Coffee Quirks In Paris

So I was at one of those Brooklyn-style coffee places and apparently committed the ultimate faux-pas; I asked for a dry cappuccino.

Oh my god, you should have seen the contemptuous look I got. And I could just see her thinking, "oh great, another high maintenance foreigner."
I promise you, I was not trying to be difficult! I just like my cappuccino a certain way - with a bit less milk and more foam - drier than the way they are usually made. Also, because most baristas don't know how to properly make velvety, creamy foam anyway, I feel like I'm letting them off the hook.

I kindly explained that I preferred my cappuccino with as much mousse as possible and she just stood there, staring. So I explained it again. She continued to look at me doubtfully so I told her that many years ago I was a barista in Seattle and that I really loved more foam and didn't like a milky cappuccino and could she please adapt it slightly for my taste?
"So, you would like une noisette?" she said.
"Non," I responded.
I patiently explained my order a third time.
She then refused, citing the fact that we must "respect the parameters" of a cappuccino.

Um, what?

Maybe I'm late to the party, but are there now strict rules that govern the making of a cappuccino that I'm unaware of? Has it recently been granted a denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) or something?

This is just another reason* why I usually go to the traditional, old style cafés. I would rather pay €2 for a decent café noisette at a classic French café than have to beg some 20 year old to please, please make my cappuccino a bit dry, only to have them either refuse or ignore me, and pay €5 for the privilege.

So, my Parisian friends, can you recommend some places that make killer coffee and that will accept my "eccentric" cappuccino order? 





* also, I think latte art is lame