Added: 10/28/2005 |
The Magic of French CafesFrance, Paris. The words carry some magic in them. Winding streets, gothic cathedrals, picturesque and melancholic parks - everything holds the perfect fragrant of a romantic place. And of course cafes here are quite a unique phenomena, which add to the atmosphere as well as other historic monuments do. The only difference is that French cafes are a separate part of present-day life. There are hundreds of them, to be exact - 50 thousands, though in the beginning of the 20th century the number equaled to 600 thousands!
Of course public catering industry in the country does not consist of French cafes only. The percentage of fast food chain restaurants, Chinese cuisine buffets, Brazilian steakhouses is big. But what is the reason to come to the most romantic country and eat hamburgers? The French cafes are the soul of the country.
Speaking about traditional French cafes one must remember, that they have been culture conductors thoughtout centuries, as well as English pubs and German beerhouses. This is a diminished world living its own life. Here people come not to eat but to chat with friends, that's why appearance of a stranger breaks the intimate atmosphere and you feel at least confused. But it`s only till they get accustomed to the new visitor. The fact that people "live" in French cafes, spending most of time there must not be a wonder. The tradition of spending a whole day with a cup of tea only, writing notes, watching passers-by has deep roots. The thing is that the system of central heating in the country was so faulty, that the poorer a man was, the longer he stayed in the cafe, and the visits were much more frequent. Richer Frenchmen on the contrary, moved from premise to premise, changing the company as well. Starting with "Closerie des Lilas" in Montmartre in the morning, they could watch the sun setting from the window of "Le Procope" in the Latin Quarter.
Of course all those trips would have been impossible without specific features of French cafes - they being a fusion of a bar and a coffee-house. Besides tea, batch and desserts, you would be offered salads, meats, and a number of garnish. Moreover, it wouldn't have been a French cafe if it didn't have a large wine selection of any rate.
Thus, nearly every French cafe has a rich history, connected with famous artists, musicians and writers. Among them Paris cafes are the most prominent. "Le Rotonde' that opened in 1903 is closely connected with avant-gardists like Picasso, Kandinsky, Modiliany and others. At that time young Gabrielle Chanel sang her ditties and got acquainted with Hetiene Balsam, a successful businessman who changed the whole life of that Coco Chanel.
"Le Select" won its popularity because it was opened round the clock. Here Henry Miller tried to buy some food for the wedding ring; Fransoise Sagan and Gabriel Garcia Marques spent the most of their time there. "Cafe de Flore" , "Brasserie Lipp", "Le Procope" , "Cafe de la Marie", "Cafe des Deux-Magots" - these are only a few of the most prominent French cafes. It's useless to enumerate all the talented and not very characters whose life raged within the Paris cafes walls.
One must feel the atmosphere and see it with his own eyes. Of course, it is not a cheap pleasure to visit a traditional French café, but it's worth the money spent!
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