Belgian Café Culture
$30, By Regula Ysewijn, Luster, lusterweb.com
In this Belgian-focused issue of the magazine, it makes sense to highlight this newly revised edition of Regula Ysewijn’s Belgian Café Culture. A delicate and beautiful paen to the timeless culture of Belgium’s beer-focused drinking establishments, this thoughtful and loving tome is part anthropological document, part love letter, and part tourist guide to some of the most quaint and characterful cafés in a country that’s known for them.
From the first pages, we’re struck by both Ysewijn’s ability to capture a sense of place in her photographs, and her clear affection for the aging generation of café owners and operators. A rash of closures motivated her to pen the book in 2016, and the pace of those closures hasn’t ceased. It’s no surprise that Belgium’s beer culture faces a generational shift, as aging operators face retirement without successors to take over their hospitality-focused businesses. What’s lost as they disappear is more than just commerce—it’s the soul of an ingrained culture that’s important to the very nature of Belgian identity.