The European Bar. It's different.

Around the time of the Revolutionary war, taverns in America were very much like bars and cafes in Europe today. They functioned as community centers where one could read the local newspaper; they warmed churchgoers during breaks in long sermons; and they even provided patrons with a drop of something alcoholic every once in a while.

But along the winding road of history, bars in America and Europe diverged. America's seemed to go in two directions--evolving into the young and hip watering hole or the dark, somber, leave-me-alone-with-my-bottle gin joint.

But go to a smaller village in southern Italy today and you'll notice the proximity of the local church to a lively bar. Often, this bar is where men wait for their wives to get out of church so they can eat after.

And you'll still find newspapers there. Some countries even have laws that force bar owners to provide them.

Many of the smaller bars in Europe are simply extensions of the owner's living room. You will see a family member tending the bar from dawn to well into the night. You can often buy candy, pastries, ice cream, sandwiches and other non-beverage items in a European bar. In smaller towns, you might even be able to buy bus tickets there.

Often, a bar will serve a particular type of clientele. If the town is big enough to support them, there might be a "shepherd's bar" or "family bar" and a "tourist's bar" all strung out over the landscape. Of course, they won't kick you out if you aren't a card-carrying shepherd at the shepherd's bar, so don't worry. Just don't look sheepish when the bill comes.

Gigi's Bar, the Bar dal Corso, for Example

Gigi's bar in Presicce, Italy, is a tourist's bar. Gigi, short for Luigi, is a funny, outgoing personality who is a hit with tourists, despite not speaking more than a word or two of German or English. (It takes maybe two glasses of vino to completely comprehend Gigi, you understand.) He serves coffee, some local foods that need only to be nuked before serving, and alcohol of course, mostly wine and beer. There's a television with VCR, but it usually isn't tuned to the typical sporting events like the sports bar on the corner.

Gigi likes using his VCR to make eyebrows raise. He'll switch from the silly show on the TV to the porn flick on the VCR just to see if anyone noticed. Actually, it is harder to notice in Italy, where a commercial for something as unsexy as fruit juice can feature a nekid women. And the news tells me that the Italians are working to make their TV shows less silly. We'll see.

In any case, the tourist can ask Gigi anything at all about the town and if Gigi didn't know it he'd find out and tell you next time you come in. If you like the olives he serves with the aperitivo you ordered, he'll likely send you to the guy who makes them so you can buy a gallon or so for the train. Want to know how fast his Alfa is? He just might take you out with him to the superstrada to let you experience it for yourself.

But Gigi is more than just a good, friendly bartender. He's at his bar all the time. It's a home away from home. You don't go there to get drunk any more than you'd head over to your dear aunt Bessy's to tie one on.

And that's the way it is in most southern European bars. Drink is just a normal part of life and you don't get drunk or your friends and family will think you're a complete idiot.

But these social controls are breaking down. Youth are drinking to get drunk (mostly in the streets) these days in alarming numbers, according to recent news from Italy and Spain.

Will bars change to accommodate this way of thinking? Hard to tell. But I like things the way they are now. So, I'll advise you thus: Go visit Europe now, while there are still some differences between "the continent" and the US.

Bars and Cafes in Europe: Practical Matters

• In many places, you'll pay more for sitting down rather than standing at the bar. In Italy, you'll see two sets of prices on the price board, the higher for "a tavolo," or "at the table." Sometimes, in the real tourist joints, there's an even higher tariff for sitting at a table outside.
• The higher price includes your use of the table for a while. So relax and enjoy things.
• In some towns in southern Europe, a summer's evening will start out with a parade of strolling folks, called a passiagiata in Italy. It's a time for the young to show off their latest love interest. The curious, older folks (especially men) sit at outdoor tables, taking note of what's happening. It's a good time to stroll amongst the young lovers or share an aperitivo or coffee with the old guys at their observation post at the bar.
• Bars can be noisy and smoky inside. People who appear to be yelling at each other are often discussing the latest soccer game. Passion=volume, or so it seems in many parts of Europe. Don't worry, few deaths result from these discussions.
• If your hotel charges too much for breakfast or you just want a light one, think of a bar as a place where you can often go for a cheap combo of pastry and coffee in the morning.
• Most of what I've written about bars doesn't apply to the northern countries like England, Ireland, Sweden and Finland. The pattern seems to follow the weather; in warmer climes the alcohol content of the beer is lower, the population prefers wine over hard liquors, and the bars are seem to be more community oriented. In the north, problems with consumption of liquor have lead to a more segregated approach to drinking and bars are cut off from many aspects of community life.

I'm outta here. Why not write me and tell me what European subject you'd like me to rant about in the future?