The French generally excel at carving out time each day for pleasure. Americans do weekend recuperation well, but rarely relish weekday relaxation (say that three times fast).One of the places where I see this evidenced most in France is in the ubiquitous café. This time of year, on most any street in Paris, at most any time of day, locals linger even longer at their outdoor café tables.
In America, coffee-drinking has become(no thanks to Starbucks) a drive-thru, carry-it with you daily necessity. I much prefer the more languid French approach to coffee. Imagine how much your day might change for the better if you reclaimed a few minutes each day to leisurely read the paper, get some newsprint on your fingers, and breathe in that intoxicating coffee scent.
So next time you need your morning or afternoon caffeine fix, pause and enjoy. Sip, don't swig. Try a tall instead of a venti. Tune out the distractions of work or home and pair your coffee with something you love. Think of your coffee as a daily luxury and not a requisite energy-boost.
Images borrowed from LifeMagazine, RobertCapa, MauriceBrange, AmeliaShepherd & IraLatour.
Didn't you love that scene with Carrie in the coffee shop in Paris? She's desolate and offers a dog, yes, a dog sitting at the next table, one of her patiserries? It was both sad and comical.
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