living in England in 2006-2007, we were seeing a LOT of Starbucks (along with all the other large coffee chains like Costa Coffee and Caffe Nero) popping up everywhere.  And when we were in France in more recent years, we just went into a Starbucks if we wanted to get a regular drip coffee (not an espresso or an allonge or an Americano) with the ability to add in our desired amount of half-and-half.

With the global spread of Starbucks culture, perhaps it's possible that we will be dealing less with differences between the UK, France, Italy, Austria, Australia, etc.  Sadly, we might all be speaking the language of Starbucks instead...