Learned something new today

[kareina]

In Sweden the tall, straight-sideed ceramic cups with handles large enough for several fingers at once are tea cups, while the shorter, sloped sided ones, with little, more rounded handles are coffee cups. I was raised to name them exactly opposite, and now I wonder, is this a country-based difference, or does it reflect only the region my mother comes from?

Comments

[mushroom-maiden.livejournal.com]

Can you post photo examples of the two? I'm confused by the first description.

[eliskimo.livejournal.com]

That is interesting. I called the different kind of cups as you do.

[kareina.livejournal.com]

ok, the straight sided type looks much like the one on this web page, and is what I think of when I say "coffee cup", but what lord_kjar's family only uses for tea.

while the smaller, sloped, more delicate things, like these on this page are what I would call a "tea cup", but his family only uses to serve coffee.

Which is to say if his parents are having coffee and we are having tea they grab two of the little ones for them, and give us two of the large ones, rather than giving everyone the same shape cup for different tasting beverages.

[mushroom-maiden.livejournal.com]

Okay, the first I'd call a "mug", and happily have tea or coffee or anything else out of at home. I've never seen one in a cafe though.

The sloped, curved-sided ones to me are teacups, like the floral one... I suppose the others in that picture would count as tea cups too but I'd just call them "cups" because although their sides are sloped, they are straight. Teacups to me must be curved.

As for a coffee cup - to me that is something like this:
http://fredericpatenaude.com/images/coffee-cup.jpg
Curved like a tea cup, but thicker, less delicate.

but it also depends what KIND of coffee one has. Cappucinos go in the above....

Lattes go in a glass like this:
http://www.coffeecompany.com.au/image-cache/uploads/products/429-duralex-cafe-latte-glass-276-293.jpg
and long macchiatos in similar but smaller ones.

Short blacks/double ristrettos/espressos go in mini coffee cups like this:
http://www.coffeecompany.com.au/image-cache/uploads/products/430-white-espresso-set-276-293.jpg

Long blacks probably the same cup as cappucino.

But I'm just fussy weird I think :P