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Comment by gaius | Hacker News Reader

I know you're being facetious, but it's not an unreasonable point. All attempts to create a pavement cafe culture here in the UK have failed, 24-hr licensing to serve alcohol turned out to be a mistake. The British simply don't drink in the same way as the Italians. We like pubs, not bars or cafes-that-serve-wine.

You might as well write an article wondering why you can't bring an American "spring break" drinking culture to France...

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Right that's what I was trying to convey in my lazy comment. It's not about architecture, weather or whatever else. Americans just generally aren't interested in sipping coffee while people-watching or exchanging political, religious cultural views with anyone less than an intimate friend for a couple of hours out of the day. Their cultural DNA simply lacks the propensity for that kind of activity.

Americans unwind in one of two extreme ways: individual reclusive zen retreats or challenges (yoga, spa treatments, rock-climbing..) or over-the-top social interactions (heavy drinking gatherings, fancy dinner parties, themed events).

Sure there are exceptions as some have mentioned, but they don't make up enough of a critical mass for it to have a meaningful impact on the culture as a whole.

You're mistaking effect for cause. Americans aren't interested because they've been acculturated not to.

Exactly. And we've built an environment where it's not possible or not pleasant to build these types of places.

England does also not have the right weather. It is much nicer to sit outside in the evening and enjoy a whine, if you are not freezing.

The funny thing is I live in Barcelona, which definitely has cafe culture. In the middle of winter it can be only a few degrees, but (Spanish) people will still sit outside the cafes with their jackets and scarves, rather than go inside.

That's interesting. Is this connected to the smoking ban or has it always been like this?

(Of course, I'm assuming that Spain has a smoking ban. May be wrong!)

I think it was the same before the ban as well.

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