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How paradoxical where so much has been done to limit cigarettes' cunsumption : sky high taxes, advertisement ban (Loi Évin), imposed shocking packaging, none of those tough policies have deterred young schoolgoers from starting smoking with their friends.
I lived in France for four years back in the 80s when I was in my twenties. When I came home there were three things that struck me, two of which you mentioned: smoking was not as accepted here as it was in France and there seemed to be so many obese people. As you said, there are overweight people in France, but it was very noticeable when I came home. The third thing I immediately noticed was when I left the airport and saw all the huge American cars. Cars in France back in the 80s were very small so the size difference stood out right away. This was such an interesting video, Diane. Thank you!
On the cars, though there still is a noticeable size difference on both sides of the ocean, it's not as obvious nowadays, due to the disappearing of land yachts in the U.S. and the fashion of SUV's in France/Europe (like in most of the world). Another thing that has changed for the last few years a majority of new cars sold (not including EV's) are automatic gear - Europeans are moving away from manual gear.
If you think flags and saying the pledge of allegiance is over the top, you might be shocked to hear some states are proposing legislation to require - not allow, but mandate - Christian bibles and daily prayer in public schools. I'm not sure how that's going to work for those of us who are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, agnostic or some other religion but I'm fairly sure it is not like that in France.
It is plainly illegal in France where your religious beliefs are private and must not be on display in public spaces such as schools (75% of schools are public schools), shops, public services, transports, streets- basically anywhere but dedicated religious spaces and private homes. All in the name of mutual respect and in long remembrance of the Wars of Religions in the 16th/17th centuries when persecutions were carried out by royal Catholic power against other Christian believers.
True, but France is kind of an exception here, due to very strong laws separating the church and the state in the early 1900s. Just cross the border, go to Germany and you'll see way more religion in schools. And I believe in some schools of Alsace-Lorraine which belonged to Germany when the laws came into effect, there are still religious signs in some schools. Which always shocks me.
@@Dfg11333 There are, and religion courses are proposed (can switch for morals or foreign culture/language). But it's not Alsace-Lorraine, it's Alsace+Moselle.
@@valerieh84 Il faut nuancer votre propos : Il est légal de porter des signes religieux dans la rue, aucune loi n'interdit le port du voile islamique ou de la kippa dans la rue ou les magasins. Seuls les fonctionnaires n'ont pas le droit d'afficher leurs croyances religieuses ou politiques sur leurs lieux de travail . Si vous êtes chauffeur de bus pour une commune ou professeur dans un lycée, vous ne pouvez pas avoir de vêtement religieux.
Tipping really has gone insane here in the US. It's a post-COVID thing. We'd tip people for services during the pandemic and now it's just everywhere. (Also, I think the companies like to add it on and not give it to emplyeees, but that's just me and my conspiracy theories). I've been to Paris twice and I was glad to know I can leave a 1-2 Euro coin as a thank you. I had one cafe literally say, "Dont forget to add your tip" because they knew I was American. I looked the waiter dead in the eye and said, "This isn't America." He was shocked I knew. Anyway, thanks for the great videos! They've been helpful. :)
The highway billboards that are most distracting (here in the northeastern US) are the electrified ones that change every few seconds. Damgerous for sure
I'm in New England and travel through NH, VT, and ME very frequently, and don't recall seeing any on 95, 93, 89, 90, or 91. Route 1 on the other hand - it's like one massive carnival. So DANGEROUS!
One day I saw a street interview on French television. The journalist asked passers-by if they would be in favor of opening shops and restaurants on Sundays. They all answered yes but the second question was: Would you agree to work on Sundays? They all answered no. In France, the quality of family life is the priority. In the USA, greed runs society.
@@rowenn1729 mostly in touristic region. It's very commong to see restaurant and shop closed on sunday, sometimes monday or wednesday too (mostly bakery)
@JohnBob-j9h restaurants opened on sundays close on monday. Every restaurant in France has a days off. Same for hairdressers. But in France businesses are usually closed on mondays more than sundays
Yes, to almost everything and every video of yours regarding living in Europe (France) except for the small talk because I have lived in Spain (Barcelona) for 20 years. In Spain people are way more social than in France, at least regarding small talk. I'm originally from the Mid-West (USA), so I understand just about every experience you have had, both positive and negative, but I absolutely love living in Spain. After so many years abroad I don't think I could ever adjust again to life in the US. Thanks for sharing your experiences 🥰
In Portugal last month I was caught by surprise when the price for something was the same as the listed price. Like not having to leave a huge tip in a coffee shop, this felt like a new kind of freedom.
In Europe price listed have to be the ones you ll pay. Including taxes and/or promotions. It s crazy that you can t know what the final price will be in the USA.
I'm cringing just imagining these nightmares popping every 5 minutes ! The only wildly mainstream US medium I listen too is the Scrubs review podcast. Now they put 5 to 6 min of advertising every 10-15 minutes !!! It's insane, that's driving me crazy. Fortunately I can skip them with one finger-push.
Prescription drug advertising was prohibited until the 1980s. Deregulation of prescription drug advertisement, as well as that for lawyers, funeral homes, and Lord only knows what else was enacted by the Reagan administration.
I live here in the United States and I get culture shock just going home to Canada for a visit! When I moved from San Francisco to the mountains of North Carolina I thought I was stuck in another dimension entirely.
I moved from the US to France in 2006. I 100 percent agree with ALL of this!! I also appreciate your non judgemental and informed ways of presenting this stuff!! I get reverse culture shock over how meals are done in the US (so quickly!)
French guy here... Regarding the flag, I display it for the rugby and soccer world cups. I did also get it out after the attacks at the Bataclan of other places in France :-( . French are said to be chauvinistic, but it's nothing compared to numerous other places, inclluding USA. One reason for that : our critical thinking is quite sharp, and it applies over ourselves too...
The food in the US is so nutrition poor and so full of corn syrup and sugar that its an uphill battle. Stress is a big factor. Poverty is a big factor. Its rooted in corporate greed.
I’ve never found any corn syrup on my BBQ. Nor in my cornbread. Nor in my collards. Nor in my steak. Nor in my stew. Or in anything I cook except my pecan pie. That recipe calls for 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of Karo corn syrup (or molasses) 3 raw eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 3 cups of pecans.
@ no. Overeating is the culprit. Nothing more. Nothing less. I eat more in a single meal than most Europeans eat all day. When I’m not fasting breakfast is normally 3 to 4 extra large eggs, a quarter pound of bacon or sausage, a large serving of hash browns covered with gravy (either S.O.S., sausage gravy, or tomato gravy) or if not hash browns then a large portion of buttered grits or cheese grits, 3 hot buttered buttermilk biscuits with fig preserves, a large glass of milk and another of apple juice, plus my coffee. Dinner will be a half pound of whatever meat plus one or two large helping of a starch (potatoes, corn, rutabagas, etc.) and multiple helpings go vegetables seasoned with bacon grease. Supper will be the same as dinner but I increase the meat to about a pound.
Hi Diane This vidéo is probably one of your best ones. I am French and I spent 5 years in thé bay area. I really felt this reverse culture shock back in France. All what you describe is really familiar to me. Congratulations and thank you for this great video. Bruno
So glad you enjoyed it, Bruno. Thanks so much for your kind comment. Did you enjoy the subject matter, or the style of delivery or the edits? Just looking for feedback on what stood out. ;-)
The subject matter and the way you treat it. You have now a good understanding of the french culture and the ability to watch the american culture with french eyes as I was watching french culture with american eyes
@@brunoduverge6978 slt , je pense pas vraiment que l'on puisse dire que les habitudes et les coutumes sont des cultures, cultures urbaines, peut être, moi rien ne me choc aux US on est fier de notre patrimoine et eux ont leur drapeau, les pubs ont été règlementé des les années 90, il y avait pratiquement autant de pubs sur les routes, l'Obésité est souvent du au fait que les distances à faire au quotidien ne sont pas les mêmes aux US et qu'il faut souvent prendre la voiture, les habitudes alimentaires sont différentes ok, par contre l'activité physique est plus culturelle aux US du fait de la scolarité sur le long terme qui est différente, pour le reste on est aussi con qu'eux.. pour le dimanche, c'est un pays de pionniers et donc ils ont pas le temps de se reposer..
Much less public smoking is a big plus in the US. Concerning small talk with people in retail, it's very rare in the large California metro area where I live. The experience is pretty cold. I enjoy the friendly small talk with clerks when I'm in a lot of other parts of the US, such as the Midwest. I never saw direct-to-consumer pharma ads when I was growing up (I'm in my 50s). They didn't start appearing on TV until the late '80s. Concerning billboards, I had only taken the train in France on different visits, so had assumed that the expressways would look similar to the US. When I finally rented a car there in 2023 and drove across northern France, I was happily surprised to see how beautiful all the roads were, including the larger toll highways - no billboards except for those pretty official signs indicating the exit for the different forest reserves and historic sites.
I had reverse culture shock after returning from being stationed at a small overseas base. We had maybe five choices of shampoo: baby shampoo, guy’s shampoo, couple of women’s brands, and a dandruff shampoo. Which is sort of a lot. Until you get back to the states and there were 40-50 different shampoos, 40-50 body washes, 20-30 soaps. I couldn’t make a decision. I just stared at them. Ended up buying the one I always bought when had a choice of five.
Have you been to the doctor or dentist, even to the pharmacy in the US?. I went to the dentist because I had to replace a cap. I was charged $3500 and they wanted to do another $1500! A couple of days ago my cardiologist sent me to a clinic to scan my heart before and after a vélo ride. I had no idea what would happen next. First they shot me up with some radioisotope and told me to drink at least 3 glasses of water. An hour later I was face down in an MRI like device to scan my heart. Then I waited a half hour and another cardiologist monitored me on the vélo. I was a little distracted at the end when I was supposed to go all out, doing 100 revolutions a minute, then boom they were shooting me up with more isotopes. An hour later I was back at the scanner. They had told me to bring my carte verte et carte blue, so I was expecting to pay something at the end. Instead I was told to go home. That’s when I realized that the carte blue was to pay for parking! 11 € was the total bill! I was laughing the whole time because I couldn’t believe how much high cost care I was receiving! 3.5 hours of cardiology for 11€! I realize this is reversed, but I have always been shocked going for medical care and medicine in the US. SHOCKED!
Sadly, NC lawmakers passed a bill this year to allow more trees to be cut down for billboards. The trees are one of the things visitors notice when they come here... part of what makes NC beautiful!
About obesity in the US: probably at some point in the future a whistleblower will reveal collusion between the corn industry (corn syrup is EVERYWHERE in the US if you didnn't know), the processed food industry, and the healthcare giants who benefit from it all (yes, BENEFIT is the word).
The FDA is very obviously corrupted to the core, as are every last public or private institution in the USA. They reflect very well the american people themselves: they are all for-profit. In a sense, the corrupt system in the USA fits american people very well. When you see that most try to monetise even their hoobies, you can't be surprised that the FDA wants to monetise its decisions.
As corn is subsidized by the government, they have to figure out to do with all the excess corn. The solution was HFCS and selling it cheap to USA food manufacturers.
Good luck proving a collusion. There are shared interests for sure (corn is subsidised by the gov, it s cheap for food industries. it is addictive, so great to hook clients on it). The disease coming in it s trail are just a bonus for the pharma groups. But i doubt the pharma are directly petitionning congressmen to keep the subventions on corn rolling.
I traveled to my home state of California with my Latvian friends. They were shocked by the homelessness. We also went to Vegas and saw almost 0 homeless people. But I had really forgotten how bad the situation was
@@MrRyanSandberg I've lived in Vegas 2x and trust me there are homeless. If you remained along the strip that is it's own township. They just relocate them to other parts of Vegas.
There are not less ads on the highways ( paid roads). They are forbidden. Small talk is not common. But don’t ever enter a store, bus or restaurant w iront saying hello. Or leave without saying thank you and goodbye. Also never talk about your salaries in a friendly conversation.
I'm French and that first point is often infuriating to me : I don't smoke and I don't appreciate the smell of it one bit and a lots of smokers just don't give a shit, they'll pump the nicotine right in your face without paying attention. The worst is probably at restaurants : I NERVER ever take an outside seat ("en terrasse" as we say) because you can smoke there and a lots of people just do that while eating, it ruins the meal for me as I can't ignore the smell.
@@mariametz592 i'm a smoker, when i'm at terrasse i choose the table which exterior to front wind, to not poison people enjoying the meal , restricting my consumtion, i know its unbearable to some ppl, so sorry, a smoker
I have been a heavy smoker for 20 years. I stopped entirely 3 years ago. Many of those who drop tobacco start to react as if it was unsufferable to have someone smoking nearby. But i don't care at all if anyone smokes near me. I like the smell. I am not disgusted, and if i were to start smoking all over again because of something like that, that would be my failure for being a weak-*** who can't make his decisions properly and stick by them. While for a wide array of different reasons, it is a good thing that people can't smoke everywhere, at this point, there should be limits to entitlement. Smokers have very little space of freedom remaining, and their freedom is not worth any less than that of non smokers. All this is really annoying.
@@nox8730 That's nice for you that you stopped and that you won't yield to tobacco smell around you, but frankly that's kinda beside the point. I'm not after the freedom to smoke and I can tolerate it anywhere else, but not during meal time. I'll still keep despising those that aren't mindful of other people and public space though and that include littering because it rubs me the wrong way that you can easily count dozen of stub on the ground within a few meter radius around you almost anywhere in Paris street. I'm fine being called entitled for that.
