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Pub, cafe, estaminet, bar, tavern, drinking joint: variations on the same theme. People go there to catch the sprit of time,preferably on a terrace, or to dip a croissant in the morning coffee with milk, grand format, at the sink.
The reputation of the Paris cafe has the same world notoriety as the Eiffel tower. It's a sort od public confessional where private, personal and common creeds are exchanged. It is the cosmopolitan refuge where nobody cares about the skin colour of the next table occupant. An ideal counter poison for boredom , a haven for everybody, the poor and the rich, the patriot and the revolutionary student, the veteran and the conscientious objector. The absolute master's name is, depends on the establishment: waiter, ober, barman, . If he wears his heart at the right pace he keeps smiling from early morning until late night. If not, beware of his changing mood. He sees everything, hears everything, knows everything and especially when he pretends not to see, hear or know. He likes soccer, horses, boxing and fishing. And above all he is a specialist of the political scene!
At the moment you think he forgot the customer on the last row, he suddenly appears on his side. The tone of his addressing the client varies when the city fever increases:"Waht will it be for you, Sir?"---"What?"---"Yes?"---"What do you want?"---
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