Notes culturelles: Le café



The café plays an important role in the daily life of the French people. Students go there at any time of day, not only to have something to eat (un croissant, un sandwich) or drink (un express, un café, un thé, un chocolat, un jus de fruits), but also to relax, to read the paper, or to listen to music. Since many students live quite a distance from the university, and since the existing libraries are often overcrowded, the café also offers a place to sit and study. For many young people, the café is the ideal spot to meet one's friends or to strike up a casual conversation with other students.

Most French cafés are divided into two parts: l'intérieur, the inside section, and la terrasse, which extends onto the sidewalk. In spring and summer most customers prefer la terrasse, where they can enjoy the good weather and observe the people walking by.

Le Nouvel Obs

One of the more than three thousand magazines published in France, Le Nouvel Observateur is an hebdomadaire (published weekly). It is one of the most widely-read French news magazines, with an intellectual orientation.

Activité

Where do American students go to hang out with their friends? Is there an American equivalent to the French café?