3 ms·
Because it's full of Americans.
by mladenkovacevic 13y ago
Because it's full of Americans.
- gaius 13y agoI know you're being facetious, but it's not an unreasonable point. All attempts to create a pavement cafe culture here in the UK have failed, 24-hr licensing to serve alcohol turned out to be a mistake. The British simply don't drink in the same way as the Italians. We like pubs, not bars or cafes-that-serve-wine. You might as well write an article wondering why you can't bring an American "spring break" drinking culture to France...
- a8000 13y agoEngland does also not have the right weather. It is much nicer to sit outside in the evening and enjoy a whine, if you are not freezing.
- collyw 13y agoThe funny thing is I live in Barcelona, which definitely has cafe culture. In the middle of winter it can be only a few degrees, but (Spanish) people will still sit outside the cafes with their jackets and scarves, rather than go inside.
- alexhawdon 13y agoThat's interesting. Is this connected to the smoking ban or has it always been like this? (Of course, I'm assuming that Spain has a smoking ban. May be wrong!)
- collyw 13y agoI think it was the same before the ban as well.
- mladenkovacevic 13y agoRight that's what I was trying to convey in my lazy comment. It's not about architecture, weather or whatever else. Americans just generally aren't interested in sipping coffee while people-watching or exchanging political, religious cultural views with anyone less than an intimate friend for a couple of hours out of the day. Their cultural DNA simply lacks the propensity for that kind of activity. Americans unwind in one of two extreme ways: individual reclusive zen retreats or challenges (yoga, spa treatments, rock-climbing..) or over-the-top social interactions (heavy drinking gatherings, fancy dinner parties, themed events). Sure there are exceptions as some have mentioned, but they don't make up enough of a critical mass for it to have a meaningful impact on the culture as a whole.