It is a fair bet that the likes of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Sartre and de Beauvoir would not have become the giants of world literature they are today had they been fueled by Starbucks takeaway caffe lattes rather than shots of strong espresso in such celebrated Left Bank cafes as Flore and Les Deux Magots.
But that did not stop the giant US coffee chain Thursday announcing plans to open its first branch in France early next year, and even to insist that customers would have to observe its no-smoking policy.
The company, which has more than 7,000 outlets around the world, did at least admit that it was venturing into potentially hostile territory.
"It is with the utmost respect and admiration for the cafe society in France that we announce our entry into the market," said the chairman, Howard Schultz. "Historically, French cafes have served as the `third place' for authors, philosophers and artists."
That was not the feeling at Le Firmament, a cafe around the corner from the Place de l'Opera where Starbucks, according to a French property market magazine, will open its new outlet in the first quarter of next year.
"It's an absurd idea," said Jean-Paul Bedel, a regular at the cafe. "The whole point about cafes in France is that you can sit over a coffee as long as you like, read the papers ... taking away a coffee in a Styrofoam cup is anathema, unthinkable."
At the nearby Pomme de Pain sandwich bar they begged to differ.
"People said exactly the same thing about us when we opened," said Ratiba, working behind the counter. "Everyone said it would never work because the French lunch is sacred and if it's not in a restaurant, it's not lunch. The fact is French society is changing."
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