Cultural Truths according to kara

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Alright, so I thought that a few of you might find these cultural differences amusing (and I mean you, Sara) and I thought I should post another blog before I head off to Paris and Madrid tomorrow (yippeee!). Mind you, these are generalizations from my point of view only... strictly opinion. I'm not trying to stereotype, just summarizing what seems to be the obvious for me.


- French tabloids are full of American celebrities... and Sarkozy

- Stoplights here confuse me; the bus has it's own and walk signals never seem to go.

- Pubs are full at 5:30pm and dance clubs are empty until Midnight.

- Dogs have the right to poop anywhere and everywhere. And they do.

- A glass of wine is cheaper than a bottle of coke. And 2 euro bottles of wine are not to be feared!

- I bought 3 toblerone bars for cheaper than 2 packs of gum.

- There are almost 10 flavors of Special K here! And they are soooo much better! For example, "Red Berries" has dried cherries, raspberries AND strawberries. Now I can REALLY live off the stuff!

- It's proper to keep your fork in left hand, knife in right

- It is rude to keep your hands in your lap during a meal, keep them on the table

- Drinking glasses are tiny. No super gulp-size ANYTHING. Except wine. And no "To-Go" cups, which means no hot coffee on the way to class (sob.)

- I'm missing me some steak! (preferably Dad's steak...mmm) No nebraska/south dakota beef to be found. 'Steer' clear of hamburgers/steaks/etc because it’s NOT the same.

- Cheese is excellent in many many forms... block, melted, fromage blanc... even goat cheese is good but bleu cheese still smells like feet

- Dinner is eaten later here. If they are more formal, can last for 5 hours, as I established in my last blog.
- Crepe parties exist! And yes they are delicious and amazing.

- Nutella flows like peanut butter. And is cheap like peanut butter. We're talking HUUUGE jars. Peanut butter, on the other hand... is 6 euros for a tiny tiny jar (half of a small jif jar in the states) which if you convert it, that is about 9 dollars.

- Root beer does not exist because the French dentists use some kind of fluoride treatement that has a taste that resembles rootbeer so naturally no one craves that taste. I havent seen any doctor pepper either... coke or fanta is pretty much the norm

- In general, there is less personal space. In stores, in restaurants, etc. And in lines, if you aren't quick enough to fill the gap when the line moves, you are surpassed! I don't think they teach "no cutting in line" in the French educational system.

- Hooray for reliable public transportation! Except when there are strikes, busses are surprisingly timely.
- Not a lot of fast food, but sandwhich stores are everywhere! Justin, you would be in heaven with all the sammiches.

- Alright. So let's bring it up with the US Government that we NEED PATISSERIES! They are little bakeries with tartes and chocolate and croissants and just general goodness. I think the French are onto something here, and we should take notes.

- Small french women means by comparison... drumroll... I'm tall!!


So, there you have it. Hope it amused you. And hope you noticed that most of those... were about food. Because let's face it, I'm in love with french cuisine. Bien fait, les francais... well done.

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Comments

[Dwight Schrute]

Interesant!
I love this kinda stuff - cultural differences. find it fascinating - especially since i'm planning a trip to france and will most likely tune into all the cultural differences while there more than anything else. and, damn, no root beer :( thanks for posting this :D