I'm from Kentucky and moved to Germany in 1992. I experience culture shock every time I visit the USA, even from things like seeing green interstate signs instead of the European blue ones. I agree with all ten of your shocks.
Reverse culture shock is so real! Even now I remember 35 years ago coming from a Saharin country and going to a grocery store full of vegetables. The abundance was overwhelming!
I'm doing tapif now, and I've showed my classes students doing the ''pledge of allegiance'' and several classes have told me ''this looks like a cult''
One american who moved to Europe, once pointed out that the only comparable occurence in Europe he knew of pledge on the flag came from Nazi Germany. Makes sense people would compare that to a cult.
The thing missed about tipping in the US is that it's a way for businesses to artificially make their prices seem lower by basically forcing a big chunk of employee wages onto the customer without actually or expressly charging the customer for it. That makes things seem cheaper when in fact, from the view outside the US, it looks like taking advantage of workers. (PS: Not surprisingly the US has some of the worst labour laws in the world...) It's similar to how in Europe, taxes are included in the price since you have to pay it and every business has to charge it - so there's no competitive advantage not to just roll it in, while in the US the taxes are separated (often to remind the customer that they are paying a tax - the most hated thing in the US), again making things seem cheaper than they really are.
Ok Diane, one issue that I think is a fallacy is about meal sizes. I just returned from my 6 week exploration of France - my first time in Europe. I seriously don’t know how the French can sit down and have an appetizer, main dish and often dessert or cheese. I found the portions much bigger than expected, and could never order a 3 course meal without wasting a lot of food. I ate out mostly at lunchtime, too... usually just a main or an entree and maybe a coffee. I ordered carpaccio for lunch in Bergerac and got a platter of meat much thicker than what is served here - it seemed like a pound instead of a few ounces with fries! That was the most shocking thing I encountered. But totally loved my trip and will be retiring to France in a couple years. Can’t wait to get there!
So glad you had a nice trip!! Where did you visit? I think there's a bit of variation with portion sizes in France. You'll often see fixed menus that are plat/dessert or entree/plat for lunch and then all three for dinner. Some restaurants do serve larger portions than others. But many might do a small bowl of seasonal soup, a protein (reasonable portion) with veggies, and then a small slice of something for dessert. In the U.S., I feel like everything is bigger and a lot of people take food home and/or walk out feeling stuffed. Even with all 3 courses (and wine), I'm satiated but rarely stuffed in France. That said, there are restaurants that serve bigger portions but that hasn't been my experience overall. To go a step further, French people generally eat out less than Americans and if they know they're going out to a special meal, they'll eat lighter that day so they can fully enjoy each dinner course. Also, the French snack less so when it's time for dinner, they're hungry! Anyway, that's my 2 cents. ;-)
@ that’s fair - I almost always take half a meal home but I intend to thoroughly investigate this in the future. 😉 I started in Paris, then Amboise, Chateauroux, Chateau De Lalande in the Creuse, then to the southwest, Issigeac, Bergerac, Villereal, Agen, villeneuve sur lot, Beziers, Toulouse, and had several days in Valencia Spain and flew in and out of Bordeaux which I didn’t really like much. I wasn’t really doing normal tourist stuff just seeing if I could live there…
mm bergerac, the perigord is know for large and generous cuisine. My family root are from there and trust me it's a tradition over there to never let someone hungry.
@@lollygee172 did you find a place that suited you? Also think about medical care, u don’t want to be in a medical desert. I spent some time in Nice in Oct and enjoyed it. I loved swimming in the ocean. I saw a lot of folks swimming and they would have a dry bag attached to them. Also loved the little specialty shops, esp the patisseries, boulangeries, chocolate shops.
I visited countries in West Africa in 1985 (former French colonies). It was a great culture shock to be immersed in the 3rd world (no pictures can replace the experience). However returning to the US was an even greater culture shock, as everything you might need was available and being pushed on you all the time. Always nice to see you Diane!
Totally get it! I think the biggest culture shock for me was Rwanda and how there are metal detectors outside every store and building and police with huge machine guns. I did a few double takes my first couple of days.
As a french, the North American way of being overly friendly and open to others gives me the creeps 😬 like, we both know we're not friends and you don't care about me, why are you trying to play a role ? Kinda like movies when the hero arrives in a very friendly community, but he learns they are cannibals and he has to escape 😅
Hi Diane... greetings from UK👋 I think we are much more similar to France than we are to the USA... Although we're more like the USA with regard to small talk.
As an older person I remember when drugs ads didn't exist. My mother was a registered nurse and there were drug ads in a nursing magazine she subscribed to but they were quite different from what we see today. I agree with you about guns.
I try to avoid places that want tips. The local butcher gets all annoyed if I don’t tip, so I fixed that by not shopping there. I have found small corner stores and take out places where I don’t have to tip much
I've lived in France frequently, but the biggest reverse culture shock I experienced was when I lived there for a year when I was 19. When I came back to the US one of the first things I needed to do was to get some things at the store including shampoo. I was used to the few options on the shelf at the local Monoprix (in Paris). But in the US there was an entire aisle of shampoo!!! I had to ask for help to understand what the differences between them was.
Right? I've lived in Germany since 1992, but we lived in New York for three years about a decade ago. When I first got to Germany, I was underwhelmed and disappointed by the lack of choice while shopping. In the U.S. I was often so flabbergasted by the choices that I ended up not buying anything.
That was over thirty years ago! Now we have double aisles of haircare and the choices in the supermarkets have increased enormously. I came to France in the eighties and you can't compare that to now at all! At the the time we had a prix unic and a tiny and they were the size of the village supermarkets nowaday. I live near a small town in the south west of France and we have two big Intermarchés, one Carréfour market one Carréfour contact, a casino, a Lidl an Ald I and a Netto supermarket. The town has about 11 000 inhabitants, so things have definitely changed, I sometime wonder though, if it is really for the better. Before we hadmso many small shops downtown and many of them are closed now. But what rests a staple is Butcher and charcuterie and Bakeries, we have eight butchers and 10 artisanal and two industrial bakeries, which I frequent instead of the supermarket. Many French in this rural region prefer to buy their meat in their boucherie de confiance, where the origine of the meat is insured and the quality is largely superior to the meat in the supermarkets. And our Saturday farmer's market is really booming and I buy all my organic vegetables there.
@@jackienaiditch7965 well, I lived in the US from 1970 to 1976 and there were things that were better than in germany, and other much worse. That was in wa0est Virginia and what imüressed me the most was the extreme poverty in the rural areas. I had never seen anything like it in Germany. On themother hand, the christma theater in Charleston really made my head spin. Every the Christmas Song were blasted out and you could not escape from it and the hugemamount of present everybody baught kind of shocked me. I come from a fairly well to do upper class family and still... we did not go overbord like that. We had our tall christmas tree and all the beautyful decorations, but most of them where sort of heirlooms and very precious and individual and the christmastree was decorated by my parents the 24th of Dezember and the kids were not allowed to see it until we had sung christmas carrolls and heard the chiming of the little bell that allowed us to enter the living room. I felt Christmas in the morning had lost all it's charme and mystery when I came to the US. The tree was shedding it's needles, nold morning light was just ... boring and pale, compared to the nighttime romantik lighting of the tree with real candles and the wonderful small of the pinetreeneedles and the bees wax candles.
Yay, Monoprix! Like a Target but with everything you need in a smaller space and better, not to mention the deli. Also, one of the best cognac I've had came from Monoprix - go figure.👍
About french stores closed on sundays, it's funny that France, a republic with no state religion, kept this christian habit (7th day is rest day) whereas the US ("in God we Trust") which is a lot more religious didn't. In France, we also had the habit to eat fish instead of meat on fridays. It's less true today but you can still find this in restaurants sometimes ("plat du jour"). I wonder if it's the same in the US?
I remember being on a roadtrip to California in 2017. (We are from Norway) Driving Highway 1. First driving past a liquer store and a bar, open late at night, and then a couple of turns later - a big road sign "You should not be drinking and driving.." I agree with all of what you are saying. In Norway, everything is closed on Sundays, the price on the tags are what you pay. But, I love the Americans being open and chatty at the check out or where ever. They are always helpful if you need assistance. I was in London last week, and on the tube (underground) walls it was commercials of alcohol. Very strange for us. We flag on occations, like constitution day, the King and Queens Birthdays and other flagdays. But they have to be taken down before sunset.
That's an amazing drive! Tom and I did it right before we got married. The thing that caught me off guard in the UK were all the horse racing/gambling "stores" dedicated just to placing bets.
I haven’t been back to the states in 5 1/2 years. When I did, I would say “Bonjour” every time I walked in a place for the first few days. The pledge was still being said in 2017 in my Colorado school where I worked!
Bonjour Diane. I just returned from Paris (and Strasbourg) 2 days ago. I thought about you/your channel frequently. I never notice the different crutches until you pointed them out. I had boudin blanc at breakfast (yum), and bought lots of inexpensive yet tasty food items from the grocer...which i always do. This was my first trip to France in 4 yrs. I was surprised by the number of overweight people and the lines at KFC, 5 Guys, and other fast food places. While clerks aren't chatty, when I go to a bar/club, the people are very friendly and enjoy talking (just talking). I expect cultural differences when traveling outside the US so never a shock. However, I do experience it within the US by region and socioeconomic classes.
Hi Kurt, thanks so much for thinking of me. I hope you had great trip. Did you hit any of the Alsace Christmas markets? I've only been to the region once and it wasn't this time of year. I NEED TO GO!
@OuiInFrance yes, for 2 days. Fun but once is enough. Some items were locally made and beautiful but most were mass produced and can be found at any retailer. But it was festive and beautiful so worth the trip. Several people suggested to go to smaller towns in the area because less crowded and commercial but no car.
Hi ! I’m french and I think that you have become FRENCH ! Hip hip hip Hourra 🇫🇷!! Your reaction towards the flag and weapons have convinced me 😊. AND, btw, I love it when your say french words because your accent is SO good with still a very charming tiny american tone left.
j'ai vécu qq années entre le brésil et la Belgique, à chaque trajet je devais me réhabituer aux avantages et inconvénients de chacun de mes pays, comme j'ai fini par le ressentir, ni l'u ni l'autre était mauvais ou idéal, juste une manière de vivre différente
Ahah I've been back home (France) for almost a year after 9 years in the US and I definitely feel this! (I feel the small tall the opposite way, I have to refrain to talk randomly with people in France)
Lol, I never took to small talk myself, I find the absence of it peaceful. My reverse culture shocks include: "why is everyone smoking everywhere?", "why is everyone so abrasive?", "why is food sold in such small packages?" and "why is butter so incredibly delicious?"
@@rosiebowers1671Hi from Brittany, on the Atlantic shore. You made me laugh with butter: we eat a lot of it in my province, salted butter. One funny saying is "sans beurre, un Breton meurt !", which I could translate as "To deprive a Breton from butter is really to commit a murder !" in order to keep the rhyme. You'd certainly love our local biscuits.
The gun culture is the top reason we've considered relocating, and that's in Washington State where gun laws are fairly strict. Is it possible to experience culture shock in your own country without having left? Because that's how I feel sometimes and I expect to feel it more come January.
Probably like many places, the city I live in has grown so fast in the last decade or so that it's constant culture shock. Was just thinking that I needed to just drive around in sections on a sort of schedule just to keep up with changes!
Yep. Still saying The Pledge of Allegiance (Michigan) I have also been working related meetings where the pledge was recited. (government) Bonus round, then an opening prayer. The south is wild y’all.
I'm not okay with smoking also. I must say that this is not everywhere here, and less accepted than before. The most annoying is at the train station, while waiting for the train (outside). Even while the train is stopping for 3 min you can see someone going outside for a quick smoke. In fact at least outside of places where you need to wait. But the most annoying of all is at bars or restaurants terraces. The waiter would ask you for a table inside or outside. Choose inside even if no-one is smoking yet (even and even more in summer). Because outside... when finally your dish is on the table and you are going to appreciate the moment, a brief wind of tobacco smoke will ruin the experience. This is often the case. They are even smoking between dishes. I even had "friends" who were leaving me alone during the dinner at the restaurant to smoke outside... in winter. There is also café-clope, that is frequently seen. It happens many times during the working day, they go outside to smoke and drinking coffee. With service jobs non smokers are usually working during it to keep the service on. That's someway unfair. Otherwise it's okay 😁
It's no longer allowed ... since the 90s. When I was a kid, some restaurant even had two separate smoking / non-smoking areas, separated by ... nothing. And it was such a heated debate, with so many people complaining about the restriction. And even today, my kids who grew up in the Bay Area are constantly complaining when we go to restaurants and want to eat outside, because someone on a table next to us may decide to smoke at some point. For me the reverse culture shock happened once when I landed at CDG airport, stepped outside on the arrivals pickups and got my lungs full of smoke in seconds. Yeah, I did not miss that.
@@Qwazerty-x4z It's forbidden to smoke in train stations even outdoor, even if people do it. Also if non smokers don't take their breaks it's on them, by law everyone has the same amount of time, it's discretionary to the HR to decide how to organize it but in the end if people don't go on breaks it's a personal custom rather than anything related to be or not to be a smoker.
