{"id":22722,"date":"2020-05-16T10:33:16","date_gmt":"2020-05-16T10:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/?p=22722"},"modified":"2024-09-28T00:47:42","modified_gmt":"2024-09-28T00:47:42","slug":"tabac-whats-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/tabac-whats-that\/","title":{"rendered":"Tabac? What’s That??"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What is a Tabac?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How’s is a Tabac different than a cafe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isn’t a Tabac a cigarette store?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it a French rule that there must always an old man standing at the counter?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Everyone seems to have a basic understanding of a bistro and a brasserie and we all mostly get the concept of a cafe (even though the lines can be blurred regarding those differences anymore).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Tabac, however, isn’t typically a tourist’s jam. It’s a French thing. A very<\/em> French thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s understandable why a Tabac might be off-putting to a foreigner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are some Parisians’ answers when asked  what a Tabac is and what a Tabac is and what purpose it serves to the French;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

A Tabac (bureau de tabac) sells tobacco products, postage stamps, maybe a few other things too. Oh, lottery tickets etc. And there is a caf\u00e9-tabac which is a caf\u00e9 in which there is a counter that sells the same things as the tabac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can often get a carnet of metro tickets at the counter of a Tabac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certainly combining a tabac with a bar of cafe is very common, paricularly in smaller towns.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And this is probably the most thorough explanation of a Tabac and what a Tabac does…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

A tabac is a place that sells tobacco products and often (incidentally) things like stamps, lottery tickets, and mobile phone recharges. They have a legal monopoly over tobacco, and a near-monopoly over stamps (post offices and tax offices can sell the stamps, too). A tabac can be a business on its own, or part of another business such as a caf\u00e9 or bar. There will be a red lozenge-shaped sign outside (it’s supposed to look like a cigar) if there’s a tabac inside. Outside normal business hours there may be a line of smokers outside waiting to buy cigarettes, if it’s open.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and another thing, a cafe can be a Tabac but a Tabac isn’t necessarily a cafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confused yet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Tabacs are small, dingy and an almost set-like hangout for locals to gather, argue, and wag their fingers at each other with typical Parisian flair. And drink of course. A Tabac is the locals’ neighborhood bar. Tabacs in more upscale districts are a little more likely to have a bit more ‘approachable’ charm. They offer cafe counters, sometimes a few banquettes and often solid, inexpensive French dishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A typical Tabac’s menu might feature;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Petit d\u00e9jeuner with items like…<\/em><\/p>

    \n
  • soft scrambled eggs<\/em><\/li>\n
  • toasted baguette\/bread with beurre and confiture<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Croissant with confiture<\/li>\n
  • boulangerie pastries<\/li>\n
  • coffee, au lait, teas, juices<\/li>\n<\/ul>

    Lunches and dinners…<\/p>

      \n
    • jambon beurre & other simple sandwiches (spelled sandwichs<\/em> in France)<\/li>\n
    • baked Camembert<\/li>\n
    • light salads<\/li>\n
    • onion soup<\/li>\n
    • beef bourgignon<\/li>\n<\/ul>

      And de rigeur…<\/p>

        \n
      • wine<\/li>\n
      • beer<\/li>\n
      • simple booze drinks<\/li>\n
      • aperitifs like Lillet, Vermouth & Ricard<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

        The things that a Tabac encompasses are the things that locals do and need on a regular basis, not usually things in which tourists participate so there’s not always a reason to solicit a Tabac if you aren’t running Parisian errands<\/em>. Don’t let that stop you from experiencing something that may well represent one of the most French things you can do as a visitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        So find a Tabac that suits your style, sidle up to the bar or grab a stool at the counter and listen, look and learn…local life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        What is a Tabac? How’s is a Tabac different than a cafe? Isn’t a Tabac a cigarette store? Is it a French rule that there must always an old man standing at the counter? Everyone seems to have a basic understanding of a bistro and a brasserie and we all mostly get the concept of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22722"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22722"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22722\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36530,"href":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22722\/revisions\/36530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}