Three hundred years of Coffee

Europeans drink coffee, but they know when the habit began, only in Austria. Legend has it that when the Turkish army who invaded Austria was defeated and retreated, it dropped two bags of coffee and the Viennese tasted it. It tasted good, so coffee became popular in Austria. It is said that this happened in 1687.

For three hundred years, Austrians not only have three meals a day, but also drink a cup of coffee after meals, and usually use coffee as a drink, just like Chinese people drink tea. The Chinese have teahouses, while Austrians have cafes. This is the most in big cities, in the streets. As long as the smell of coffee comes, it will be a coffee shop as soon as you find it.

These coffee shops are the most special kind of shops. Placed in one or two huts, all on the first floor, not yet decorated, but just some small tables and chairs, not even a bottle of flowers on the table. But the only thing we can't do without is some newspaper clips, all of which are the newspapers of the day. However, this is a favorite place for Austrians. Come in and sit down in your spare time, ask for a cup of coffee, read what's going on in the world today, or read books, write articles, chat, or play cards. The cafe is like an open space in the world, you can do anything in it, but you can't sing, dance or talk loudly, that is, you can't influence others. Because this vacant lot is a social space.

This space always gives the impression of leisure, relaxation, looseness and serenity. People sit among them, one in the east and the other in the west, keeping each other as far apart as possible. Enjoy peace and solitude. In such a big city full of rough seas, as soon as you enter the cafe, it is like a boat sailing into a safe harbor, with clean ears, loose muscles and comfortable nerves. In the morning the sun poked its head through the east window, and at dusk it went to the west window and waved its golden hand goodbye, which was the only change of the day in the cafe. It is shrouded in a characteristic air of laziness. This may be most appropriate for Austrians who are loose in nature.

But a century ago, cafes were not so smart. At that time, when people were in need of housing, cafes became a common place for all to make friends, negotiate business, write writers, and even meet secret agents, all in cafes; some cafes were frequented by people of a certain profession, and over time, it was really "professional". For example, the "Central Cafe", where the major organs of the Vienna government is located, was a social occasion for politicians at that time. Other cafes are frequented by writers, painters, musicians, stage stars, editors, journalists and so on. Many celebrity anecdotes and gossip remain in cafes with history and become a complacency of these cafes today.

The quaint and quiet cafe on the corner of the back door of the palace is said to have been a gathering place for writers and publishers in the 20th century. Once, a publisher took a fancy to the work of a poor writer and asked him to negotiate a price in this cafe. The poor writer was in Linz. He had to come by train but could not afford a full fare, so he had to pay half the fare and called the cafe owner for help when he got to Vienna station. He was a regular customer of the cafe, and the boss immediately sent someone to pay the other half of the fare and pick him up. So his book was published. This story has spread in the literary world and cafes so far, which shows that cafes are indispensable to writers.

The past has gone, people have changed their lifestyles, their homes are spacious, and there are more and more social occasions. But people still do not abandon the cafe, because it is relaxed and quiet, simple and natural, and maintains the charming atmosphere of the past life. Today, when I walk into these cafes, I still see people who spend their time reading newspapers, writing and playing chess. Cafes don't change their old rules. A cup of coffee can sit all day, and you will never be asked to go out because the cup is empty. You can order some snacks when you are hungry, so that you can stay as long as you want. In the old days, if a regular customer liked a certain seat, he could declare that it was his special seat. The boss put a small sign on the table and wrote down his name, so that no one else would sit down. This old rule is still strictly observed today. Nowadays in some cafes in Vienna, you can often see a small card standing in front of a good seat near the street window or looking around. No, there will be an old man sitting on his own fixed seat with arrogance. If his clothes are old-fashioned, he will look like a picture of the old days.

The ancient culture is not only for enjoyment, but also for enjoyment.