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=By Nick Steven=

The café culture in France goes back centuries; cafes have always been a gathering place for intellectuals to meet and debate philosophical issues; for the Avant Garde set to display their works; for artists to compare and exchange ideas and for writers to drown their sorrows over their artistic anguish or melancholy. Even the freedom fighters of the French Revolution and later the French Resistance would meet in cafes to plot their course. In Paris you can find cafes like Café de Flore or Les Deux Magots with name plates indicating where famous cultural figures have sat like Hemingway, Sartre and Picasso. The Café Society, as it was called, developed in the 19th century as a group of “beautiful people”.

法国的咖啡馆文化可以追溯到很久以前。作为集会的场所，知识分子在此探讨哲学问题，先锋派艺术家在此展览作品，画家在此比较和交流想法，作家在此将自己的忧愁尽情融入文学作品艺术化的苦恼和忧郁情绪中，甚至连法国大革命及法国保卫战中的自由斗士也在此商量对策路线。在巴黎，像花神和双叟这样的咖啡馆会有标牌，由此我们可以知道哪些是名人坐过的座位，例如海明威、萨特、毕加索等。正如其名，在19世纪咖啡馆社交界发展为“咖啡馆社团”。

Today you can still find cafes in Paris on every street. They come in many forms but the locals and tourists alike flock to them to soak up the unique atmosphere and sip on a small cup of coffee. In Paris you can find the highest concentration of chic and trendy cafes, both big and small in the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank and in Saint Germaine.

如今，巴黎的大街小巷咖啡馆随处可见，大小不一，但是不管是当地人还是游客都喜欢聚集于此感受这种独特的气氛，品尝一小杯咖啡。在巴黎，大大小小的时尚咖啡馆最集中的地带是在左岸的拉丁区及圣日耳曼大道。

The quintessential French cafe has seating indoors and out with small (usually round tables) and plenty of wooden paneling and red and black decor. However today's modernParisian cafés come in all shapes and sizes: some decoratedin chrome and stainless steel but most of them still stick to thetraditional intimate interior and outdoor sidewalk seating.

典型的法国咖啡馆室内室外都有座椅，通常配有小圆桌、木制镶板以及红黑色的装饰。然而，如今巴黎的时尚咖啡馆各式各样，有些还用铬合金和不锈钢装饰，但是大多数仍然沿用传统的内部格局，室外座椅延伸到人行道。

You can usually find a few cakes or sandwiches on any French café menu and many now offer a full restaurant service. The drinks however are more important than the food in the French café culture. 60% of French café goers have a preference for “café” or espresso served in a small cup. Among the most popular drinks are café au lait (coffee made with steamed milk) which is the drink of choice in the morning, petite or grande café crème or Café Noisette( a single or double espresso with a little cream), Café Leger is weak espresso as it has double the water and Café Americain is what we call filter coffee. The café culture includes wine and liquor but they are always drunk with moderation and style not guzzled down as in a bar.

法国咖啡馆的菜单通常也提供一些蛋糕或三明治，现在很多咖啡馆还提供全套的餐饮服务。但是，在法国咖啡馆，饮品远比食物重要。60%的咖啡馆常客还是喜欢喝小杯的意式浓缩咖啡。最风靡的咖啡包括：欧蕾咖啡（加入蒸奶的咖啡）一般是上午饮品的选择，小杯或者大杯的法式牛奶咖啡或者榛子咖啡（加入少量奶油的单倍或双倍浓缩咖啡）、水量加倍的淡味浓缩莱杰咖啡以及美式咖啡（即过滤式咖啡）。咖啡馆也提供酒，但是来咖啡馆的顾客一般都喝得适量，而不是像在酒吧那样豪饮的风格。

The classic French waiter, the “garcon” that Jean Paul Sartre modeled his character on in his book Existentialism is an intricate part of the Paris café culture although café etiquette requires that you call him Monsieur.10 Paris waiters are aloof and superior and few admit to knowing English. You should also remember that in the French café culture the customer is not always right! I'm speaking very generally of course but you will find that the Paris café waiters have a distinct character which is all part of the café culture experience. Perhaps the source of the French café waiter's attitude is that they are not dependant on tips for their salary and so there is not that incentive to pander to the customer's needs. You'll find that many of the café patrons also exude a certain aloof formal air.

萨特在其著作《存在主义》中刻画的典型的法国服务生体现了巴黎咖啡文化复杂的一面，虽然出于礼貌我们要称呼其“先生”。巴黎服务生态度有点孤傲，很少有人承认自己会说英语。记住：在法国的咖啡文化中，顾客不一定总是对的！当然，这并不是绝对的，但是你会发现巴黎咖啡馆的服务生拥有独特的性格特征，从而构成了法国咖啡文化的一部分。或许，服务生态度冷淡的原因在于他们并不指望着小费作为糊口的钱，因此对于迎合顾客的需求也没有很强烈的意愿。你会发现很多咖啡馆的常客也流露出某种冷淡、严肃的神情。

The other aspects of the French café culture experience are the cigarettes, up until not so long ago smoking was allowed indoors and

a thin cloud of smoke would be consistent with most café vibes14. Now that smoking in public places is illegal the Parisian smokers have moved outdoors and can be seen sucking on thin cigarettes and cigars on the café patios15 or sidewalks. Another idiosyncrasy16 of the French café culture is that there are normally no menus offered automatically as the choices are quite standard, you will also get your bill with your coffee but you can wait until you are ready to go before you pay.

香烟则是法国咖啡文化的另一方面。不久之前人们才能在室内吸烟，一缕薄烟似乎也更贴近大多数咖啡馆的氛围。既然公共场合禁止吸烟，巴黎的烟民则转向室外，因此可以在露天咖啡馆看到他们的身影。法国咖啡文化的另一显著特征是咖啡馆一般不会主动提供菜单，因为可供选择的饮品和食品都是标准的配置。咖啡端上桌时会附上小票，但是你可以等到离开之前再买单。

The French café culture is for people who like to be seen and to people watching, there is room in any French café for quiet book readers, romantic couples, business meetings and animated groups of friends sharing a bottle of wine.

法国的咖啡文化适用于那些喜欢出入公共场合的人们，咖啡馆聚集着各种各样的人：有安静读书的人，也有浪漫的情侣；有商务会谈的人，也有共享一瓶美酒的友人。