Eating and drinking on the public street was once considered very declasse in America. With the onslaught of the "me" generations, Americans began doing whatever the hell they wanted. In Japan, it is still considered taboo to eat and drink on public streets. If you do, you will be stared at.

Europe, too, has not been quick to embrace this very selfish, casual activity but younger people, with the influence of American tourists, make it difficult to hang on to traditional decorums.

I think people who eat and drink on public streets look silly and sloppy. This activity speaks directly to self-respect issues and the subject of public manners, both deserving their own thread here.

The younger generations in Japan can often be seen eating in public. Some older Japanese frown on it, but it has little effect on this growing practice. The same is true for Korea. The horse is already out of the barn on this one.

"The horse is already out of the barn on this one."

This is true but that horse should be reigned in. Japanese parents in their 50's are mad as hell about this and many blame the American culture (or lack of).

French parents endure the same frustration with American fast-food influences. They consider these issues a breakdown of traditional values.

I feel there are some traditions worth nurturing and a self-respecting culture is just one of them. Stuffing your face with food or drink as you walk the streets or ride public transportation should never be considered civilized. This fast-lane, I'll-do-what-I-please lifestyle is a joke that isn't funny.

I will worship the day when Starbies opens in Paris. Sometimes you just need a good strong cuppa cawfee. French coffee comes in small cups, is expensive, offers no refills and is of questionable quality. I can't tell you how many times I craved grande coffee in the morning or even a cup to take back to my hotel room to eat with a nice pastry. When I was in Vienna I noticed that Starbucks has opened there. It didn't seem to be distracting people from the lousey coffee in cafes and restaurants. In fact it seems to attract those of a different lifestyle. London seems to have grasped coffee-mania but they had nothing to loose except for tea and sandwiches at 4pm.

>I think people who eat and drink on public streets look silly and sloppy. <

What about a small cup of gelato, eaten with a spoon, while enjoying the evening passageta (sp?)?

French coffee is of questionable quality?...
I'm not a Starbucks-hater, I get soy lattes there frequently, but nothing I've ever gotten there can compare to even average coffee in France.

Hi Babette, please let us know what you find out on your visit...

Ira, one would think with all your vast travel "experience" you'd at least own an Italian dictionary.

"La passeggiata di sera" is pretty much an adult event in Italy and I've yet to see local couples walking around and slurping gelato in the process. You'll see plenty of tourists walking while eating gelato, pretending to be Italian, but the drippings on their shirts and the accumulation in the corner of their mouths give them away. Of course, all children should be exempted until a certain age.

I'm not saying it doesn't happen but I know many locals in Rome and Venice that either eat their gelato at the store or have it packed in containers to take home. I've never seen them eating while walking.

If you want to know where any business is in Paris, along with a photograph of what the place looks like, try www.pagesjaunes.fr. If you know the name of the street where it is supposed to be, this site will let you take a virtual tour of the street.

ira, you see both locals and tourists eating gelato on the street all the time in Italy. They look pretty happy and well adjusted to me.

I hope the new gelato police don't catch me and put me in irons. I'm guilty of many shocking displays of pleasure when eating that great stuff!

Her's my two cents....I too believe that Starbucks burn their coffee by over roasting it. I prefer any coffee that I've drank in Italy or France to Starbucks (Probably being there while drinking it adds to the flavor...but I digress). Having said this, howver, Starbucks is a vast improvement over the ubiquitous glass containers holding weak-stale tasting coffee that has been the staple of American society.
I agree that for me Starbucks is overpriced but people are paying it so I guess the market says it is priced right.Further, they do cater to special requests, silk soy creamer for vegans is a nice touch. Paper coffee cups may not have the appeal of china but in my opinion, has no effect on flavor. Finally, as has been noted above, I wouldn't characterize the average Roman who walks into a coffee bar and plunks down a euro and slams an espresso a very relaxed, lingering sight to behold.

If Starbucks has no appeal in Europe it will fail; if Europeans prefer it to other coffee establishments, I doubt it will because of American corporate influence....

My dear NYC,

I have dictionaries and grammars in
Danish, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Portugese, Spanish and Yiddish; I'm just too lazy to use them.

In Florence and Naples I had to wait in line (well, sort of a mob) to get my gelato, because of all of the locals.

It was easier in Praiano. Small town. People let me go to the front to see if I would pck a good flavor. (Once I did good.)

It sounds like you speak from expeience, BlackCat...I'll take your word for it.

It sounds like you speak from experience, BlackCat...I'll take your word for it.

Nobody needs a magnifying glass to see my derriere (even though I'm told it's in great shape). Exercise is a wonderful thing to cure laziness, Ira.

Very funny, KS452. (I doubt ChubNuts got it though. She's a fat, nasty, unhappy one for sure.) I liked your Man-Wife thing on the fashion thread and Hansikday's confusion. Very funny.

For the record, I know numerous Parisians who are dying for a good cup of American coffee. Starbucks will do just fine there. I wonder how many fodorites know that Starbucks will not open in France without being in partnership with a local businessman? So now you can blame some rich French guy for bringing Starbucks to Paris.

And for gelato...I could really give a molar's cavity who eats and walks at the same time. I just thought it would be fun to rant on this one and it was.

Dear NYC,

Have you
a. been tippling a bit too much,
b. forgotten to take your meds,
c. been up too late?

Thanks NYC. I like your sense of humor and insights too.

"Have you
a. been tippling a bit too much,"

Not enough, frankly. My Dad prefers to see me sober and I respect him.

"b. forgotten to take your meds,"

I do forget sometimes because I hate the Valley of the Dolls.

"c. been up too late?"

More like, been in Ohio too long. I'm ready to go back to my world where it's easier to find better dressed people.

I reckon Starbucks will do really well in Paris. Even if no French people ever set foot in the place, Paris has a large enough ex-pat and foreign student community (not to mention the tourists) to ensure that Starbucks would be extremely successful. And let's face it, it's not as though France is totally closed to the fast-food culture. There are almost 1000 McDonalds restaurants in France - in Europe, only Germany and the UK have more.

One of the reasons Starbucks is doing so well in Switzerland:

They are NON SMOKING