“Cafés are catalysts of sociability”

Interview by Agnès Bardon
UNESCO 

Coffee (café in French) is the only beverage that has a shared imaginary with the establishment that serves it. How would you define this place, the café? 

In France, this place refers to a particular history, that of the arrival of coffee in the country in the 17^th century, first in the port of Marseille and then at the king's court. Its democratization is mainly due to the success of Le Procope. This Parisian establishment founded in 1686 was a resounding success because, unlike the taverns of the time, it offered a well-appointed space, refined furnishings, mirrors and above all coffee. It quickly attracted literacy people who brought with them newspapers and news. Establishments of the same style proliferated in Paris. Their success lasted several centuries before giving way to brasseries and then to neighborhood cafés. 

The nuances between establishments such as cafés, bars and bistros mainly reflect differences in their symbolic appropriation. They all share the same commercial and legal rules and are subject to the same requirements. On the other hand, there is a real difference from coffee shops, which emphasize the drink, the product, rather than the place and the conviviality.  

The absence of cafés was cruelly felt during the pandemic. What role do they play in the construction of our sociability? 

The lockdown highlighted our attachment to cafés. It's worth noting that the virtual coffees and other online gatherings that were born during the pandemic failed to catch on afterwards. What we missed was what I call ‘desired co-presence’. It is characterized by the ability to occupy the same place together in different ways. At the café, one can interact with others or not, come alone or in a group, but what all the clients have in common is that they have chosen to be there. It is a place where one joins secondary circles of sociability, friends or colleagues, whom one does not necessarily invite to one’s home. A neutral place, the café is more conducive to meeting people than the intimacy of an apartment.

To what extent are cafés a means of social mixing? Who comes to the café?

It all depends on the café! Each establishment has its own criteria. For example, the prices, the drinks, the music and the decor are all criteria for selection. You don't go to just any café. In fact, what determines the choice are identification factors. We tend to go to the cafés that resemble us. The mixing is thus reduced or constrained by these criteria. While it is true that the café is open to everybody, not everybody goes to the same café.

There are those who come with their friends, who meet at the café after class or work. You can go alone to work or to read, to relax, to have a coffee before or after work. You can have a more intimate meeting there too. In reality, the real question is not who comes to the café but which café one chooses to go to.

How have drinking rituals evolved in recent years? 

They have evolved along with social norms regarding alcohol consumption. For example, the practice of offering, each in turn, a general round of drinks to customers, was still very common in France in the 1950s and 1960s. It has largely been lost today. 

There is also a varying acceptability of alcohol according to circadian rhythms. Thus, ordering an alcoholic drink during the day is less accepted than in the evening. One could even say that the norms are reversed once night falls, since ordering a coffee after 9 p.m. is not considered appropriate.

However, what is important is to keep to a festive consumption of alcohol; bad drinkers, or those who spoil the party are cast out. Consumption is regulated by the norms that govern the place, by the waiter, and by the other customers, so as to remain in the desired co-presence. 

What role do the cafés play in the life of their immediate environment? 

This role differs according to the time of day. During the day, cafés can reflect the identity of a street or a neighborhood. At night, the cards are reshuffled and what takes shape is a cartography of places for going out. Local sociability is replaced by elective sociability.  In rural and suburban areas, where cafés have almost disappeared, municipalities are now trying to encourage the re-establishment of these places, which are catalysts of sociability.