Monday, November 17, 2008

Controversy over Terrace heaters


"Would it make sense to heat your house and leave the windows open?" recently claimed 3 Green members of parliament (well "Députés" in French) who are currently trying to pass a law that would prohibit the use of terrace heaters in France. Needless to say that restaurants and cafés do not really share the same opinion; they argue that since the smoking ban it's the only way for them to keep smokers within their reach! Both parties use figures (CO2, watts, gas...) that do not match, of course. A very French debate... BTW, I took this photo rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, at the restaurant chez Julien, very nicely decorated.

51 comments:

  1. I wish I were there sending "wish you were here" postcards. Love the warmth in this inviting photo. Another wonderful post and photo Eric. I am always grateful for learning more about Paris issues, places, customs, people.

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  2. It looks so inviting, am I understanding correctly, it is heated even though it is outside? That would make it even more appealing.

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  3. Congratulations on GF Jill! I stayed up late but I was writing my post before Eric posted this photo and so it went onto yesterday's and I missed a shot at today's GF!!!

    So, bien joue, as they say!!

    Gramma Ann - those tall cone topped War of the Worlds alien looking things throw heat over the outdoor diners so they can enjoy the ambience and not turn blue! LA has both heaters and misters and I'm sure they use a ton of energy.

    I hadn't thought about how not green they are - our world is changing so fast. I liove eating outside, but I sympathise with the green deputies. What would Paris be without sidewalk cafes????

    Great photo Eric - I'll have to try this place before I can't eat outside there anymore!

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  4. It's an English debate too, though I've only seen a few of these outside heaters. It does seem a bit silly really to heat the outside air and you're right, these have become more popular since the smoking ban.

    Photo's pure gold though! :)

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  5. I agree with you Carrie, Paris just would NOT be the same without heated terraces. It's one of the things that makes Paris so special, being able to sit outside to eat in all weathers whilst people watching. I remember sitting at a terrace at Montmartre roasting alive with a paris map perched on top of my head for some sort of protection against the fierce heat it was throwing out!

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  6. I AM a smoker, so perhaps that makes me a little biased....

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  7. aHA! I was right! Chez Julian was next to that bridge. Luigi still ownes the premises and collects the rent from the Costes brothers, who are known for their chic restaurants. Wherever you sit, there is a great view. They are rather like Conran in London who buys fantastic locations for his restaurants,too. Again, Do NOT go for the over priced overrated food.
    Here in PHX, they use the same heaters, and in the oppressive summer, they pull out a structure that looks the same, but sprays water out to cool the air.

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  8. Lynn, I'm pleased you managed to disengage yourself from your virus on Saturday night! perhaps it's just as well we were interrupted, maybe things may have got out of hand! hehe

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  9. Carrie~~Thank you for the information, I do live a sheltered life. Sounds like fun.

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  10. I'm no great fan of the cold, but when I was a smoker I braved it to smoke outside even when there was somewhere inside to smoke. My personal feeling was that just because I was killing myself didn't mean I needed to kill others and since it was my choice to begin smoking in the first place then I'd just have to live with the other consequences like dealing with the cold. I'm all about the rights of smokers and all, but I don't really think terrace heaters are necessary when the average cigarette only lasts 5-7 minutes. But then that's just my 2 cents!

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  11. As a former smoker heaters or no heaters would not have stopped me from lighting up. Very few pubs have them here, but all pubs have smokers and they bave a howling gale for a puff on a cigarrette. Lovely golden tones bouncing over the pavement.

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  12. Nice to be able to sit outside even when the weather turns cool -- but not just so you can smoke. I don't any more but did at one time, so I get it. But if you can make it through the however many hours you have to go without smoking to take a flight somewhere, surely you can wait until you've left the restaurant to light up, n'est-ce pas?
    On the other hand, I'd like to be sitting there on that terrace right now, warm or cold, and even with second-hand smoke!
    Congrats, GF Jill. Will you add little heaters to the crown?

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  13. Just so you know, that comment from lilascott is really from moi (my daughter was here and forgot to log out after checking her e-mail on my computer.

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  14. Yikes! I'm going to try this one one more time: Those last two from lilascott are really me -- Alexa (if anyone even cares at this point, which I seriously doubt).