Just a small precision on the smoking thing. While there are more smokers in France, they smoke a little less. The consumption of tabacco per capita is slightly higher in the USA (1083 cig/hab/year) than in France (993 cig/hab/year).
In France, the legal closing hours of shops are regulated by law. Indeed, shops are obliged to close their doors at least one day a week. They usually do this on Sundays. For merchants who open on Sunday mornings such as bakeries, pastry shops, grocery stores, some supermarkets and others, they are forced to close on a weekday. En France, les horaires légaux de fermeture des magasins sont réglementés par la loi. En effet, les magasins ont l’obligation de fermer leurs portes au moins un jour par semaine. Ils le font généralement le dimanche. Pour les commerçants qui ouvrent le dimanche matin comme les boulangeries, pâtisseries, épiceries, certains supermarchés et autres, ils sont obligés de fermer un jour de semaine.
Hi Diane. While smoking cigarettes might be less in the US, smoking pot is almost everywhere especially when you’re driving behind another car. Tipping is dominant in the US. I took my granddaughters to see Moana 2 preceded by supper at California Pizza Kitchen. The suggested tip amount started at 23%. I left 30% because the young lady server was excellent! She was very grateful too. Gun culture in the US is out of control. Especially in south NJ where I live. Gun shops and shooting ranges are prolific. And Flag flying has become a political statement rather than an act of patriotism. So I fly the French flag and the Betsy Ross original flag or the flag of Puerto Rico. How about political ads? Integrity of the content be dammed and mean spirited ads everywhere. Not to mention the never ending text, emails and phone call soliciting small sums of contributions to candidates who are receiving multiple of millions from super pacs. As to obesity, kids in school are fed crap, fake food and it’s even worse when they get home. The supermarket bread aisles especially offer fake bread full of chemicals unless you choose to spend $8 and up for a small loaf of sliced bread. Not many boulangeries around here. So I make my own bread and give it as gifts. The two largest aisles in the supermarket are the breakfast cereal aisle and the soda aisle. That doesn’t even include the snack aisle which now begin with displays in the entrances. Not about gluttony rather it’s about marketing and profit margins. So I’m looking forward to my upcoming month in France where this stuff, if it exists, is less prevalent. Thank you so much for your videos. Joseph.
You bring up a really good point, Joe, about the marijuana smoke. I was in NYC shortly after it was legalized (but hadn't realized) and it was so strange smelling weed every other block. When I went to college in NYC, it was illegal then so that was a bit of a surprise. And in FL, medical marijuana is legal but you don't really smell it just walking down the street, since people tend to drive and not walk. I like generous tippers. ;-) I'm sure she appreciated 30%! Thank you as always for your support!
"Gun culture" I believe this is a misnaming. This is no culture at all. This is doctrine. The word "culture" has these implied concepts attached to it these days: "not worse than yours", "should be respected", "should be promoted", "those who can't respect that should get proper retribution". That kind of thing. The word has lost its meaning and is now over abused. Putting the word "culture" just next to the word "gun" is already part of the problem in USA. It is not neutral and suggests a form of inherent, embedded idea of "respectability". THze expression should be dropped. Well, at least, this is just how i see it from behind my screen. Maybe it is worth nothing.
@@nox8730 agreed. But I didn’t name it that. I suppose I could have parenthesized culture. As far as I am concerned, guns should be outlawed as in France. We’re no longer fighting King George.
@@JD987abc Guns are not outlawed in France. My father had various manual handguns, winchesters and even a sniper rifle and a hand cannon. But it was no 'culture' at all. It was not a statement, either. He liked competitive shooting, crafting his own bullets, and miniature trains^^. What is different in France is law: he was regularly controlled by the "gendarmerie", was registered on a list, and had a solid safe which key i never saw in my life. Plus, the only time we had a conversation about guns during the family evening meal was when he took me to the shooting range when i was something like 14. And it was more about surrounding circumstances than the guns themselves. Loving guns as items is what is creepy. Those were tools meant to kill from the beginning. The products of war. Unrelentingly loving them as items without considering them for what they truly are is disrespecting History. I know that the USA does not truly understand the devastation of war and carnage and they handle guns and bombs so casually that it is infuriating beyond measure. But that means that guns have been made to pass for toys, like miniature trains. This, if nothing else, illustrates perfectly how sick the USA is as a whole. It is the same as medications that lost their truth as medications to become products on a market that need to bring top money. It is not even about caring for illnesses anymore. They are treated the same as sausages or washing liquid. It is very difficult to have any respect for a country that does that. Unthinkable anywhere else. As with the gun problem, there is no respect for life or for people, as long as cash is at stakes. When i think of countries that share these values, i can only think of dictatorships. And so, when i read "gun culture", i find the expression creepy. Even more creepy is the fact that apparently, people in the USA have made the whole problem so casual - sometimes despite themsevles - that they would appose a word to guns that could be used when talking about "Le Louvres", the largest and most visited art museum in the world. Or when talking about what Zola, Hemingway, Murasaki Shikibu and Dostoïevski left us. It seems to me that the USA turns every problem they should fight into a "culture" of sorts that needs to be protected. How long before we go from "fat pride" to "fat culture" ? How many will die as a result ? Somehow, i feel like seeing about shootings everyday on TV can only desensitise the people regarding these matters. That's not the people's fault. But then, sometimes, i feel the need to remind them about the things none can truly hope to remember when born as an american and growing up bombarded by all this casualised propaganda, about guns, war, bombs and massacres.
In Europe that would probably be a customer-repellent practice. On our side of the ocean, people like to shop on their own and not be annoyed by intrusive clerks, or by the waiters at a restaurant; if we need extra information we go to the clerks and ask - the bad side of it being that it's sometimes dificult to get hold of a clerk.
@@jfrancobelge "In Europe that would probably be a customer-repellent practice." Entirely true. That would be beyond off-putting. In everyday life, or on the internet, when people come ask me: "how do you do?", i generally merely answer "and you?". Only ONE person EVER noticed that i didn't answer her question (my ex) and insisted to have a proper answer (which i gave). Others don't even notice. I have no need for insincere questioning or inquiries about my well-being or anything. That's gross.
In 1968, I lived for a year in Aix-en-Provence. I had major culture shock when I returned to the U.S. In Aix, at that time, we did grocery shopping by going to specialty stores--one for cheese, one for produce, etc. Then, when I got back to the U.S., there were all these big supermarkets. It was overwhelming, and very culture-shock inducing. Now, I think, France also has these supermarkets. Which, I know, is more convenient, and makes me a bit sad. More recently, I vacationed in France for 3 weeks, and really noticed two of the things you mention: smoking everywhere, which was especially annoying in the outdoor terraces at restaurants; and less obesity. That was very notable. I can't believe how obesity has skyrocketed here in the U.S. Some of the other things you mention are, I think, due to Florida being a conservative state. This includes in-your-face religion, flags, and guns. Here in Los Angeles, I'm quite sure we see far less of all three.
Bonjour!! Mon ami. I agree completely. When I go to Europe I love love the Tax and tip included. I do always tip a little. But it's truly nice knowing your price. BONSOIR
The long list of side effects (including death?) mentioned in TV ads is enough to scare me from taking prescription drugs. And I used to work in the healthcare industry!
I am french, and i once took a medication that listed in its possible adverse side effects: "inexplicable sudden death" (it was an anti-psychotic for the record). It seems like these ads in the USA merely list these by law. The problem doesn't lie in them listing side effects in my opinion. The problem lies with the fact that doctors have to go through long and difficult studies in order to learn their craft. Patients should never be the ones to approached by pharmaceutical companies. It is beyond problematic that they would. On top of being dreadful, it goes in the way of developping a proper healthcare service for the people. Especially in a place like the USA were many tend to be... 'groundlessly' opiniated it seems.
We were visiting Nice this year right around the time of the US presidential election and there was a guy driving around in a Fiat with small American flags all over it in addition to him waving one out of the drivers window. It was bizarre! Lol.
Tipping in France can (or should) not be compared to the US. On average, French people make tip for all services in their lives once per month and when they do it will be like 1-2€. Hair salons are another story but still, the tip will be much closer to around 5%. People charge the rate they need to live in the upfront price.
In New Hampshire, USA, I don't recall seeing billboards on highways - route 95, route 93, and route 89. But they are EVERYWHERE on the other roads, and yes, they are distracting. Re: pledge in school - yes. Every morning, right after attendance, they have someone leading it over the loudspeakers in our classrooms. No one is required to say it, but we do stand and may opt to remain silent or say it. Personal choice. Reverse culture shock - yes! I have family in Canada and went to school there for some time. While the two countries have similarities, there are also some differences that when you get back to the US, it's a bit jarring. Examples: politeness levels, guns/weapons, pledge of allegiance, tipping amounts (we tip, but not as high as the US), privacy in trying times - meaning that in the US, they print people's names in the newspapers and say it on TV on the news when someone is m*rdered or accused of m*rdering someone, had an accident, got arrested, etc. In Canada, their names are generally not published. I'm not sure if that has changed since I moved back to the US, but at first I thought, "well who was it?" or "who was involved??" Then I realized that if I actually knew them, I would have heard. And if I hadn't heard, then it's likely none of my business. So basically the "news" in the US has become more like tabloid journalism than actual reporting.
Also, one of my first jobs as a student, was working at Macy’s in NYC on Sunday in the late 70’s. The Blue Laws we’re just abolished not without a lot of controversy
I've noticed some reverse culture shock when I moved to Texas from my home state of Michigan and then to Ohio. While Ohio is not Michigan, there is a shared Midwestern culture between the two states. After getting used to having access to the very best Mexican foods my wife and I were surprised that we could not get the same level of culinary expertise back in the Midwest. From fresh tortillas, barbacoa, guacamole, and charro beans to meat, cheese, lettuce and sour cream on a tasteless shell. We also noticed that a sausage and egg mcmuffin in Texas is a lot spicier than in the north. Lots of other little differences too, but a very funny one was when I finished moving to Ohio. I was in the store and I was going to make my own Mexican food because, like I said before, Mexican food in Ohio is no good. I was trying to find tortillas but I could not locate them. I looked up and down the bread aisle and found nothing. Not even hard taco shells. I started wandering the store and I finally found them in the International Aisle!
The fact that this was in my suggestions is hilarious...REALLY hits home hahaha I've been living in France for years and whenever I go back to the US to visit it's an instant shock...It will have been two years before I make it back to the US again so it will definitely be worse next time even though it's always great to see fam 🤣😂
As a cancer survivor, the smoking thing is one of my major concerns about possibly moving to France one day; hoping against hope that it's more of a big-city thing and is less common in the smaller towns and villages I'm most likely to want to live in or near!
I think it might depend on the location. It's not overwhelmingly common where we are in Niort. More common than in the U.S., but not enough to make enjoying the city problematic.
Though, according to me, too many people still smoke in France, or in Europe in general, there are anti-smoking laws in France now. You're not allowed allowed to smoke in closed public spaces such as restaurants and bars, train station halls, stores (oviously), public transportation... Commercials for cigarettes are prohibited. And a majority of people (two thirds) are non smokers nowadays. So, yes, you'd be confronted to more people smoking than in the US, but it's not that bad, and much less than 30 or 40 years ago.
It's interesting seeing how the US affects the UK. In the UK, it seems that it's politically seen as not cool to smoke, but wider society is more encouraging of it. There's been talks about banning it for people who are currently under 18 (like even when they grow older it would still be illegal for them) and we're constantly taught in our schools about the harms of cigarettes, alcohol and all that. However, a lot of people still smoke and the proposed law to slowly ban it was extremely unpopular with the public --- because hey, it's our God-given right (or I guess statistically big-bang-given right) to have the freedom to give ourselves _and everyone else around us_ lung cancer.
Yes, teach high school in Massachusetts and we say the pledge everyday and at all events. It is a bit much. I can't wait to move to France this summer!!!!
Those medical ailment ads we are forced to watch are hard on hypochondiacs.....oh no. I think I have that! 😂😅. Always enjoy you comparisons. Merci Diane.
People forget, but the flag thing is relatively new. I'm an old lady, but when I was a kid the flag was only flown on post offices and government buildings (except on the 4th of July, of course.) The sudden proliferation of flags happened right after 9/11 and never went away. Now the significance has shifted from people feeling patriotic after the attacks to a symbol of right-wing politics... 🤷🏼♀
In France, for the last two decades, the flag turned into a right-wing thing too, cause the left-wing is migrants-friendly, and most of them hate that flag. Here, lefties don't understand what "being proud" is, nor even its meaning. Worse: if you're proud to be french and fly the french flag, then they call you names, like "racist" or "fascist", etc. before even asking what your politic ideas are.
I am a franco-brit, in France since 1966. Paris. 14:12 We all started trying to give up smoking in the 70's, many succeeded in the 80's, I had to give up in 1991 because no one else was smoking inside offices, restaurants, metro trains, planes, cinemas..... smokers had to go on a balcony or in the street. No smoking in cars with kids inside, fewer and fewer people having a cigarette with their coffee at a friend's house - they would be relayed into the kitchen with a window open if no balcony. By the year 2000, the adults had practically all managed to stop. About Sundays : France is still a Very catholic country and the Torah /Old Testament does tell us to work 6 days and rest the 7th. Sunday is dimanche in French coming from the Latin/Italian : domenica The day of Dominus = the Lord. All my friends are at La Messe (catholic) or at Le Service (protestant) on Sundays. There have been discussions for decades about opening stores on Sundays.
