Café culture in Paris can be a bit of a culture shock for Americans. We are used to being busy, fast, eating and leaving quickly. We are used to waiters being on the ball and bringing you things without asking, including bringing you the bill.
In Paris, it seems like sitting around the café for a very long time is expected. Sometimes you will sit down, and the waiter will take a little while to come over to you. Then you order, sometimes it’s super fast, sometimes it takes a little while. But you are just expected to relax and not worry about it. Then you eat and drink, and if you want a refill or anything else, you sorta have to catch the waiter’s eye and he will come over to the table to check on you. French waiters don't stop by all the time like American waiters. They leave you alone. Then if you decide its time to leave, you will again have to catch the waiter’s eye to get the check. They do not bring you the check unless you ask for it. You shouldn't call out or use hand signals or snap or anything like that. You just have to wait and try to quietly and subtly get your point across.
You just have to kinda slow down, treat being at the café as an event itself, not just a stop between events. You have to learn to just enjoy chit chat and people watching. Eat slowly, drink slowly, enjoy it all a little more. It is quite nice once you get used to it, but for a lot of people, its a different experience than they're used to.
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