Café Culture

Word of the day "Ne t'inquiete pas:" Don't worry

I actually wrote this little piece when I was studying in Paris in the Fall of 2007, but change the name of the city and café and you have the same scene here in Clermont-Ferrand.

Café Hugo, Place des Vosges, le Mariée, Paris, France. Un café crème, s’il vous plaît. This is where I have had a chance to halt the busy city life for a cup of coffee with a couple of friends. It allows us to recover for a moment from a busy day of classes and the wandering through streets of Paris. At home, a coffee break is a quick dash into Starbucks for my grande café latte, to go of course, and then gulping it down along the way to my next destination. Here, I can sit for fifteen minutes, an hour, or more and not only enjoy a warm cup of coffee (often served with a small piece of chocolate!) as well as stimulating conversation with friends. From our daily happenings, love lives, to political debates, the conversation at the café varies and seems quite endless. It is only when the server brings the check and gives us some encouraging eyes that we finally arise and move on with the day.

The café culture in Paris is quite different than at home, as mentioned above. Here, it can be a quick espresso at the bar along with a friendly chat with the barista over the day, or the weather. It can be a sit down with friends, meeting with an old acquaintance, an informal date. Also, it can just be a time to sit back alone with a good book or with some observant eyes. As observed though my café experiences, I have seen all of the above. Sitting next to a window to view the outside or in the corner of café, I can observe both the outer world and that of which joins me for a break at the shop. I find myself developing personal stories for those I see, trying to figure how they have gotten to where they are. Has that old couple been together for years, coming to share a coffee every Sunday afternoon? Are those clad dressed pre-teenagers talking of boys and makeup just as I did at that age? Is the boy buying coffee for the girl he sits with her boyfriend, or is this a first date? It is free entertainment for me to conjure up my own tales for these strangers, and although, without the different language, I can make these same observations at home, there is something a little more special about watching the Parisians. I feel as if there is more of a relaxing feeling in them: less pressure and stress to move on. They will sit until they are done with the aura, the feeling of the coffee shop, or the book they are reading, and not just until they are done with their cup of coffee. Do we find this difference just because our American culture is a faster paced society, or do the Parisians actually enjoy more so the café culture and being in a relaxing atmosphere among other people? I do know that I will miss the cozy chairs and delicious French coffees that I have experienced here.

Sometimes, we just need to slow down and relax with cup of coffee, or even a glass of wine (after five?). Paris is quite conducive to relinquishing the stresses that are caused from a rushed day, or even just offering a quiet spot to gather one’s thoughts. I must search a little harder when I return home for something other then a quick fix at Starbucks, somewhere that I can my coffee alone or with friends, and spend as much time as I would like doing so.