Wondering if the level of smoking in France contributes to lower levels of obesity? (I’ve heard that people who stop smoking often gain weight.) Or is it simply that the French eat less or walk more than Americans? I’m curious about the relationship between smoking and weight control, and value your opinion. Love your videos, btw.
Believe me, I wish my country wouldn't tolerate that much smoking outside, it's a litteral Hell to try to breathe in a street nowadays. I hate cigarette smoke. And immigrants are not improving the tendancy... Small talk with shop personnel is a waste of time and energy, THEIR time and energy, not to mention it is not polite, although we can do it, if and only if there is no one behing us in the queue, it's all a question of context. I used to do it but I stopped at some point because I was feeling ridiculous. Sundays are not so sacred anymore, especially in Paris. In "province", on the contrary it's still a big thing. We have (at least we had when I was a child) pharmaceuticals adds, but they are non regulated homeopathy and other bullshit medication that you shouldn't buy to begin with... ironic. There are armories in France but they are very discreet. There is one near Gare de l'Est in Paris. As far as I can remember (I went to the US only 23 years ago), kids still or at least should still pledge allegiance to the flag in the US. The veneration from the flag seems overwhelming until you take into account the story behind the flag itself and the National Anthem Star Sprankled Banner... It becomes very logical all of a sudden. If the mere existence of the flag is what kept the felon enemy UK away... I'd understand. If corrupt schools don't allow the pledge to the Flag I would be shocked, even as a French who doesn't live in the US. People sacrificing for that flag to stand in front of the enemy despite the odds is to be respected. In fact, France has many statues of Joan of Ark for nearly the same reason ! Praising and praying Joan of Ark is regarded as ultra religious and conservative and might be out of date nowadays but so would be the American flag... It reminds me in the alternate universe comics series "Jour J", one episode on an alternate WW2, Fran ce built a huge 300m concrete Art Deco style statue of Joan of Ark on the Coast or Calais so the Brits would see it from the other side, the message being "f off our land, you dirty Brits." As for Obesity, it's taking a hold in France as well, especially in the poorer parts of the population. So it's only a matter of time until we come at the level of the US.
In france service is included in the bill, but it's not a surprise as it's included in the shown prices (15%) En france le service est inclu dans l'addition. C'est 15%, mais c'est dans les prix énoncés
I deeply appreciate how France includes tax when pricing goods for sale. It seems to me that with all the computing power the US has, it could include tax as well, even if the tax changes from time to time, and the tax across locations is different. It's crazy to never know what price you will have to pay until you get to the register.
I am a French expat in California. I get culture shock when I return to France but I also notice how much the French seem to adopt American customs, many of them they criticized a few years back. Black Friday in France 🤣 I am like you. I love things in both countries.
@raycortopassi4030 The longer you stay away, the more you are remembering how things used to be. 23 years away from the UK, and when I visit a couple of times a year, I find everything so expensive. And the state of everything has declined or not improved. And it's cold and wet.
Malheureusement, on imite les Américains et on adopte des choses négatives : black friday , fast food ...ou qui n'ont pas de sens chez comme halloween ( je ne serai pas étonné qu'un jour on fête thanksgiving ) et on néglige ce qui est positif : la ringardisation du tabac .
@@caudron5926 oui, et les expressions en anglais que je ne reconnais même pas. C’est fou tous ces mots en anglais que personne n’utilisait quand j’habitais en France. Récemment, j’ai entendu quelqu’un parler de locoste et je n’avais pas compris que c’était “low cost” 😀. La France me manque quand je suis aux USA mais quand je suis en France, les USA me manquent. C’est souvent le cas pour les immigrants/expatriés.
If you lived in the French countryside, you would see guns. My nearest decent supermarket is a half hour drive away through the French countryside, where there is boar, deer, and other, smaller game in the woods. I nearly collided with a boar one day, but fortunately, it changed its mind, and turned back into the trees. If there is a hunt on, I will see men on high lookout seats, gun resting on lap, waiting for the animals to come crashing through the woods. I have only once been unfortunate enough to witness a poor dead deer being dragged out of a lake where it had fallen after being shot. However, there has been a lot of clearcutting going on in the woods recently, and both hunters and game have disappeared😊.
LOL. As an introvert, I look very much forward to a general lack of small talk when I hop the pond in May/June. My condolences for having to spend time in FL. Only my state, TX, is more dismal, IMO. But will be able to swap my driver's license, so there is that...
Nah, FL is a happy place for me. My brother went to college down here so I've been coming for a long time and I think we can always find the good in things. Gorgeous winter weather here, festive Christmas displays, the beach, my family.... I'm always happy to visit ;-)
I lived in Paris in the 70s and when the first McDonald’s arrived in Paris -I should say “invaded”- it kind of ruined the heart. As to reverse culture shock, when I would go home on vacation to California, no one could identify with me and vice versa: no one around me spoke French and I couldn’t adequately explain my experiences to them.
I can imagine why you have reverse shock - I live with these things everyday and just shake my head. That is why I am planning to retire to France in 2 years, that is if I am allowed to leave the country!
Bonjour Diane. When I came back from living in France for 2 years, I started bagging my groceries. The cashier told me, "Sir, you don't have to bag your groceries. We have baggers for that." I was like, "Oh yeah. Right. Thanks." 🇺🇸🤝🇫🇷
Tipping has to be more pervasive because wages have fallen way behind productivity the past few decades. Profit have gone to company officers and stock buy backs.
french guy here, each t i,e I go to the US; I end up taken the bare minimum in a shop or a restaurant, because I never know if I will have enough. and for the tipping, I feel robbed each time. For me US is always a very stressfull experience and I do not like it at all, and it starts before the border control in and ends after the border control out. this is not holiday, I stay only if have to.
In France, I'd say that you simply don't tip at least 90% of the time! And then probably only at restaurants, I'd say? For exceptional service. It is very very optional, a bonus
Where in france do you live? Because I live in the south west of france and we chat with the cashier, the person next to me at the cash register and on the market we 0get group conversation waiting in line at the stands.
I would love if you go to South korea and post about it. Those culture difrences you found are even more shocking in korea. 😂❤. No fat people. No smoking. No small talk at all. No tipping at all. Or so I've heard. But would love to hear from your perspective. Many people have decided to move to seoul south korea for how convenient, clean, affordable, and SAFE, yes you can walk at 1 and 3 am. No worries and you could leave your laptop, even your open bag on a café. No one would touch it!. Some ajoumas ( old ladies) leave their street merch unwatched! They would just leave a note indicating where you can leave the bill. And no one would steal it. If you want I could pass you a link. It is one of my bucket list to go visit. Before I go would love to hear your thoughts.
Diane, I was laughing so bad about the drug adds - I like the option of moving to France. Reverse cultural shock is a big thing, and it has waves, sometimes it hits you when you don’t expect it
I'm a French elementary school teacher and I went to a NJ school 2 years ago. I was doing a pen pal project with a colleague from there and I was so curious to see how US schools were. I'm pretty sure public schools can be different in every state, but I was really surprised by the pledge😮. I was standing up in front of the class, showing some euro coins to the students and suddenly everyone stood up and the teacher made me understand I had to stand in front of the flag too. At the beginning, I was like "OK, I know that kind of things exist in a lot of countries, France may be an exception", but I was really surprised by "one nation, under god". I was like, weeeell do they all have to believe in God ? Are they all speaking about the same god ? Do hinduist people have to say "under god" too even if they have several gods ?" I'm not criticizing, I was just thinking "woooow, that would definitely not happpen in France". 🙃
Cette phrase incongrue a été introduite pendant la guerre froide, en opposition à l’URSS réputée athée. Mais même aujourd'hui, elle ne choque pas grand monde dans un pays où le président prête serment sur une bible et où la phrase "In God we trust" figure sur les billets de banque et les pièces de monnaie...
You should rather be sick at how the "tipped employee" are currently treated by the legislation! Why people tend to be angry at people with less fortune than at people who pull the strings? From the Dept of Labor website : "An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 per hour in direct wages if that amount combined with the tips received at least equals the federal minimum wage." Yes, it is then added "If the employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 per hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Many states, however, require higher direct wage amounts for tipped employees." But largely, the fact that the base wage of a tipped employee is $2.13 is outrageous, they should have a normal wage and the "tip" be included in the prices, not added on top. You coud still tip if you want too like in many countries (like France, case in point).
@@claude_k YOU don't get it. The people getting tips need to be PAID for what they do. When they make most of their income on tips they are not making any Social Security deposits on that money and neither are their employers matching that. The employers are also not putting into Medicare. This is just another shell game.
@@pamelawing5747believe me they’d have to make more than triple minimum wage to equal what they make in tips. Here on the Emerald Coast it’s not unusual for a server to make $80,000 or more in tips
We add tax on purchases in Canada and each provinces have different rates and articles that can be taxed or exempt. The ads for pharmaceutical products are creeping into the media unfortunately.
For the "no work on Sunday" in France it is complicated, many businesses would like to open on Sunday morning and some employees would also like it because they are better paid that day. The problem is that it is most of the time illegal, mainly because you cannot make your employees work on Sunday but also because there are prefectural decrees that prohibit opening by imposing Sunday as a mandatory closing day for businesses.
The gun thing....our local small town in Normandie has a large gun store and flags for Winchester and Browning outside. There is a gun club in the town and also a lot of hunting in the forests locally. I went outside in our garden today and heard a lot of hunting horns and gunshots. But obviously the guns are almost exclusively sport related.
Vous avez des problèmes avec les fumeurs de tabac qui rapportent beaucoup d'argent à l'état (pour les beaux jours des politiques peux être!). J'ai vécu/travaillé à New-York Wall street! Je ne me suis pas plaint car je ne connaissais rien à rien. Mais après des décennies de vacances de merde aux usa, et des politiques pire que pire (comme en France), je déteste les usa, comme je déteste l'Australie où j'ai travaillé et suis allé encore en vacances. Tout a changé en mal à partir de 1999, pour les jeux olympiques, par exemple. Et c'est pire que tout depuis 2020, comme en Nouvelle Zealand et Canada et... en Floride ça a été normal; mais on mange tellement mal comme partout aux usa : obligés d'acheter les produits de base pour manger en vacances tellement c'est horrible. Bref je suis française et partout je dois manger dans des restaurants asiatiques mais il n'y en a pas partout et c'est un vrai gros problème.
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@@OuiInFrance my dear you are not aware that the tip is included in the price you pay
How paradoxical where so much has been done to limit cigarettes' cunsumption : sky high taxes, advertisement ban (Loi Évin), imposed shocking packaging, none of those tough policies have deterred young schoolgoers from starting smoking with their friends.
I lived in France for four years back in the 80s when I was in my twenties. When I came home there were three things that struck me, two of which you mentioned: smoking was not as accepted here as it was in France and there seemed to be so many obese people. As you said, there are overweight people in France, but it was very noticeable when I came home. The third thing I immediately noticed was when I left the airport and saw all the huge American cars. Cars in France back in the 80s were very small so the size difference stood out right away.
This was such an interesting video, Diane. Thank you!
You're very welcome. Thank you for your insight!
On the cars, though there still is a noticeable size difference on both sides of the ocean, it's not as obvious nowadays, due to the disappearing of land yachts in the U.S. and the fashion of SUV's in France/Europe (like in most of the world). Another thing that has changed for the last few years a majority of new cars sold (not including EV's) are automatic gear - Europeans are moving away from manual gear.
"here are overweight people in France" you mean the american tourists.
@@jimmybgood982 Overweight, not obese. There's a difference.
@@dorothypaul4642 keep making excuses lardass
If you think flags and saying the pledge of allegiance is over the top, you might be shocked to hear some states are proposing legislation to require - not allow, but mandate - Christian bibles and daily prayer in public schools. I'm not sure how that's going to work for those of us who are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, agnostic or some other religion but I'm fairly sure it is not like that in France.
These are dire times for the US. Texas wants to post the Ten Commandments in every classroom--when so many lawmakers break them on a daily basis.
It is plainly illegal in France where your religious beliefs are private and must not be on display in public spaces such as schools (75% of schools are public schools), shops, public services, transports, streets- basically anywhere but dedicated religious spaces and private homes. All in the name of mutual respect and in long remembrance of the Wars of Religions in the 16th/17th centuries when persecutions were carried out by royal Catholic power against other Christian believers.
True, but France is kind of an exception here, due to very strong laws separating the church and the state in the early 1900s. Just cross the border, go to Germany and you'll see way more religion in schools. And I believe in some schools of Alsace-Lorraine which belonged to Germany when the laws came into effect, there are still religious signs in some schools. Which always shocks me.
@@Dfg11333 There are, and religion courses are proposed (can switch for morals or foreign culture/language). But it's not Alsace-Lorraine, it's Alsace+Moselle.
@@valerieh84 Il faut nuancer votre propos : Il est légal de porter des signes religieux dans la rue, aucune loi n'interdit le port du voile islamique ou de la kippa dans la rue ou les magasins.
Seuls les fonctionnaires n'ont pas le droit d'afficher leurs croyances religieuses ou politiques sur leurs lieux de travail .
Si vous êtes chauffeur de bus pour une commune ou professeur dans un lycée, vous ne pouvez pas avoir de vêtement religieux.
