Je voudrais une tasse de cafe a porter..?

NB the gist of 'porter' here is 'to carry', not 'to wear'... though in this particular instance both might be appropriate...

Well, as we have already observed on this blog, things are different in different countries. And takeaway is one such example in France.

London, along with Singapore, Kuala Lumpur (in fact most modern cities - be this for good or bad) is encrusted with takeaway coffee shops. You can sit in too. But for a quick bevvy on your way to work Starbucks, Costa, Nero, Pret and others will happily offer you an ample, cardboard cup of your favourite hot drink to go. And it will probably have one of those handy spout/lid things so you can both keep it warm and drink as you walk. Hurrah.

So was my thinking as I set out one early morning from my Paris hotel to get breakfast. The hotel was charging 19 Euros for its own meagre offering, and I'd already located a fab local patissier / bakery nearby. So, croissant purchased, now all I needed was a coffee to go with it and I'd trot back to the hotel room. Down the street splayed a great selection of Parisien cafes. But takeaway..? Mais non!

It seems that the vibe of these establishments is most definitely SIT IN, chill, and enjoy the atmosphere at a leisurely pace. Rushing rudely out with your beverage in a crude American stylee seemed to be most unwelcome!

Finally I did find un cafe which said they could do takeaway for me. It was clearly not a regular thing for them, though, and caused a bit of confusion! In the end I got a small plastic cup (like the ones they have on water coolers) of cappuccino, no lid, for 2 Euros. So began a treacherous and careful trip back to the hotel clutching my flimsy open cup on a windy, winter morning.

But hey, the coffee and I both survived. And I got a pretty good Parisien breakfast for 4 Euros instead of 19. Can't complain.

Incidentally, later that day I discoverd a Starbucks in the small mall near to the hotel. I could have gone there. But you know, Starbucks is the same the world over, and sometimes it is nice to have a change!

PS Translation of title allowing for a few grammatical mistakes: "I'd like a cup of coffee to take-away"