French bistros and cafes will ask to be included in the intangible heritage of humanity

An association led by bistro owners will request the inclusion of French bistros and cafes in the intangible heritage of humanity, it decided on Friday during a general assembly.

“We are going to remind the whole world that France is the cradle of a certain way of living together,” explained Alain Fontaine, bistro owner and president of this association who has already worked to have bistros and cafés listed as heritage in June. French intangible.

Their next target is UNESCO, which manages the intangible heritage of humanity. The association is giving itself four years for the international institution to include “social and cultural practices in bistros and cafes in France”, in the same way as the baguette in 2022.

“We are going to show the world this very French way of approaching all subjects in the bistro, whether they are playful or very serious, with calm,” continued Alain Fontaine. “Even if it sucks sometimes,” he conceded.

With this recognition, bistro owners hope for two benefits.

First, a new tourist attraction, “making it known that next to Notre-Dame in Paris or the Bonne-Mère in Marseille, there are also bistros and cafes”, wishes Alain Fontaine. Attract tourists, without transforming the places into tourist traps, he hopes.

But above all, “preserve the profession of bistro owner, in danger”. The number of bistros has been divided by ten since 1945, at the end of the Second World War, recalls Alain Fontaine.

“The art of the bistro and the café must be safeguarded, it is disappearing, even though it contributes to the attractiveness and socialization of the country.”

The association hopes to put together a first file for the Ministry of Culture by June, which will in turn present the candidates of its choice to UNESCO.

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