Rénversé

The French spoken in Geneva is quite close to France French, given it's proximity to the border and many many French expats. However, there are a few words that still retain its Swiss-Romand (Swiss French)-ness.

One of this is the rénversé or simply, cafe au lait. In French, it literally means "upside down". I must forewarn you that this word does not exist at all in standard French. I asked R and he had no idea what this word was, being the snotty Parisian he is. The word stems from the fact that the Swiss put coffee in hot milk, whereas in a standard cafe au lait you add milk to the coffee; hence the process is reversed. This word must be the hardest word to say for me. Every time I say it I get a confused look from the barista and it takes me a few tries until they get it. Nevertheless, it's my favorite style of coffee in Switzerland so far.

I always wondered Europeans like their coffee in small sizes - of course me being the American who was used to Starbucks coffee. I see why now. A small cup of coffee will keep me buzzed for hours. I also noticed Europeans don't usually have coffeemakers in this house. They usually brew their own coffee in a cafetiere (as do my roommates) or they have a Nespresso machine. And they do take the time in the morning to make it, no matter how early. I'm still amazed by the coffee culture here and I have more to learn!