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  15. A very warm and inviting place! San Antonio uses these heaters on the Riverwalk. I can't see any real objection to them.

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  16. I love the gold, it's very inviting. We have those heaters here in LA, like Carrie mentioned. I can see both sides of this argument!

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  17. I won't get into the politicals of it, but it is a very nice photo Eric and whenever I do see those heaters, they remind me of Paris- kind of like the smoking in restaurants. It was part of what made Paris Paris.

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  18. PS- I have never been a smoker, but somehow I got used to it in Paris and did not mind it.

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  19. As much as I care for the environment, I love the terrace heaters!! I have many fond memories of enjoying a beer or coffee with some friends on the terrace late at night when, despite the evening chill, I still felt all warm and snuggly.

    I think Parisians are pretty good on the environmental-front. They don't all have A/C, most people ride the metro, consumption is lower, etc. Surely they deserve a small luxury like terrace heaters!

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  20. Very golden photo, Eric. And is that a new profile picture??

    We have a few places and times that those heaters need to be used. (mostly in the spring and fall, but oddly enough in the summer as well!!) I have to say that when they are on, they are lovely and you can actually eat without chattering teeth. Wonderful!

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  21. Heaters schmeeters...if they allow one more comfort to enjoy the outdoor terrace when its cold, I'm all for them...of course you're hearing this from someone who is from snow country. lol These heaters really do put out a lot of warmth I might add. My band's been grateful to have had them around when we've played in autumnal temps. Love the golden splendiferous colours too. BTW congrats Jill!

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  22. Okay, outdoor heaters aren't an issue in Victoria, British Columbia, but they should be! Part of the pleasure of dining al fresco is actually feeling the air, even if it is cool.

    Another pleasure of eating outside is enjoying the light, and I agree with everyone: the gold in this photo is gorgeous.

    Regardless of where you sit on this issue, I have to say: I just love this website.

    Thanks yet again, Eric

    Barbscoot

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  23. They are used all over America. I am for them!

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  24. Thanks Carrie, Alexa and coltrane_lives. I used to think GF was Golden Finger, like fast draw on the mouse!

    If Paris had our new law, the heater issue would probably be moot. Starting January 2009, Oregon's original 2002 smoke-free workplace law has been strengthened to state that no person may smoke within 10 feet of entrances, exits, windows that open, or ventilation intakes of public places or places of employment.

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  25. I think patio/terrace heaters are stupid because they are so high up - heat rises so how anyone feels the benefit from them, I don't know. However, passing a law to ban them is, I believe, going too far.

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  26. Wow - big question...
    I haven't answered it yet.
    Just two things in mind:
    - that makes a difference i appreciate
    - outside heaters and inside ones are not the same thing : at home people are able to close themselves the windows, aren't they?
    I'll try to think more about this! Nice colors anyway.

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  27. I first saw these outdoor heaters when I was in Denmark some years ago. Since then I've seen them here in a few places.

    I like them and hope they are not banned in Paris.. I look forward to sitting outside a cafe while there and hopefully will not freeze while doing it.

    Photo has a lovely golden glow.

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  28. The fuel that's used in them is the problem. I wonder if there's a different fuel that wouldn't pollute so much? Folks are putting their heads together to come up with so many great solutions to pollution problems, I'll bet there's a great alternative here.

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  29. We have the same debate going on. On a wider schem of things it does seem silly to me.

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  30. Beautiful photo, Eric!

    I used to love dining outside in the fresh air, but now that there is so much smoke on the terrace, I find myself going inside for fresh air!

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  31. "Would it make sense to heat your house and leave the windows open?"

    Well, this is different. This is going after small businesses trying to make a living by making their customers more comfortable. Remember, it's freezing in Paris a good part of the year, so they should be able to offer heat if they feel like paying for it.

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  32. These heaters are all over L.A., but I've never given them a thought in terms of pollution and energy, which just shows how wasteful we are here. Leaving aside the issue of the fuel being a pollutant, it doesn't seem to make much sense to legislate how people can use the energy they pay for. We can disapprove, certainly, and we can choose not to participate--for instance by not sitting under a heat lamp. But by this logic of banning, we would have to ban a lot more than heat lamps. In fact, there would be no end to it. The worst offenders in Southern Cal? Still the Apple stores that blow air conditioners while leaving their mammoth doors wide open.

