Paris Coffee Shop: Eat, Drink, Sleep, Go

Author: Liu Zhixia
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The Parisian café is world-famous, with the French original term "terrasse," which literally translates to "platform." Parisians love to frequent cafés—before work in the morning, after work at night. They go to corner cafés for a small cup of coffee, stand in front of the counter, chat with the cashier and other customers, discussing everything from national affairs to neighborhood gossip. Drinking coffee is merely a pretext; the real purpose is to alleviate loneliness. Café terraces are ideal observation posts for life, allowing you to temporarily set aside personal worries and enter a state of detached, carefree observation. From a transcendent perspective, you can understand human nature, observe the myriad aspects of society, analyze right and wrong, and explore the mysteries of the world. Living in a foreign country, who dares to claim they fully understand the local culture (to be honest, even one's own country is not easy to understand thoroughly)? I am no different—like sitting at a café terrace, watching the sky, the ground, the buildings, the streets, and the people. Occasionally, I gain some insights, and then, in the temporary silence amidst the hustle and bustle of the night, I jot down these words. That is why I call this collection "Paris Café Terrace."