cup of sartre.

I've always had the dream of opening a coffee shop. Not just any coffee shop but one with a French historical theme.

As you may have guessed by now, I have a penchant for French history. It's a passion; it invigorates me. Much like coffee. So naturally, having the two together would just complete my life. And I would like to share that with others.

So, what exactly would this French historical themed coffee shop look like? Short answer: art. And a lot of it.

Of course I would not be able to get my hands on any original artworks, but I would have scores of framed giclée art prints covering every inch of wall. Each piece of art would be chosen to capture some small aspect of France's incredible past. There would be masterpieces such as Delacroix's La liberté guident le peuple (July Revolution 1830), David's La mort de Marat (assassination of French Revolution figure, Jean-Paul Marat), and Toulouse-Lautrec's At the Moulin Rouge (caricatures of Montmartre's greatest celebrities at the turn of the 20th century). 

There would also be celebrated posters that once littered streets of Paris, such as those of cabarets by the aforementioned Toulouse-Lautrec and those of Pétain during the Second World War. Running along the walls, there would also be a timeline with important dates from all throughout the centuries, starting from the conquest of the Gauls to the election of Nicolas Sarkozy. Along with paintings and posters, the hallway to the restroom would be a "hall of mirrors" - a visual pun on the renowned hall in Versailles. And also a way to check to see if there aren't any traces of the Marie Antoinette still on your face.

   

What is the Marie Antoinette, you ask? The Marie Antoinette is one of our specialty drinks. There would be a variety of your favorite coffee drinks available with a French historical touch. The Marie Antoinette, a white chocolate mocha, is topped with with an enormous heap of whipped cream to resemble her enormous wigs. Yet if that is too much, you could order the Marie Antoinette en trial, with a lighter serving of whipped cream, or à la guillotine, without whipped cream, to represent her hair during the tragic later stages of her life. Other drinks would include:

• Louis XVI (regular mocha: to go along with his queen)
• Napoléon (shot of espresso: small but powerful)
• Victor Hugo (cappuccino: great author to go with a great drink)
• Charles de Gaulle (macchiato: great leader to go with another great drink)
• Benjamin Franklin (americano: an American in Paris) 
• Sartre (black coffee: because he's an existentialist)
• Simone de Beauvoir (café au lait: a feminized version of the Sartre)
• Richelieu (chai tea: cardinal who headed the French East India Company)
• Joan of Arc (hot chocolate: the virgin martyr who never would have succumbed to coffee)
• Maréchal Sodas (Italian sodas: made with Vichy water, they come in a variety of flavors)

There some other unique features to the French historical coffee shop. For example, all of the employees would speak both English and French. It is perfectly appropriate to order your café in French; in fact it is encouraged. However, we would not discriminate against those who do not know the language. In fact, you could learn the language through our series of classes we would offer to the public. Along with French, we would also hold history and art classes, granted that I will have some sort of art degree by this time. Several members on staff, including myself, would be specialized in these areas, and the coffee shop would foster a fun learning environment for all.

Although I say that a French historical coffee shop is a dream, a part of me is serious about it. After I spend the next decade of my life galavanting around France and slaving away in graduate school, this coffee shop may be the next practical thing to do. I'll keep you posted.