What philosophical concept is Sartre alluding to?

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There is a famous anecdote Sartre (I think it was Sartre) used to explain some philosophical concept. Roughly, he describes a person ordering a coffee without cream. The waiter explains that they don’t have any cream, but they can make a coffee without milk.

What exactly is this analogy alluding to? What is the philosophical idea behind it? Something about negatives or absence?

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