How to order cappuccino without whipped cream in France? On my travel in paris, I ordered a cappuccino at a local cafe. What I got, was a large cup of coffee with a tennis-ball-sized whipped cream on top, decorated with chocolate syrup. Being like most Finnish, I did drink the cup without complaining.

However, I feel I got served a cheap substitute for a cappuccino, I am not even sure if it was espresso but rather just filtered coffee. 

Is it because we were tourists, or the place being cheap, or was it just their local variation of cappuccino? I've always thought that cappuccino is supposed to have steamed milk foam on top, not cream from a can.

How should I order my next cappuccino without insulting the waiter AND without whipped cream?
You probably just hit upon a place that simply didn't know what a cappuccino was, or lacked the facilities to prepare one.

French coffee culture is a little different from Italian, but usually a cappuccino is much like what you'd expect.

I found this exhaustive guide to French coffee culture, and it notes:


  Capuccino – A French cappuccino is thirty per cent espresso coffee, fifty per cent milk, twenty per cent froth and no whipped cream. If the cafe you are in adds whipped cream then you must be in a cafe catering to tourists.


So it sounds like you just had bad luck!