Yesterday, we ducked into a bar called Sarajevo for Grubb’s much needed cappuccino. I noticed the young guy behind the bar was not a native French speaker and to my untrained ear, I thought it could be Turkish or perhaps Croatian. When I asked where he was originally from (crossing my fingers I wasn’t making an etiquette error), he said Yugoslavia. Still a homeland even though it no longer exists.
And then it came time to pay. Shockingly, he said “cash only” and said “sorry, it’s safer in case of aggression “. I’m still letting that percolate through my brain. I did have a few Euros tucked into my purse so we weren’t forced to wash dishes or tend bar to pay for our coffees.
Curious about migration in this area, I asked ChatGBT to dredge up some information. In the 1920s, there was a wave of economic migrants from Yugoslavia who mostly settled around Liege because of labor opportunities. Primarily coal mining, later iron and steel working. In the 1990s there was another major wave of Yugoslavians fleeing the war. In the 1960s, Belgium signed a labor agreement with Turkey and Morocco. Again, many came to Liege.
That explains the languages I hear and also the many women dressed in hijab. Niqab (full face veils) are banned in public spaces in Belgium as they also are in France and some other European countries.
I wonder if he misused the word aggression? Maybe he meant recession?
Pretty sure he meant aggression. Coming from Yugoslavia