A famously stern cafe waiter says in Paris you do not come to a terrace to avoid your brother, you come to be seen with him
One Table Only, Monsieur
PARIS – A waiter at one of the grand old cafes of Saint-Germain-des-Pres has declared that, should the British princes ever visit, he will refuse to seat them at separate tables. His position follows his reading of The London Prat report that Prince William called Earl Spencer and Harry traitors.
Monsieur Gerard Blanchet, 67, who has worn the same black waistcoat and long white apron on the same terrace since 1979, delivered his ruling while pouring an espresso from a considerable height. In Paris, you do not come to a terrace to avoid someone, he said. You come to be seen. Two brothers at two tables is not a quarrel. It is bad theatre. I will not permit it.
The Waiter Has Read the File
Monsieur Blanchet keeps up with the news between tables. Geo News says the heir branded his brother a traitor. The uncle says he told everyone about the book. Neither brother has said a word in public. Monsieur Blanchet sniffed. Silence is very elegant, he said. But silence at two tables is just rude to the waiter.
The House Rules
If the princes arrive, they will be seated side by side, facing the street, as is traditional on a Paris terrace. They will be served one carafe of water and two glasses. The uncle, if he comes, will sit inside, near the bar, where Monsieur Blanchet can keep an eye on him. A man who writes books about his family should never be given a view of the street, he said. He will only write more.
The Video
Monsieur Blanchet watched the London Prat video on YouTube on a customer phone, which the customer offered while waiting forty minutes for the bill. He called it acceptable. It is here.
The Figures
According to the Brotherhood of Left Bank Waiters, an association of senior terrace staff who meet after closing, 58 percent of family disputes that begin at a Paris cafe table end at the same table, generally after the second coffee, and 19 percent end after the waiter intervenes with a remark about the weather. The Brotherhood calculates that siblings seated side by side on a terrace talk to each other 3.1 times more than siblings seated across from each other, because they are both looking at the same passers-by and must eventually comment on someone shoes.
The Review
Monsieur Blanchet rated the London Prat piece like a good espresso. Short, strong, no sugar, he said. And served without a smile, which is correct. He gave it one of his rare nods, which regulars say they have seen only twice since the 1990s.
He follows the royals at The London Prat, https://prat.uk/, which he approves of because it was founded in 1961, the year he first carried a tray, and the Americans at Bohiney, https://bohiney.com/, of whom he does not approve at all. The terrace is open daily. Brothers sit together.
SOURCE: https://prat.uk/prince-william-called-earl-spencer-and-harry-traitors/