Tipping really has gone insane here in the US. It's a post-COVID thing. We'd tip people for services during the pandemic and now it's just everywhere. (Also, I think the companies like to add it on and not give it to emplyeees, but that's just me and my conspiracy theories).
I've been to Paris twice and I was glad to know I can leave a 1-2 Euro coin as a thank you. I had one cafe literally say, "Dont forget to add your tip" because they knew I was American. I looked the waiter dead in the eye and said, "This isn't America." He was shocked I knew.
Anyway, thanks for the great videos! They've been helpful. :)
in Bruges (Belgium) tips are required and I didn't know the first time I took coffee. I did like in France, the server call me "rat" 😆😆😆
The highway billboards that are most distracting (here in the northeastern US) are the electrified ones that change every few seconds. Damgerous for sure
Yes very distracting for drivers! Just the flash of color and then the few seconds that it takes to read them just takes your attention off the road.
I first saw these things when I was working in Tennessee, I find them distracting.
I hate those
I'm in New England and travel through NH, VT, and ME very frequently, and don't recall seeing any on 95, 93, 89, 90, or 91. Route 1 on the other hand - it's like one massive carnival. So DANGEROUS!
One day I saw a street interview on French television. The journalist asked passers-by if they would be in favor of opening shops and restaurants on Sundays. They all answered yes but the second question was: Would you agree to work on Sundays? They all answered no. In France, the quality of family life is the priority. In the USA, greed runs society.
@@66longinus french are ambivalent. they want butter for them with money from butter for other people.
Actually restaurants and shops are open on sunday but close the afternoon
@@rowenn1729 mostly in touristic region. It's very commong to see restaurant and shop closed on sunday, sometimes monday or wednesday too (mostly bakery)
@@JohnBob-j9h I think most of the time, a shop is closed on Monday if it was open on Sunday
@JohnBob-j9h restaurants opened on sundays close on monday. Every restaurant in France has a days off. Same for hairdressers. But in France businesses are usually closed on mondays more than sundays
Yes, to almost everything and every video of yours regarding living in Europe (France) except for the small talk because I have lived in Spain (Barcelona) for 20 years. In Spain people are way more social than in France, at least regarding small talk. I'm originally from the Mid-West (USA), so I understand just about every experience you have had, both positive and negative, but I absolutely love living in Spain. After so many years abroad I don't think I could ever adjust again to life in the US. Thanks for sharing your experiences 🥰
In Portugal last month I was caught by surprise when the price for something was the same as the listed price. Like not having to leave a huge tip in a coffee shop, this felt like a new kind of freedom.
In Europe price listed have to be the ones you ll pay. Including taxes and/or promotions.
It s crazy that you can t know what the final price will be in the USA.
@@etienne8110
And even crazier this is legal and the norm in the USA.
I hate drug ads! I am with you!!!!!!!
After 3-4, it gets to be a bit much!
The lawyer ads too!
And the ads for Medicare!
I'm cringing just imagining these nightmares popping every 5 minutes !
The only wildly mainstream US medium I listen too is the Scrubs review podcast. Now they put 5 to 6 min of advertising every 10-15 minutes !!!
It's insane, that's driving me crazy. Fortunately I can skip them with one finger-push.
Prescription drug advertising was prohibited until the 1980s. Deregulation of prescription drug advertisement, as well as that for lawyers, funeral homes, and Lord only knows what else was enacted by the Reagan administration.
I live here in the United States and I get culture shock just going home to Canada for a visit! When I moved from San Francisco to the mountains of North Carolina I thought I was stuck in another dimension entirely.
I moved from the US to France in 2006. I 100 percent agree with ALL of this!!
I also appreciate your non judgemental and informed ways of presenting this stuff!!
I get reverse culture shock over how meals are done in the US (so quickly!)
French guy here... Regarding the flag, I display it for the rugby and soccer world cups. I did also get it out after the attacks at the Bataclan of other places in France :-( . French are said to be chauvinistic, but it's nothing compared to numerous other places, inclluding USA. One reason for that : our critical thinking is quite sharp, and it applies over ourselves too...
Oh, please. “. . .our critical thinking is quite sharp.” So is your ego!
The food in the US is so nutrition poor and so full of corn syrup and sugar that its an uphill battle. Stress is a big factor. Poverty is a big factor. Its rooted in corporate greed.
I’ve never found any corn syrup on my BBQ. Nor in my cornbread. Nor in my collards. Nor in my steak. Nor in my stew. Or in anything I cook except my pecan pie. That recipe calls for 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of Karo corn syrup (or molasses) 3 raw eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 3 cups of pecans.
@@santamanone thats because you are cooking from scratch. Look at jarred anything and you will see it all over. Even the bread is sweet.
@ no. I’m not always cooking from scratch. But even when I do, I usually add more sugar than the commercial sources (although I use real sugar)
@@santamanone Processed foods are the culprit. This is obvious.
@ no. Overeating is the culprit. Nothing more. Nothing less. I eat more in a single meal than most Europeans eat all day. When I’m not fasting breakfast is normally 3 to 4 extra large eggs, a quarter pound of bacon or sausage, a large serving of hash browns covered with gravy (either S.O.S., sausage gravy, or tomato gravy) or if not hash browns then a large portion of buttered grits or cheese grits, 3 hot buttered buttermilk biscuits with fig preserves, a large glass of milk and another of apple juice, plus my coffee.
Dinner will be a half pound of whatever meat plus one or two large helping of a starch (potatoes, corn, rutabagas, etc.) and multiple helpings go vegetables seasoned with bacon grease.
Supper will be the same as dinner but I increase the meat to about a pound.
Hi Diane
This vidéo is probably one of your best ones.
I am French and I spent 5 years in thé bay area. I really felt this reverse culture shock back in France. All what you describe is really familiar to me.
Congratulations and thank you for this great video.
Bruno
So glad you enjoyed it, Bruno. Thanks so much for your kind comment. Did you enjoy the subject matter, or the style of delivery or the edits? Just looking for feedback on what stood out. ;-)
The subject matter and the way you treat it. You have now a good understanding of the french culture and the ability to watch the american culture with french eyes as I was watching french culture with american eyes
@@brunoduverge6978 slt , je pense pas vraiment que l'on puisse dire que les habitudes et les coutumes sont des cultures, cultures urbaines, peut être, moi rien ne me choc aux US
on est fier de notre patrimoine et eux ont leur drapeau, les pubs ont été règlementé des les années 90, il y avait pratiquement autant de pubs sur les routes, l'Obésité est souvent du au fait que les distances à faire au quotidien ne sont pas les mêmes aux US et qu'il faut souvent prendre la voiture, les habitudes alimentaires sont différentes ok, par contre l'activité physique est plus culturelle aux US du fait de la scolarité sur le long terme qui est différente, pour le reste on est aussi con qu'eux.. pour le dimanche, c'est un pays de pionniers et donc ils ont pas le temps de se reposer..
Much less public smoking is a big plus in the US. Concerning small talk with people in retail, it's very rare in the large California metro area where I live. The experience is pretty cold. I enjoy the friendly small talk with clerks when I'm in a lot of other parts of the US, such as the Midwest. I never saw direct-to-consumer pharma ads when I was growing up (I'm in my 50s). They didn't start appearing on TV until the late '80s. Concerning billboards, I had only taken the train in France on different visits, so had assumed that the expressways would look similar to the US. When I finally rented a car there in 2023 and drove across northern France, I was happily surprised to see how beautiful all the roads were, including the larger toll highways - no billboards except for those pretty official signs indicating the exit for the different forest reserves and historic sites.
I had reverse culture shock after returning from being stationed at a small overseas base. We had maybe five choices of shampoo: baby shampoo, guy’s shampoo, couple of women’s brands, and a dandruff shampoo. Which is sort of a lot. Until you get back to the states and there were 40-50 different shampoos, 40-50 body washes, 20-30 soaps. I couldn’t make a decision. I just stared at them. Ended up buying the one I always bought when had a choice of five.
SO much variety, can definitely be overwhelming
I lived in the UK/Ireland for almost fifteen years. When I returned to the US it took me two years to adjust.
What was the biggest thing you had to adjust to?
Have you been to the doctor or dentist, even to the pharmacy in the US?. I went to the dentist because I had to replace a cap. I was charged $3500 and they wanted to do another $1500! A couple of days ago my cardiologist sent me to a clinic to scan my heart before and after a vélo ride. I had no idea what would happen next. First they shot me up with some radioisotope and told me to drink at least 3 glasses of water. An hour later I was face down in an MRI like device to scan my heart. Then I waited a half hour and another cardiologist monitored me on the vélo. I was a little distracted at the end when I was supposed to go all out, doing 100 revolutions a minute, then boom they were shooting me up with more isotopes. An hour later I was back at the scanner. They had told me to bring my carte verte et carte blue, so I was expecting to pay something at the end. Instead I was told to go home. That’s when I realized that the carte blue was to pay for parking! 11 € was the total bill! I was laughing the whole time because I couldn’t believe how much high cost care I was receiving! 3.5 hours of cardiology for 11€! I realize this is reversed, but I have always been shocked going for medical care and medicine in the US. SHOCKED!
Sadly, NC lawmakers passed a bill this year to allow more trees to be cut down for billboards. The trees are one of the things visitors notice when they come here... part of what makes NC beautiful!
About obesity in the US: probably at some point in the future a whistleblower will reveal collusion between the corn industry (corn syrup is EVERYWHERE in the US if you didnn't know), the processed food industry, and the healthcare giants who benefit from it all (yes, BENEFIT is the word).
@@claude_k it's not just corn syrup. It's high fructose corn syrup. The difference is huge in calories and digestibility.
The FDA is very obviously corrupted to the core, as are every last public or private institution in the USA. They reflect very well the american people themselves: they are all for-profit. In a sense, the corrupt system in the USA fits american people very well. When you see that most try to monetise even their hoobies, you can't be surprised that the FDA wants to monetise its decisions.
and these overweight people do not exercise
As corn is subsidized by the government, they have to figure out to do with all the excess corn. The solution was HFCS and selling it cheap to USA food manufacturers.
Good luck proving a collusion.
There are shared interests for sure (corn is subsidised by the gov, it s cheap for food industries. it is addictive, so great to hook clients on it).
The disease coming in it s trail are just a bonus for the pharma groups.
But i doubt the pharma are directly petitionning congressmen to keep the subventions on corn rolling.
I traveled to my home state of California with my Latvian friends. They were shocked by the homelessness. We also went to Vegas and saw almost 0 homeless people. But I had really forgotten how bad the situation was
@@MrRyanSandberg I've lived in Vegas 2x and trust me there are homeless. If you remained along the strip that is it's own township. They just relocate them to other parts of Vegas.
Surprised you did not meet the underbelly of Vegas. Tons of runaway teens and homeless ppl in Vegas. TONS !
There are not less ads on the highways ( paid roads). They are forbidden. Small talk is not common. But don’t ever enter a store, bus or restaurant w iront saying hello. Or leave without saying thank you and goodbye. Also never talk about your salaries in a friendly conversation.
When I did live in the States I often saw gun shop next door to liquor shop a one stop shop idea I never got over
Sometimes a pawn shop and laundromat too
@@OuiInFrance for money laundering?
@@crepinhauser5274 "for money laundering?" Good one!
In France, small talk with vendors is common only when you are a regular customer.
I'm French and that first point is often infuriating to me : I don't smoke and I don't appreciate the smell of it one bit and a lots of smokers just don't give a shit, they'll pump the nicotine right in your face without paying attention. The worst is probably at restaurants : I NERVER ever take an outside seat ("en terrasse" as we say) because you can smoke there and a lots of people just do that while eating, it ruins the meal for me as I can't ignore the smell.
Agree. I live in Germany and it's crazy that the air inside a restaurant is fresher than the air in the outdoor seating area.
@@mariametz592 i'm a smoker, when i'm at terrasse i choose the table which exterior to front wind, to not poison people enjoying the meal , restricting my consumtion, i know its unbearable to some ppl, so sorry, a smoker
I have been a heavy smoker for 20 years. I stopped entirely 3 years ago. Many of those who drop tobacco start to react as if it was unsufferable to have someone smoking nearby. But i don't care at all if anyone smokes near me. I like the smell. I am not disgusted, and if i were to start smoking all over again because of something like that, that would be my failure for being a weak-*** who can't make his decisions properly and stick by them. While for a wide array of different reasons, it is a good thing that people can't smoke everywhere, at this point, there should be limits to entitlement. Smokers have very little space of freedom remaining, and their freedom is not worth any less than that of non smokers. All this is really annoying.
@@nox8730 That's nice for you that you stopped and that you won't yield to tobacco smell around you, but frankly that's kinda beside the point. I'm not after the freedom to smoke and I can tolerate it anywhere else, but not during meal time. I'll still keep despising those that aren't mindful of other people and public space though and that include littering because it rubs me the wrong way that you can easily count dozen of stub on the ground within a few meter radius around you almost anywhere in Paris street. I'm fine being called entitled for that.
@@enomiellanidrac9137 and it used to be much worse: kids used to smoke openly in the hallways in high school (1990s).
I'm from Kentucky and moved to Germany in 1992. I experience culture shock every time I visit the USA, even from things like seeing green interstate signs instead of the European blue ones. I agree with all ten of your shocks.
You'll find green motorway signs in Italy and I think Sweden.
