Mauri 7

More important than a school itself is the place everyone goes to drink in afterwards, and for Lecoq students that place is definitely Mauri 7. In itself it can hardly be described as one of the more appealing cafes in Paris. It's hard to imagine how the iminenent smoking ban will affect it. At the moment in it constantly wreathed in a slimey film of cigarette smoke. Peering deeper into the smoke you'll either see a group of Albanian gangsters huddled round a motley pack of playing cards or one of drama students either still in the regulatory black movement clothes, or more dishevelledly artistic, (oh this old thing...), with a pile of plastic bags and food containers and half drunk coffees littering the table and moaning, 'but my group just won't listen to each other - we all talk at once!'. You can eat your own food in Mauri 7 whereas you have to buy it in Chez Jeanette. Mauri 7 -1 Chez Jeanette - 0.

Historically it was the cafe directly opposite, Chez Jeanette, that got our custom. People do still go there when they want to be quiet and get away from the main drag of students, but basically its Mauri 7 that gets our money. It's cheaper. Mauri 7 - 2 Chez Jeanette - 0.

Jeanette herself is a strange creature. I think the French word is acariatre, which roughly translates as cantakerous. Paola, our tiny, fierce professeur once said you can't open the door but she sighs as though the world is just too tiring and irritating to exist in. Drinking a coffee there you walk the tightrope of Jeanette's mood swings. Whereas across the street the lycra-clad Tim welcome's us with smiles and learned all our names while the teachers were still calling us all Jane. Mauri 7 - 3 Chez Jeanette - 0.

But Jeanette's is more beautiful with it's high ceilings, mirrors, little booths to sit in and its fading wallpaper. And it has the tradition of years of students tussling out problematic autocours and finding a way of creating together and then relaxing together afterwards. It's still the official venue after the second year soirees at the end of each term. Mauri 7- 3 Chez Jeanette - 2.

We have spent the past two Friday nights at Mauri 7. Last Friday for the first party of the term. A chance for the second years to seek out any lightly snogs amongst the first years, generally make them feel welcome and bask in the superiority of being a year on and having made it through the selection process into second year and for the first years to ignore this irritating condescension.