Differences & Similarities

A short chat with Mulrich yesterday sparked the idea to do a blog post on some of the differences and similarities between the USA and France. I think I probably have more differences than similarities, but I suspect that's because differences are always a bit easier to notice than similarities. It might be fun to see what Meghan notices once she gets here. Anyways, here's what I've found.

Cafe Culture. This is my favorite difference between the States and France. It feels like all of Paris is consumed by this idea that "there's no need to rush." Emblematic of this feeling is the institution of the cafe. It seems that most people don't really hang out at home. They're always at a cafe. The cool thing is that you can sit, nurse a 3 euro "cafe et croissant," and (in my case) work on your homework for two hours without having to worry about paying the bill or getting out of there quickly. You just sit and chill. It's great. Probably my favorite part about France.

People are more insular. People don't chat with eachother as much. Conversations are often short if they're between people who don't know eachother. I can generally get in and out of a cafe while only saying the words "cafe creme, s'il vous plait." And on the metro (other than those trying to make money while rapping/pole-dancing), no one really says anything except when they're with their friends.

No sales tax. This is amazing. When it says, "Postcartes -- 10 pour 2 euro" it honestly means that you're only going to pay 2 euros. Money exchange is so even and easy. They need to make that happen in Florida (do they have no sales tax in other states in the USA?).

Driving is out of control. Okay, roundabouts are problematic any way you do it. However, people just kinda do whatever when they're driving here. I'm sure it's not as bad as third-world countries, but still it was a bit of a shock for me. Take the Bastille, where motor cycles will often just hop curbs, cut accross the sidewalk, and reenter another street. Unreal! Plus, there are no lanes in roundabouts; so, it's honestly just fend for yourself.

The food is unbelievable. Hard to explain, but seriously it seems that everything I get here is better than it would be in the USA. Even groceries seem better (boullion cubes included). The coffee is fantastic; the cheese is wonderful; the wine (of course) is great; even the sandwiches (which was a surprise for me) were amazing. I'm worried if the French find out about barbeque, then it's all over. We'll have nothing left.

Dogs. There are a lot of dogs around, it seems. Now when I say dog, I actually mean a tiny poof of fur that apparently has legs and walk around behind its master. There are no JJs in Paris. But it seems that everyone has them, and they take them wherever (people in business clothes that look like -- I could be wrong -- they're taking their dog to work).

Okay, maybe I'll get to the similarities tomorrow or the day after. I think this post might be long enough. One other thing that I like is that the tip is often included in cafe/restaurant bills. It's part of the "sandwich pour 5 euros" price that's advertised. So, when you leave, you generally leave a little tip, but nothing like the 15% in the USA. It's more like the change you have in your pocket. This makes it REALLY easy to give a good tip (like 2 euros is a phenomenal tip at a cafe). Anyways, I thought I'd add that in there. Okay, more tomorrow!