Reverse culture shock is so real! Even now I remember 35 years ago coming from a Saharin country and going to a grocery store full of vegetables. The abundance was overwhelming!
I'm doing tapif now, and I've showed my classes students doing the ''pledge of allegiance'' and several classes have told me ''this looks like a cult''
Oh man hahaha. I mean, I get where they're coming from...
One american who moved to Europe, once pointed out that the only comparable occurence in Europe he knew of pledge on the flag came from Nazi Germany. Makes sense people would compare that to a cult.
The thing missed about tipping in the US is that it's a way for businesses to artificially make their prices seem lower by basically forcing a big chunk of employee wages onto the customer without actually or expressly charging the customer for it. That makes things seem cheaper when in fact, from the view outside the US, it looks like taking advantage of workers. (PS: Not surprisingly the US has some of the worst labour laws in the world...)
It's similar to how in Europe, taxes are included in the price since you have to pay it and every business has to charge it - so there's no competitive advantage not to just roll it in, while in the US the taxes are separated (often to remind the customer that they are paying a tax - the most hated thing in the US), again making things seem cheaper than they really are.
Ok Diane, one issue that I think is a fallacy is about meal sizes. I just returned from my 6 week exploration of France - my first time in Europe. I seriously don’t know how the French can sit down and have an appetizer, main dish and often dessert or cheese. I found the portions much bigger than expected, and could never order a 3 course meal without wasting a lot of food. I ate out mostly at lunchtime, too... usually just a main or an entree and maybe a coffee. I ordered carpaccio for lunch in Bergerac and got a platter of meat much thicker than what is served here - it seemed like a pound instead of a few ounces with fries! That was the most shocking thing I encountered. But totally loved my trip and will be retiring to France in a couple years. Can’t wait to get there!
So glad you had a nice trip!! Where did you visit?
I think there's a bit of variation with portion sizes in France. You'll often see fixed menus that are plat/dessert or entree/plat for lunch and then all three for dinner. Some restaurants do serve larger portions than others. But many might do a small bowl of seasonal soup, a protein (reasonable portion) with veggies, and then a small slice of something for dessert. In the U.S., I feel like everything is bigger and a lot of people take food home and/or walk out feeling stuffed.
Even with all 3 courses (and wine), I'm satiated but rarely stuffed in France. That said, there are restaurants that serve bigger portions but that hasn't been my experience overall.
To go a step further, French people generally eat out less than Americans and if they know they're going out to a special meal, they'll eat lighter that day so they can fully enjoy each dinner course. Also, the French snack less so when it's time for dinner, they're hungry!
Anyway, that's my 2 cents. ;-)
@ that’s fair - I almost always take half a meal home but I intend to thoroughly investigate this in the future. 😉 I started in Paris, then Amboise, Chateauroux, Chateau De Lalande in the Creuse, then to the southwest, Issigeac, Bergerac, Villereal, Agen, villeneuve sur lot, Beziers, Toulouse, and had several days in Valencia Spain and flew in and out of Bordeaux which I didn’t really like much. I wasn’t really doing normal tourist stuff just seeing if I could live there…
mm bergerac, the perigord is know for large and generous cuisine. My family root are from there and trust me it's a tradition over there to never let someone hungry.
@ Ah, well done then 😉 loved the entire area. So beautiful!
@@lollygee172 did you find a place that suited you? Also think about medical care, u don’t want to be in a medical desert. I spent some time in Nice in Oct and enjoyed it. I loved swimming in the ocean. I saw a lot of folks swimming and they would have a dry bag attached to them. Also loved the little specialty shops, esp the patisseries, boulangeries, chocolate shops.
I visited countries in West Africa in 1985 (former French colonies). It was a great culture shock to be immersed in the 3rd world (no pictures can replace the experience). However returning to the US was an even greater culture shock, as everything you might need was available and being pushed on you all the time.
Always nice to see you Diane!
Totally get it! I think the biggest culture shock for me was Rwanda and how there are metal detectors outside every store and building and police with huge machine guns. I did a few double takes my first couple of days.
As a french, the North American way of being overly friendly and open to others gives me the creeps 😬 like, we both know we're not friends and you don't care about me, why are you trying to play a role ?
Kinda like movies when the hero arrives in a very friendly community, but he learns they are cannibals and he has to escape 😅
Hi Diane... greetings from UK👋 I think we are much more similar to France than we are to the USA... Although we're more like the USA with regard to small talk.
As an older person I remember when drugs ads didn't exist. My mother was a registered nurse and there were drug ads in a nursing magazine she subscribed to but they were quite different from what we see today. I agree with you about guns.
Oh wow, when was that?
I try to avoid places that want tips. The local butcher gets all annoyed if I don’t tip, so I fixed that by not shopping there. I have found small corner stores and take out places where I don’t have to tip much
I've lived in France frequently, but the biggest reverse culture shock I experienced was when I lived there for a year when I was 19. When I came back to the US one of the first things I needed to do was to get some things at the store including shampoo. I was used to the few options on the shelf at the local Monoprix (in Paris). But in the US there was an entire aisle of shampoo!!! I had to ask for help to understand what the differences between them was.
Right? I've lived in Germany since 1992, but we lived in New York for three years about a decade ago. When I first got to Germany, I was underwhelmed and disappointed by the lack of choice while shopping. In the U.S. I was often so flabbergasted by the choices that I ended up not buying anything.
That was over thirty years ago! Now we have double aisles of haircare and the choices in the supermarkets have increased enormously. I came to France in the eighties and you can't compare that to now at all! At the the time we had a prix unic and a tiny and they were the size of the village supermarkets nowaday. I live near a small town in the south west of France and we have two big Intermarchés, one Carréfour market one Carréfour contact, a casino, a Lidl an Ald I and a Netto supermarket. The town has about 11 000 inhabitants, so things have definitely changed, I sometime wonder though, if it is really for the better. Before we hadmso many small shops downtown and many of them are closed now. But what rests a staple is Butcher and charcuterie and Bakeries, we have eight butchers and 10 artisanal and two industrial bakeries, which I frequent instead of the supermarket. Many French in this rural region prefer to buy their meat in their boucherie de confiance, where the origine of the meat is insured and the quality is largely superior to the meat in the supermarkets. And our Saturday farmer's market is really booming and I buy all my organic vegetables there.
Sounds like my experience! I lived in Aix in 1968, and had a lot of culture shock around shopping when I got back to the U.S.
@@jackienaiditch7965 well, I lived in the US from 1970 to 1976 and there were things that were better than in germany, and other much worse. That was in wa0est Virginia and what imüressed me the most was the extreme poverty in the rural areas. I had never seen anything like it in Germany. On themother hand, the christma theater in Charleston really made my head spin. Every the Christmas Song were blasted out and you could not escape from it and the hugemamount of present everybody baught kind of shocked me. I come from a fairly well to do upper class family and still... we did not go overbord like that. We had our tall christmas tree and all the beautyful decorations, but most of them where sort of heirlooms and very precious and individual and the christmastree was decorated by my parents the 24th of Dezember and the kids were not allowed to see it until we had sung christmas carrolls and heard the chiming of the little bell that allowed us to enter the living room. I felt Christmas in the morning had lost all it's charme and mystery when I came to the US. The tree was shedding it's needles, nold morning light was just ... boring and pale, compared to the nighttime romantik lighting of the tree with real candles and the wonderful small of the pinetreeneedles and the bees wax candles.
Yay, Monoprix! Like a Target but with everything you need in a smaller space and better, not to mention the deli. Also, one of the best cognac I've had came from Monoprix - go figure.👍
About french stores closed on sundays, it's funny that France, a republic with no state religion, kept this christian habit (7th day is rest day) whereas the US ("in God we Trust") which is a lot more religious didn't.
In France, we also had the habit to eat fish instead of meat on fridays. It's less true today but you can still find this in restaurants sometimes ("plat du jour"). I wonder if it's the same in the US?
Excellent observation
I’m an American having culture shock without even leaving the country.
Yup, as I said it happened to me every time I went to FL!
@ I also have family in Florida, so I have been going there regularly for decades. The state has changed enormously in the last few decades.
I remember being on a roadtrip to California in 2017. (We are from Norway) Driving Highway 1. First driving past a liquer store and a bar, open late at night, and then a couple of turns later - a big road sign "You should not be drinking and driving.." I agree with all of what you are saying. In Norway, everything is closed on Sundays, the price on the tags are what you pay. But, I love the Americans being open and chatty at the check out or where ever. They are always helpful if you need assistance. I was in London last week, and on the tube (underground) walls it was commercials of alcohol. Very strange for us. We flag on occations, like constitution day, the King and Queens Birthdays and other flagdays. But they have to be taken down before sunset.
That's an amazing drive! Tom and I did it right before we got married.
The thing that caught me off guard in the UK were all the horse racing/gambling "stores" dedicated just to placing bets.
I haven’t been back to the states in 5 1/2 years. When I did, I would say “Bonjour” every time I walked in a place for the first few days. The pledge was still being said in 2017 in my Colorado school where I worked!
I get caught out doing that when I go back to the UK. Everyone turns and stares!
Bonjour Diane. I just returned from Paris (and Strasbourg) 2 days ago. I thought about you/your channel frequently. I never notice the different crutches until you pointed them out. I had boudin blanc at breakfast (yum), and bought lots of inexpensive yet tasty food items from the grocer...which i always do. This was my first trip to France in 4 yrs. I was surprised by the number of overweight people and the lines at KFC, 5 Guys, and other fast food places. While clerks aren't chatty, when I go to a bar/club, the people are very friendly and enjoy talking (just talking).
I expect cultural differences when traveling outside the US so never a shock. However, I do experience it within the US by region and socioeconomic classes.
Hi Kurt, thanks so much for thinking of me. I hope you had great trip. Did you hit any of the Alsace Christmas markets? I've only been to the region once and it wasn't this time of year. I NEED TO GO!
@OuiInFrance yes, for 2 days. Fun but once is enough. Some items were locally made and beautiful but most were mass produced and can be found at any retailer. But it was festive and beautiful so worth the trip.
Several people suggested to go to smaller towns in the area because less crowded and commercial but no car.
Hi ! I’m french and I think that you have become FRENCH ! Hip hip hip Hourra 🇫🇷!!
Your reaction towards the flag and weapons have convinced me 😊.
AND, btw, I love it when your say french words because your accent is SO good with still a very charming tiny american tone left.
j'ai vécu qq années entre le brésil et la Belgique, à chaque trajet je devais me réhabituer aux avantages et inconvénients de chacun de mes pays, comme j'ai fini par le ressentir, ni l'u ni l'autre était mauvais ou idéal, juste une manière de vivre différente
Ahah I've been back home (France) for almost a year after 9 years in the US and I definitely feel this! (I feel the small tall the opposite way, I have to refrain to talk randomly with people in France)
Yah it definitely works both ways!
Lol, I never took to small talk myself, I find the absence of it peaceful. My reverse culture shocks include: "why is everyone smoking everywhere?", "why is everyone so abrasive?", "why is food sold in such small packages?" and "why is butter so incredibly delicious?"
@@rosiebowers1671Hi from Brittany, on the Atlantic shore. You made me laugh with butter: we eat a lot of it in my province, salted butter. One funny saying is "sans beurre, un Breton meurt !", which I could translate as "To deprive a Breton from butter is really to commit a murder !" in order to keep the rhyme. You'd certainly love our local biscuits.
The gun culture is the top reason we've considered relocating, and that's in Washington State where gun laws are fairly strict. Is it possible to experience culture shock in your own country without having left? Because that's how I feel sometimes and I expect to feel it more come January.
Probably like many places, the city I live in has grown so fast in the last decade or so that it's constant culture shock. Was just thinking that I needed to just drive around in sections on a sort of schedule just to keep up with changes!
Yep. Still saying The Pledge of Allegiance (Michigan)
I have also been working related meetings where the pledge was recited. (government)
Bonus round, then an opening prayer. The south is wild y’all.
Le sigh
I think I'd love living in France in spite of the smoking.... allergic to it. ❤
Luckily it's not allowed indoors at restaurants or anything so that's a good thing
Not nearly as common as 20 yrs ago. You see it but it's not everywhere.
I'm not okay with smoking also. I must say that this is not everywhere here, and less accepted than before. The most annoying is at the train station, while waiting for the train (outside). Even while the train is stopping for 3 min you can see someone going outside for a quick smoke.
In fact at least outside of places where you need to wait.
But the most annoying of all is at bars or restaurants terraces. The waiter would ask you for a table inside or outside. Choose inside even if no-one is smoking yet (even and even more in summer). Because outside... when finally your dish is on the table and you are going to appreciate the moment, a brief wind of tobacco smoke will ruin the experience. This is often the case.
They are even smoking between dishes. I even had "friends" who were leaving me alone during the dinner at the restaurant to smoke outside... in winter.
There is also café-clope, that is frequently seen. It happens many times during the working day, they go outside to smoke and drinking coffee. With service jobs non smokers are usually working during it to keep the service on. That's someway unfair.
Otherwise it's okay 😁
It's no longer allowed ... since the 90s. When I was a kid, some restaurant even had two separate smoking / non-smoking areas, separated by ... nothing. And it was such a heated debate, with so many people complaining about the restriction. And even today, my kids who grew up in the Bay Area are constantly complaining when we go to restaurants and want to eat outside, because someone on a table next to us may decide to smoke at some point.
