The fourth part of the History of European Culture on the Coffee Table what are Europeans doing in the cafe?

A cup of coffee for 350 years

What do Europeans do in coffee shops?

Come to the cafe, of course, first to drink coffee.

Coffee is a magical drink that has been endowed with magical functions as early as the Arab era. With coffee, people think about problems, dream about the world, debate current affairs, and "are the spiritual food of thinkers and chess masters"-yes, Arabs practice chess skills in coffee shops. Come to the cafe, people read, chat, listen to music, play chess, in the smell of fragrant coffee, let rational thought insert romantic dream wings.

Europeans are also a nation of thinkers, and coffee in their hands has become another extreme culture. All alcoholics and gamblers are not allowed outside the café, because people come to cafés to promote intellectual growth. This enthusiasm for cafés grew rapidly, and by 1730 there were nearly 4000 cafés, large and small, in Paris alone, the whirlwind of the future democratic revolution! Elsewhere, in London, Rome, Germany and Austria, there was no time to build new cafes, but rather to convert downtown dining rooms, pubs and even fine hotels directly into tall baroque cafes.

Later, coffee shops have more functions, tea, cocoa, alcoholic beverages, all kinds of dairy snacks and even dishes are available, in some cafes, people can also stay, often until midnight is still brightly lit, very lively.

In order to open up a broader public social life, the high-end cafes of that time spared no expense to build halls that could accommodate dozens or even nearly a hundred coffee tables. For a long time, this was the first and only place in a European city where people of all walks of life could freely come and go. In the midst of all kinds of people, the inspiration of scholars in the café flowed like a fountain, and the essence of human civilization slowly spread from this small coffee table to the whole world.