Where in "Europe" was this? Certainly not in France where a bistro scratches this itch. At any point in the morning or evening you can find some place to sit

Where in "Europe" was this? Certainly not in France where a bistro scratches this itch. At any point in the morning or evening you can find some place to sit to serve you food or snacks/coffee/tea/beer. And pâtisseries are made for 'breakfast'. Europe's a big place. The UK has strict open and closing times for restaurants (don't ask me what they are, only that 12 noon is 12 noon and I couldn't step inside at 11:55a for lunch). And the culture thinks beans and white toast are breakfast. But people definitely eat out for breakfast and even brunch. But even those examples contradict your friend. I'll give you one generalizations to take home: Europeans like to mess with Americans.