For me the reverse culture shock happened once when I landed at CDG airport, stepped outside on the arrivals pickups and got my lungs full of smoke in seconds. Yeah, I did not miss that.
@@Qwazerty-x4z It's forbidden to smoke in train stations even outdoor, even if people do it. Also if non smokers don't take their breaks it's on them, by law everyone has the same amount of time, it's discretionary to the HR to decide how to organize it but in the end if people don't go on breaks it's a personal custom rather than anything related to be or not to be a smoker.
Just a small precision on the smoking thing. While there are more smokers in France, they smoke a little less. The consumption of tabacco per capita is slightly higher in the USA (1083 cig/hab/year) than in France (993 cig/hab/year).
I am a french smoker living in USA. I didn't know it was so low ! I smoke easily 3/4 pack per day, putting the habitual smoker at 5,475 cigs/yr.
In France, the legal closing hours of shops are regulated by law. Indeed, shops are obliged to close their doors at least one day a week. They usually do this on Sundays. For merchants who open on Sunday mornings such as bakeries, pastry shops, grocery stores, some supermarkets and others, they are forced to close on a weekday. En France, les horaires légaux de fermeture des magasins sont réglementés par la loi. En effet, les magasins ont l’obligation de fermer leurs portes au moins un jour par semaine. Ils le font généralement le dimanche. Pour les commerçants qui ouvrent le dimanche matin comme les boulangeries, pâtisseries, épiceries, certains supermarchés et autres, ils sont obligés de fermer un jour de semaine.
J' adore la France !!!
( je suis propriétaire d' un petit dépanneur )😊 et j' ai peut-être besoin de petites vacances !!!😊
Hi Diane. While smoking cigarettes might be less in the US, smoking pot is almost everywhere especially when you’re driving behind another car.
Tipping is dominant in the US. I took my granddaughters to see Moana 2 preceded by supper at California Pizza Kitchen. The suggested tip amount started at 23%. I left 30% because the young lady server was excellent! She was very grateful too.
Gun culture in the US is out of control. Especially in south NJ where I live. Gun shops and shooting ranges are prolific.
And Flag flying has become a political statement rather than an act of patriotism. So I fly the French flag and the Betsy Ross original flag or the flag of Puerto Rico.
How about political ads? Integrity of the content be dammed and mean spirited ads everywhere. Not to mention the never ending text, emails and phone call soliciting small sums of contributions to candidates who are receiving multiple of millions from super pacs.
As to obesity, kids in school are fed crap, fake food and it’s even worse when they get home. The supermarket bread aisles especially offer fake bread full of chemicals unless you choose to spend $8 and up for a small loaf of sliced bread. Not many boulangeries around here. So I make my own bread and give it as gifts.
The two largest aisles in the supermarket are the breakfast cereal aisle and the soda aisle. That doesn’t even include the snack aisle which now begin with displays in the entrances. Not about gluttony rather it’s about marketing and profit margins.
So I’m looking forward to my upcoming month in France where this stuff, if it exists, is less prevalent.
Thank you so much for your videos. Joseph.
You bring up a really good point, Joe, about the marijuana smoke. I was in NYC shortly after it was legalized (but hadn't realized) and it was so strange smelling weed every other block. When I went to college in NYC, it was illegal then so that was a bit of a surprise. And in FL, medical marijuana is legal but you don't really smell it just walking down the street, since people tend to drive and not walk.
I like generous tippers. ;-) I'm sure she appreciated 30%!
Thank you as always for your support!
"Gun culture"
I believe this is a misnaming. This is no culture at all. This is doctrine. The word "culture" has these implied concepts attached to it these days: "not worse than yours", "should be respected", "should be promoted", "those who can't respect that should get proper retribution". That kind of thing. The word has lost its meaning and is now over abused. Putting the word "culture" just next to the word "gun" is already part of the problem in USA. It is not neutral and suggests a form of inherent, embedded idea of "respectability". THze expression should be dropped. Well, at least, this is just how i see it from behind my screen. Maybe it is worth nothing.
@@nox8730 agreed. But I didn’t name it that. I suppose I could have parenthesized culture.
As far as I am concerned, guns should be outlawed as in France. We’re no longer fighting King George.
@@JD987abc Guns are not outlawed in France. My father had various manual handguns, winchesters and even a sniper rifle and a hand cannon. But it was no 'culture' at all. It was not a statement, either. He liked competitive shooting, crafting his own bullets, and miniature trains^^. What is different in France is law: he was regularly controlled by the "gendarmerie", was registered on a list, and had a solid safe which key i never saw in my life. Plus, the only time we had a conversation about guns during the family evening meal was when he took me to the shooting range when i was something like 14. And it was more about surrounding circumstances than the guns themselves.
Loving guns as items is what is creepy. Those were tools meant to kill from the beginning. The products of war. Unrelentingly loving them as items without considering them for what they truly are is disrespecting History. I know that the USA does not truly understand the devastation of war and carnage and they handle guns and bombs so casually that it is infuriating beyond measure. But that means that guns have been made to pass for toys, like miniature trains. This, if nothing else, illustrates perfectly how sick the USA is as a whole. It is the same as medications that lost their truth as medications to become products on a market that need to bring top money. It is not even about caring for illnesses anymore. They are treated the same as sausages or washing liquid. It is very difficult to have any respect for a country that does that. Unthinkable anywhere else. As with the gun problem, there is no respect for life or for people, as long as cash is at stakes. When i think of countries that share these values, i can only think of dictatorships.
And so, when i read "gun culture", i find the expression creepy. Even more creepy is the fact that apparently, people in the USA have made the whole problem so casual - sometimes despite themsevles - that they would appose a word to guns that could be used when talking about "Le Louvres", the largest and most visited art museum in the world. Or when talking about what Zola, Hemingway, Murasaki Shikibu and Dostoïevski left us. It seems to me that the USA turns every problem they should fight into a "culture" of sorts that needs to be protected. How long before we go from "fat pride" to "fat culture" ? How many will die as a result ?
Somehow, i feel like seeing about shootings everyday on TV can only desensitise the people regarding these matters. That's not the people's fault. But then, sometimes, i feel the need to remind them about the things none can truly hope to remember when born as an american and growing up bombarded by all this casualised propaganda, about guns, war, bombs and massacres.
Amen. So with you on every point.
A lot of employers require employees to make friendly small talk with customers. Some even provide a script.
thats gross.
In Europe that would probably be a customer-repellent practice. On our side of the ocean, people like to shop on their own and not be annoyed by intrusive clerks, or by the waiters at a restaurant; if we need extra information we go to the clerks and ask - the bad side of it being that it's sometimes dificult to get hold of a clerk.
@@jfrancobelge "In Europe that would probably be a customer-repellent practice."
Entirely true. That would be beyond off-putting. In everyday life, or on the internet, when people come ask me: "how do you do?", i generally merely answer "and you?". Only ONE person EVER noticed that i didn't answer her question (my ex) and insisted to have a proper answer (which i gave). Others don't even notice. I have no need for insincere questioning or inquiries about my well-being or anything. That's gross.
In 1968, I lived for a year in Aix-en-Provence. I had major culture shock when I returned to the U.S. In Aix, at that time, we did grocery shopping by going to specialty stores--one for cheese, one for produce, etc. Then, when I got back to the U.S., there were all these big supermarkets. It was overwhelming, and very culture-shock inducing. Now, I think, France also has these supermarkets. Which, I know, is more convenient, and makes me a bit sad. More recently, I vacationed in France for 3 weeks, and really noticed two of the things you mention: smoking everywhere, which was especially annoying in the outdoor terraces at restaurants; and less obesity. That was very notable. I can't believe how obesity has skyrocketed here in the U.S. Some of the other things you mention are, I think, due to Florida being a conservative state. This includes in-your-face religion, flags, and guns. Here in Los Angeles, I'm quite sure we see far less of all three.
Bonjour!! Mon ami. I agree completely. When I go to Europe I love love the Tax and tip included. I do always tip a little. But it's truly nice knowing your price. BONSOIR
Definitely is less confusing. Much simpler!
The long list of side effects (including death?) mentioned in TV ads is enough to scare me from taking prescription drugs. And I used to work in the healthcare industry!
I am french, and i once took a medication that listed in its possible adverse side effects: "inexplicable sudden death" (it was an anti-psychotic for the record). It seems like these ads in the USA merely list these by law. The problem doesn't lie in them listing side effects in my opinion. The problem lies with the fact that doctors have to go through long and difficult studies in order to learn their craft. Patients should never be the ones to approached by pharmaceutical companies. It is beyond problematic that they would. On top of being dreadful, it goes in the way of developping a proper healthcare service for the people. Especially in a place like the USA were many tend to be... 'groundlessly' opiniated it seems.
Yeah, they start by saying how wonderful the drug is, but then, whoops, one side effect may be death.
We were visiting Nice this year right around the time of the US presidential election and there was a guy driving around in a Fiat with small American flags all over it in addition to him waving one out of the drivers window. It was bizarre! Lol.
Nailed it. Thanks Diane
Thank you for taking the time to watch!
Tipping in France can (or should) not be compared to the US. On average, French people make tip for all services in their lives once per month and when they do it will be like 1-2€. Hair salons are another story but still, the tip will be much closer to around 5%. People charge the rate they need to live in the upfront price.
In New Hampshire, USA, I don't recall seeing billboards on highways - route 95, route 93, and route 89. But they are EVERYWHERE on the other roads, and yes, they are distracting.
Re: pledge in school - yes. Every morning, right after attendance, they have someone leading it over the loudspeakers in our classrooms. No one is required to say it, but we do stand and may opt to remain silent or say it. Personal choice.
Reverse culture shock - yes! I have family in Canada and went to school there for some time. While the two countries have similarities, there are also some differences that when you get back to the US, it's a bit jarring. Examples: politeness levels, guns/weapons, pledge of allegiance, tipping amounts (we tip, but not as high as the US), privacy in trying times - meaning that in the US, they print people's names in the newspapers and say it on TV on the news when someone is m*rdered or accused of m*rdering someone, had an accident, got arrested, etc. In Canada, their names are generally not published. I'm not sure if that has changed since I moved back to the US, but at first I thought, "well who was it?" or "who was involved??" Then I realized that if I actually knew them, I would have heard. And if I hadn't heard, then it's likely none of my business. So basically the "news" in the US has become more like tabloid journalism than actual reporting.
Also, one of my first jobs as a student, was working at Macy’s in NYC on Sunday in the late 70’s. The Blue Laws we’re just abolished not without a lot of controversy
I've noticed some reverse culture shock when I moved to Texas from my home state of Michigan and then to Ohio. While Ohio is not Michigan, there is a shared Midwestern culture between the two states.
After getting used to having access to the very best Mexican foods my wife and I were surprised that we could not get the same level of culinary expertise back in the Midwest. From fresh tortillas, barbacoa, guacamole, and charro beans to meat, cheese, lettuce and sour cream on a tasteless shell. We also noticed that a sausage and egg mcmuffin in Texas is a lot spicier than in the north.
Lots of other little differences too, but a very funny one was when I finished moving to Ohio. I was in the store and I was going to make my own Mexican food because, like I said before, Mexican food in Ohio is no good. I was trying to find tortillas but I could not locate them. I looked up and down the bread aisle and found nothing. Not even hard taco shells. I started wandering the store and I finally found them in the International Aisle!
I grew up in New England. Small talk wasn’t a thing. I still think it’s less common there than in most other parts of the country.
The fact that this was in my suggestions is hilarious...REALLY hits home hahaha I've been living in France for years and whenever I go back to the US to visit it's an instant shock...It will have been two years before I make it back to the US again so it will definitely be worse next time even though it's always great to see fam 🤣😂
Welcome and thanks for watching!
I love the laid back atmosphere in the US
As a cancer survivor, the smoking thing is one of my major concerns about possibly moving to France one day; hoping against hope that it's more of a big-city thing and is less common in the smaller towns and villages I'm most likely to want to live in or near!
I think it might depend on the location. It's not overwhelmingly common where we are in Niort. More common than in the U.S., but not enough to make enjoying the city problematic.
Though, according to me, too many people still smoke in France, or in Europe in general, there are anti-smoking laws in France now. You're not allowed allowed to smoke in closed public spaces such as restaurants and bars, train station halls, stores (oviously), public transportation... Commercials for cigarettes are prohibited. And a majority of people (two thirds) are non smokers nowadays. So, yes, you'd be confronted to more people smoking than in the US, but it's not that bad, and much less than 30 or 40 years ago.
It's interesting seeing how the US affects the UK.
In the UK, it seems that it's politically seen as not cool to smoke, but wider society is more encouraging of it. There's been talks about banning it for people who are currently under 18 (like even when they grow older it would still be illegal for them) and we're constantly taught in our schools about the harms of cigarettes, alcohol and all that. However, a lot of people still smoke and the proposed law to slowly ban it was extremely unpopular with the public --- because hey, it's our God-given right (or I guess statistically big-bang-given right) to have the freedom to give ourselves _and everyone else around us_ lung cancer.
Yes, teach high school in Massachusetts and we say the pledge everyday and at all events. It is a bit much. I can't wait to move to France this summer!!!!
Those medical ailment ads we are forced to watch are hard on hypochondiacs.....oh no. I think I have that! 😂😅. Always enjoy you comparisons. Merci Diane.