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  33. Cafe Bastille in San Francisco has outside heaters. And, that is where the smokers hang out. I hang outside with them; although I do not smoke. They are my friends smoking or not.

    On another subject, Eric, this photo makes three (3) night photos in a row. You night owl, you. ;-)

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  34. > Lynn. "Photo's pure gold though! :)" It's natural actually (due top the street lamps)

    > Sue. "I AM a smoker, so perhaps that makes me a little biased...." It does!!

    > PHX-CDG. "Chez Julian was next to that bridge. Luigi still ownes the premises and collects the rent from the Costes brothers, who are known for their chic restaurants. Wherever you sit, there is a great view." Wow, you know a lot about these people...

    > Soosha. "I don't really think terrace heaters are necessary when the average cigarette only lasts 5-7 minutes. " True but they're not only for smokers, but also for people who just wish to have dinner outside even if it's chilly.

    >Alexa "Yikes! I'm going to try this one one more time: Those last two from lilascott are really me -- Alexa (if anyone even cares at this point, which I seriously doubt)." LOOOOOOL!

    > Christie. "And is that a new profile picture??" Yes, but by mistake...

    > Barbscoot. "Regardless of where you sit on this issue, I have to say: I just love this website. Thanks yet again, Eric". Thank YOU!

    > Tomate. "Well, this is different. This is going after small businesses trying to make a living by making their customers more comfortable." Actually you're right. The whole purpose of these heaters is to extend the space for customers...

    > Lois. "On another subject, Eric, this photo makes three (3) night photos in a row. You night owl, you. ;-)" Well not really, Lois, it's just that at this time of the year it gets dark around 5:30 here!

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  35. When are people going to figure out that 'global warming' is just the latest multi-million dollar scam?

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  36. We had a debate about cigarettes the last time we met @ les Deux Magots for the PDP gathering. Ashtrays are forbidden, heaters are forbidden, to throw your cigarette butt on the ground is forbidden too...
    French legislation, French rules, French useless debates...But that's why I love my country: people are ready to fight for everything!

    Eric, great golden picture, warm atmosphere (because of the heaters!), I really like it. You should zazzle it!
    BTW,"Pain Français Viennois"... I find it quite funny. :)

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  37. Eric, It gets dark here in San Francisco at around 5:30 too. So you are saying, you took the last three photo shoots at around 5:30 pm? No, never mind, you don't have to answer that :-)hahahaha

    Guille, "But that's why I love my country: people are ready to fight for everything!" You are so funny. LOOOLLL

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  38. I can totally understand this debate! My husband drives around with the air conditioning on in the car but he also has the sunroof open. Drives me crazy!

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  39. Eric - Gorgeous photo. Beautiful color and light. Very romantic. I had never thought of the environmental aspect of the outdoor heaters. Surprised it hasn't occurred to our green Mayor Newsome (San Francisco). If it does, they'll go the way of plastic bags. Sigh.

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  40. oh yes I wasn't suggesting you'd photoshopped it at all :) YOU are gold, Eric, after all.

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  41. Vive the outdoor heaters! We have the outdoor misters in the summer time that spray mists of cool water on people sitting outside. It probably never gets that hot in Paris!

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  42. Sue, we shall never know which paths we would have chosen... :)

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  43. Hands off the heaters! I love them - smokers get a rough deal - give us a break. Please?

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  44. Very nice picture.

    This is not a French debate though, but a European one.

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  45. Where is this cafe? I swear I was in it or one just like it in Paris.

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  46. I'm with the greenies on this. Not just because I hate trying to enjoy life while walking through a cloud of cigarette smoke just because some idiots want to kill themselves and make themselves incredibly unattractive at an early age, thereby doing the same to everyone around them, but because cigarette smoke is also bad for the environment. :) I'm pretty sure it's possible to go to a cafe and enjoy your time there for an hour or two without having to have a smoke.

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  47. By the way, we have these all over the U.S., too, but I've never heard of a debate over them. Perhaps I should start one... :) Join the rest of the world in their effort to make the world greener...

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