On 03/19/2013 02:25 PM, turquoiseb wrote: > My "playtime crew" is just as diverse, but on the whole just as happy. > I've seen none of the classic Parisian depression on this trip so far, > only joie de vivre. In this cafe there are tables of French people > discussing art or sports or literature or TV personalities or > philosophy, the common denominator amongst all of them is that they seem > to all be having a good time. Being French, they don't overdrink, > meaning that I cannot detect a drunk person in the joint. They just sip > at their wines and their beers and enjoy them, not chug them for the > purpose (like the Brits) of getting drunk and losing their inhibitions. > My take on that is that the French simply have fewer inhibitions to > lose, so they can enjoy their beverages for the taste, and not treat > them as a drug, or a means to an end. > > The crowd is also ethnically diverse. There are North Africans here, and > Chinese (Butte aux Cailles being next door to one of Paris' Chinatowns) > and Vietnamese and Arabs and even a few French-bread French. And they > don't seem to have any problem with all of them being French. I see that > in the Netherlands as well, but here it's more laid back, as if > tolerance were not just politically correct, but Just How Things Are > Done. > > Me, right now I'm the guy in the corner sitting at a small table and > typing on his laptop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=WPmllQDYRMI#t=85s