People forget, but the flag thing is relatively new. I'm an old lady, but when I was a kid the flag was only flown on post offices and government buildings (except on the 4th of July, of course.) The sudden proliferation of flags happened right after 9/11 and never went away. Now the significance has shifted from people feeling patriotic after the attacks to a symbol of right-wing politics... 🤷🏼♀
In France, for the last two decades, the flag turned into a right-wing thing too, cause the left-wing is migrants-friendly, and most of them hate that flag.
Here, lefties don't understand what "being proud" is, nor even its meaning. Worse: if you're proud to be french and fly the french flag, then they call you names, like "racist" or "fascist", etc. before even asking what your politic ideas are.
@@sarahnd inside job.
I am a franco-brit, in France since 1966. Paris. 14:12
We all started trying to give up smoking in the 70's, many succeeded in the 80's, I had to give up in 1991 because no one else was smoking inside offices, restaurants, metro trains, planes, cinemas..... smokers had to go on a balcony or in the street.
No smoking in cars with kids inside, fewer and fewer people having a cigarette with their coffee at a friend's house - they would be relayed into the kitchen with a window open if no balcony.
By the year 2000, the adults had practically all managed to stop.
About Sundays : France is still a Very catholic country and the Torah /Old Testament does tell us to work 6 days and rest the 7th.
Sunday is dimanche in French coming from the Latin/Italian : domenica
The day of Dominus = the Lord. All my friends are at La Messe (catholic) or at Le Service (protestant) on Sundays. There have been discussions for decades about opening stores on Sundays.
I remember when I was younger, in USA, Sunday was a family day & lotta stores closed. Maryland has closed liquor stores but that's it.
You reminded me of a time in America there were "blue"laws . These were laws that regulated what could and what could not be open on Sundays .
At least as of a few years ago, New Jersey still had blue laws.
Wondering if the level of smoking in France contributes to lower levels of obesity? (I’ve heard that people who stop smoking often gain weight.) Or is it simply that the French eat less or walk more than Americans? I’m curious about the relationship between smoking and weight control, and value your opinion. Love your videos, btw.
Believe me, I wish my country wouldn't tolerate that much smoking outside, it's a litteral Hell to try to breathe in a street nowadays. I hate cigarette smoke. And immigrants are not improving the tendancy...
Small talk with shop personnel is a waste of time and energy, THEIR time and energy, not to mention it is not polite, although we can do it, if and only if there is no one behing us in the queue, it's all a question of context. I used to do it but I stopped at some point because I was feeling ridiculous.
Sundays are not so sacred anymore, especially in Paris. In "province", on the contrary it's still a big thing.
We have (at least we had when I was a child) pharmaceuticals adds, but they are non regulated homeopathy and other bullshit medication that you shouldn't buy to begin with... ironic.
There are armories in France but they are very discreet. There is one near Gare de l'Est in Paris.
As far as I can remember (I went to the US only 23 years ago), kids still or at least should still pledge allegiance to the flag in the US. The veneration from the flag seems overwhelming until you take into account the story behind the flag itself and the National Anthem Star Sprankled Banner... It becomes very logical all of a sudden. If the mere existence of the flag is what kept the felon enemy UK away... I'd understand. If corrupt schools don't allow the pledge to the Flag I would be shocked, even as a French who doesn't live in the US. People sacrificing for that flag to stand in front of the enemy despite the odds is to be respected.
In fact, France has many statues of Joan of Ark for nearly the same reason ! Praising and praying Joan of Ark is regarded as ultra religious and conservative and might be out of date nowadays but so would be the American flag... It reminds me in the alternate universe comics series "Jour J", one episode on an alternate WW2, Fran ce built a huge 300m concrete Art Deco style statue of Joan of Ark on the Coast or Calais so the Brits would see it from the other side, the message being "f off our land, you dirty Brits."
As for Obesity, it's taking a hold in France as well, especially in the poorer parts of the population. So it's only a matter of time until we come at the level of the US.
In france service is included in the bill, but it's not a surprise as it's included in the shown prices (15%)
En france le service est inclu dans l'addition. C'est 15%, mais c'est dans les prix énoncés
I deeply appreciate how France includes tax when pricing goods for sale. It seems to me that with all the computing power the US has, it could include tax as well, even if the tax changes from time to time, and the tax across locations is different. It's crazy to never know what price you will have to pay until you get to the register.
I am a French expat in California. I get culture shock when I return to France but I also notice how much the French seem to adopt American customs, many of them they criticized a few years back. Black Friday in France 🤣
I am like you. I love things in both countries.
@raycortopassi4030 The longer you stay away, the more you are remembering how things used to be. 23 years away from the UK, and when I visit a couple of times a year, I find everything so expensive. And the state of everything has declined or not improved. And it's cold and wet.
Malheureusement, on imite les Américains et on adopte des choses négatives : black friday , fast food ...ou qui n'ont pas de sens chez comme halloween ( je ne serai pas étonné qu'un jour on fête thanksgiving ) et on néglige ce qui est positif : la ringardisation du tabac .
c'est pas les français qui imitent les américains, c'est les entreprises qui capitalisent autant qu'ils peuvent.
@@caudron5926 oui, et les expressions en anglais que je ne reconnais même pas. C’est fou tous ces mots en anglais que personne n’utilisait quand j’habitais en France. Récemment, j’ai entendu quelqu’un parler de locoste et je n’avais pas compris que c’était “low cost” 😀.
La France me manque quand je suis aux USA mais quand je suis en France, les USA me manquent. C’est souvent le cas pour les immigrants/expatriés.
If you lived in the French countryside, you would see guns. My nearest decent supermarket is a half hour drive away through the French countryside, where there is boar, deer, and other, smaller game in the woods. I nearly collided with a boar one day, but fortunately, it changed its mind, and turned back into the trees. If there is a hunt on, I will see men on high lookout seats, gun resting on lap, waiting for the animals to come crashing through the woods. I have only once been unfortunate enough to witness a poor dead deer being dragged out of a lake where it had fallen after being shot. However, there has been a lot of clearcutting going on in the woods recently, and both hunters and game have disappeared😊.
I live in Minnesota and i get culture shock when I visit Florida. Lol.
Smoking is GROSS!!! YUK!!
Small h\ talk is wonderful!!! 💟☮️
I like changing cultures on a regular basis - can't say there's any shock involved
LOL. As an introvert, I look very much forward to a general lack of small talk when I hop the pond in May/June. My condolences for having to spend time in FL. Only my state, TX, is more dismal, IMO. But will be able to swap my driver's license, so there is that...
Nah, FL is a happy place for me. My brother went to college down here so I've been coming for a long time and I think we can always find the good in things. Gorgeous winter weather here, festive Christmas displays, the beach, my family.... I'm always happy to visit ;-)
I lived in Paris in the 70s and when the first McDonald’s arrived in Paris -I should say “invaded”- it kind of ruined the heart.
As to reverse culture shock, when I would go home on vacation to California, no one could identify with me and vice versa: no one around me spoke French and I couldn’t adequately explain my experiences to them.
I can imagine why you have reverse shock - I live with these things everyday and just shake my head. That is why I am planning to retire to France in 2 years, that is if I am allowed to leave the country!
I have the impression that in the USA gun shops are as common as bakeries and pharmacies in France... 🤗
Actually more common, unfortunately, especially in the Southern states.
Bonjour Diane. When I came back from living in France for 2 years, I started bagging my groceries. The cashier told me, "Sir, you don't have to bag your groceries. We have baggers for that." I was like, "Oh yeah. Right. Thanks." 🇺🇸🤝🇫🇷
Yes, I have the same problem when I'm in Florida! I've never seen a bagger at any French store.
Tipping has to be more pervasive because wages have fallen way behind productivity the past few decades. Profit have gone to company officers and stock buy backs.
Not a great state of affairs at all!
Ad that’s the problem
french guy here, each t i,e I go to the US; I end up taken the bare minimum in a shop or a restaurant, because I never know if I will have enough. and for the tipping, I feel robbed each time. For me US is always a very stressfull experience and I do not like it at all, and it starts before the border control in and ends after the border control out. this is not holiday, I stay only if have to.
In France, I'd say that you simply don't tip at least 90% of the time! And then probably only at restaurants, I'd say? For exceptional service. It is very very optional, a bonus
Where in france do you live? Because I live in the south west of france and we chat with the cashier, the person next to me at the cash register and on the market we 0get group conversation waiting in line at the stands.
I'm in the Pays de la Loire. People do chichat but check out the linked video for the nuances of what I mean.
+1 style point for using the word "stigmatize"
haha you like that one?
I ❤ France 🇨🇵
I would love if you go to South korea and post about it. Those culture difrences you found are even more shocking in korea. 😂❤. No fat people. No smoking. No small talk at all. No tipping at all. Or so I've heard. But would love to hear from your perspective. Many people have decided to move to seoul south korea for how convenient, clean, affordable, and SAFE, yes you can walk at 1 and 3 am. No worries and you could leave your laptop, even your open bag on a café. No one would touch it!. Some ajoumas ( old ladies) leave their street merch unwatched! They would just leave a note indicating where you can leave the bill. And no one would steal it. If you want I could pass you a link. It is one of my bucket list to go visit. Before I go would love to hear your thoughts.
Bonjour, Diane! Welcome back to South Florida. (I think)....
Haha, it's a beautiful state! Great weather this time of year. Pros and cons everywhere ;-)
@@OuiInFrance Oh yeah... everywhere! Been here since 1962 and have witnessed it all!
Diane, I was laughing so bad about the drug adds - I like the option of moving to France. Reverse cultural shock is a big thing, and it has waves, sometimes it hits you when you don’t expect it
Glad I could give you a laugh ;-)
I'm a French elementary school teacher and I went to a NJ school 2 years ago. I was doing a pen pal project with a colleague from there and I was so curious to see how US schools were. I'm pretty sure public schools can be different in every state, but I was really surprised by the pledge😮. I was standing up in front of the class, showing some euro coins to the students and suddenly everyone stood up and the teacher made me understand I had to stand in front of the flag too. At the beginning, I was like "OK, I know that kind of things exist in a lot of countries, France may be an exception", but I was really surprised by "one nation, under god". I was like, weeeell do they all have to believe in God ? Are they all speaking about the same god ? Do hinduist people have to say "under god" too even if they have several gods ?"
I'm not criticizing, I was just thinking "woooow, that would definitely not happpen in France". 🙃
Cette phrase incongrue a été introduite pendant la guerre froide, en opposition à l’URSS réputée athée. Mais même aujourd'hui, elle ne choque pas grand monde dans un pays où le président prête serment sur une bible et où la phrase "In God we trust" figure sur les billets de banque et les pièces de monnaie...
I'm sick of tipping and IF no tax on tips becomes a reality, I will stop tipping. I'm sick and tired of corporate welfare.
Then eat at home and cook your own food.
You should rather be sick at how the "tipped employee" are currently treated by the legislation! Why people tend to be angry at people with less fortune than at people who pull the strings?
From the Dept of Labor website : "An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 per hour in direct wages if that amount combined with the tips received at least equals the federal minimum wage."
Yes, it is then added "If the employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 per hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Many states, however, require higher direct wage amounts for tipped employees."
But largely, the fact that the base wage of a tipped employee is $2.13 is outrageous, they should have a normal wage and the "tip" be included in the prices, not added on top. You coud still tip if you want too like in many countries (like France, case in point).
@@claude_kagree!
@@claude_k YOU don't get it. The people getting tips need to be PAID for what they do. When they make most of their income on tips they are not making any Social Security deposits on that money and neither are their employers matching that. The employers are also not putting into Medicare. This is just another shell game.
@@pamelawing5747believe me they’d have to make more than triple minimum wage to equal what they make in tips. Here on the Emerald Coast it’s not unusual for a server to make $80,000 or more in tips
We add tax on purchases in Canada and each provinces have different rates and articles that can be taxed or exempt. The ads for pharmaceutical products are creeping into the media unfortunately.
For the "no work on Sunday" in France it is complicated, many businesses would like to open on Sunday morning and some employees would also like it because they are better paid that day. The problem is that it is most of the time illegal, mainly because you cannot make your employees work on Sunday but also because there are prefectural decrees that prohibit opening by imposing Sunday as a mandatory closing day for businesses.
The gun thing....our local small town in Normandie has a large gun store and flags for Winchester and Browning outside. There is a gun club in the town and also a lot of hunting in the forests locally. I went outside in our garden today and heard a lot of hunting horns and gunshots. But obviously the guns are almost exclusively sport related.
Vous avez des problèmes avec les fumeurs de tabac qui rapportent beaucoup d'argent à l'état (pour les beaux jours des politiques peux être!).
J'ai vécu/travaillé à New-York Wall street! Je ne me suis pas plaint car je ne connaissais rien à rien. Mais après des décennies de vacances de merde aux usa, et des politiques pire que pire (comme en France), je déteste les usa, comme je déteste l'Australie où j'ai travaillé et suis allé encore en vacances. Tout a changé en mal à partir de 1999, pour les jeux olympiques, par exemple. Et c'est pire que tout depuis 2020, comme en Nouvelle Zealand et Canada et... en Floride ça a été normal; mais on mange tellement mal comme partout aux usa : obligés d'acheter les produits de base pour manger en vacances tellement c'est horrible.
Bref je suis française et partout je dois manger dans des restaurants asiatiques mais il n'y en a pas partout et c'est un vrai gros problème.