Who isn’t ready to enjoy a fine day sitting on the terrace of a café, even if there are some restrictions? Are you longing to savour a hot chocolate, sip a coffee, quaff a beer, and rediscover the unique and authentic taste of conviviality? Well, put on this hat which will cast its idiotic shade over your noggin, which will be suddenly transformed into an octopus’s head, a cornet of chips, or a sundial to tell the exact time on Jupiter, Titan, or Saturn. Let’s not mock the practical-mindedness of our German cousins: order and discipline are not subjects to be taken lightly over there and had no need of such an eccentric reminder. It was just a clever and reassuring ruse to allow bars and restaurants to stay open despite the ominous shadow of the coronavirus.
On the other side of the Rhine, in the country of style and elegance, people would a thousand times rather see their bistrot or brasserie close up for good than wear, even for thirty seconds, a hat sporting foam spikes. This is not just a question of style, but clearly also one of History.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/15/europe/german-cafe-noodle-distancing-scli-intl-grm/index.html