[Wings of Fire]

Cafes and restaurants are offering discounts and freebies to any of the 800,000 federal workers who are no longer at their desks.

At Sugarfire Smoke House in St Louis, the so-called Government Shutdown Sandwich - beef brisket, smoked turkey, pulled pork, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle - has been snapped up by employees unexpectedly kicking their heels this week. And it's free, no identity card required.

"We have a lot of government employees in St Louis," says restaurant owner Mike Johnson.

"I'm upset they're out of work just because these guys can't get along. We gave away 50 yesterday and 100 today. I'd give away 1,000 and I wouldn't care. If I lose a bit of money, so be it. I opened a year ago and it's been a good year."

There are dozens of similar deals - especially for sandwiches and baguettes - to be found in the cafes and restaurants of Washington DC and over the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia.

If I were American I'd feel very proud about that.