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Before one fools others, one must fool themselves
My Chuck Klosterman moment...
There's an amusing trend, in large, european cities, of tourist-oriented bars designed on the premise of what foreigners think a european bar should be like. There's the faux-family shields, the antique steins, the oversized mirrors, the nauseatingly upbeat euro techno music, oversized beer taps, and countless other novelties that seem more 80s than Brussels. Conversely, and even more hilarious, now, in America, there's a seemingly overhanded response in the rapid expansion of bars designed to imitate the imitation of the european bar. They try to recreate an atmosphere and ambiance that was never authentic. Your "gastro pubs" and countless "Paris Crepe Bars" are merely copying an idea that was perpetuated by Europeans entrepreneurs who wanted to reproduce something familiar to American sightseers with the illusion of being real.
Of course, the elitist and trendsters of america are eating it up. These new "shoppes" and "emporiums" are the perfect way to relive an eon old trip to Europe which was probably more "American in Paris" than "paris, je t'aime". What's the harm? None really. Just at the emperor enjoyed his new clothes, so, too, are the people who are swallowing this new American Europe flavored-America.
My Chuck Klosterman moment...
There's an amusing trend, in large, european cities, of tourist-oriented bars designed on the premise of what foreigners think a european bar should be like. There's the faux-family shields, the antique steins, the oversized mirrors, the nauseatingly upbeat euro techno music, oversized beer taps, and countless other novelties that seem more 80s than Brussels. Conversely, and even more hilarious, now, in America, there's a seemingly overhanded response in the rapid expansion of bars designed to imitate the imitation of the european bar. They try to recreate an atmosphere and ambiance that was never authentic. Your "gastro pubs" and countless "Paris Crepe Bars" are merely copying an idea that was perpetuated by Europeans entrepreneurs who wanted to reproduce something familiar to American sightseers with the illusion of being real.
Of course, the elitist and trendsters of america are eating it up. These new "shoppes" and "emporiums" are the perfect way to relive an eon old trip to Europe which was probably more "American in Paris" than "paris, je t'aime". What's the harm? None really. Just at the emperor enjoyed his new clothes, so, too, are the people who are swallowing this new American Europe flavored-America.