Parisians have been wiling away the hours in cafés for centuries. They take their time, they have lengthy conversations with friends, they read, they interact, they sip espresso. They are not afraid to sit down, to stop the mad rush, and to partake in their culture, and they certainly do not walk Haussmann’s boulevards with a paper cup from Starbucks. I wonder why we do not follow their example more often, if we are always so entranced with it. Maybe the American people are simply not as verbose as the French. All words aside, I envy the Parisians for their ability to not feel rushed or pressured but rather to allow the personal café experience to be a part of their day. Or perhaps they simply need more time to digest after all that bread, butter, and pastry.