Café Society Time Suspended, The Cafés, and Bistros of Paris

Interior designer and photographer, Californian Joanie Osburn has always had a passion for the world of Parisian bistros and cafés. Not just for their decor and scenography but for the human relationships they create. She herself ran a café in California’s Nappa Valley, famous for its vineyards. She only served French wines but also sold bistro furniture.Joanie has just published Café Society, a book illustrated with her photos dedicated to Parisian cafés full of life, characters and movements which will certainly serve the cause of those who defend the art of living in Parisian cafés. However, the lady does not lack lucidity.

Interview

What is the difference between a café and a bistro?

The café is open from early in the morning until late at night. They serve snacks and you can order a dish throughout the day. It’s relaxed and there is often a terrace. The bistro is open during lunch and dinner hours. The bistro is a smaller place. They serve classic and traditional dishes. The fact remains that now, we often see on the storefronts written bistro-café-brasserie for the same place.

Don’t you find that the term bistro is ambiguous?

At the end of my book I mention neo bistros, neo cafes and neo brasseries. Some of them present themselves as bistros but they are sometimes very expensive.

We sometimes have the impression that many American visitors have “remained glued” to the Paris of the 20s, that of the novels of Scott Fitzgerald and the golden age of Montparnasse?

I like the atmosphere of Fitzgerald’s novels which evoke Paris in the 1920s and I love Montparnasse from 1920 to 1929. It is still my favorite place today. But I don’t think that’s the case for all Americans who visit Paris. Instead, they go to the places indicated in the guides and line up at Flore or Deux Magots. It is very sad to see these queues.

In general, American tourists are among the most appreciated by café owners and waiters for tips, but for some French people they have only one drawback: they are noisy, don’t you think?

It is totally true. Even in San Francisco young people talk so loudly that it becomes unbearable.

Aren’t you sometimes a little pessimistic about the future of Parisian cafés in the face of globalization?

I am quite worried when I observe certain trends. But in the end, I am finally reassured that junk food, airbnbs and hotels with their Nespresso machines have not had the skin of the art of living in Parisian bistros.

You write that 85% of restaurants and cafes in Paris serve burgers?

It surprised me a lot to see the French eating so many burgers. In Paris, it is not only eaten in fast food restaurants. They are found everywhere on all menus, even in gourmet restaurants.

“Café Society: Time Suspended, The Cafés & Bistros of Paris,” is available to order on Amazon, Rizzoli, etc &bookstores.