French secret

Very soon after reaching France (pronounced “Foie gras”) I realized the secret to the French GDP. Apparently the French have developed immense productivity in the occupation of sitting around cafés till way past midnight, drinking and smoking. This is a clear winning strategy. Moreover, since they are the center of the universe, everyone wants to come to France and pay to sit around, drink and smoke as well, and there is a direct debit mechanism transferring money out of your wallet into French farmers’ bank accounts. Oh, wait a minute – France is NOT the center of the universe. Apart from that, and unfortunately, the kink in this strategy is multi-faceted: roast-beef attacks from across the channel, expedited via Eurostar; the Germans who have traditionally been more interested in other things than sitting around sipping coffee; and the fact that the world does not have enough phlegm to verbally interact with the French waiters. Damn, they almost did it!