should not trifle with our nerves. They tease us, [reminding us] how nice, pleasant, and carefree it used to be. They keep reminding us by way of contrast. The audience is not only more refined than at “Splendid”, but also more placid, tranquil. In sum, this establishment seems—perhaps fallaciously—calmer, more solid, and less pretentious. You will not see any nouveau-riche mugs here. Moreover, the orders are more modest, usually just an obligatory cup of coffee and a piece of cake. I did not notice anything else being ordered. There are quite a few intellectuals, clerks, physicians, and barristers. Fewer young people and relatively few unfamiliar faces. I did not enter the bar, so I do not know what it hides. I could not learn anything more. The atmosphere here is as if people have descended into hell to listen in to the music, to listen attentively to the melodies, and to recall the lyrics of the songs in which they used to delight.
Negresco is quite another thing. A small, modest, and simply furnished café. Small orchestra. Various performances. Mieczkowski sings that he’s “just a feller, neither Kohn nor Heller”. Satirical performances and parodies of the Order Police reports. Or [a performance of] Kinelski198 and Starski. But usually no aspect of the general atmosphere or the performances compares favourably to the cafés described above. This is why this café has fewer clients, if we exclude its bar-restaurant, which purportedly serves very good food (for every establishment has its own specialty). A modest dinner consisting of schnitzel, an appetizer, and vodka must cost more than 100 zlotys here. Nevertheless (just like at Adaś), as food remains the biggest attraction, it is a place where smugglers tend to spend larger sums of money. For they have healthy appetites. This is why some cheques for dinner total as much as 1,000 zlotys, when there are several people at the table and when they wash down their appetizers with alcohol. Cafés often function as [77] taverns, inns, and tiny cafeterias. There are plenty of them. An astronomical amount of money has gone into the cash register of the owners of the famous Pod Pipkiem Gęsim tavern! It is small, but it’s a goldmine. Inside, former wagoners and porters prove that the human stomach is enormous and that it can take in any food in any quantity.
