23 AMERICAN THINGS THE FRENCH FIND STRANGE
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- Опубликовано: 15 мар 2023
- I think cultural differences are super interesting so here's a fast-paced look at 23 things the French find strange about American culture. From surrogacy, to mentioning god on our currency, to even bathroom stalls, let's get into some interesting things that are different about life in France vs. the US. As I mention in the video, this isn't a judgment on what's better or worse. The U.S. and France are two different countries and it's fun to talk about those differences.
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Salut! I'm Diane, an American who has lived in France since 2012 and the creator of the blog/RUclips channel Oui In France. My channel's focus is "Everyday French life and beyond." I make videos on French culture topics, France vs. US culture comparisons, food, travel, language, and give you my thoughts about what it's like living in France as an American in the Loire Valley. Thanks for being here and if you enjoy this sort of thing, please share with friends and subscribe!
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@@micade2518 Thanks for the heads up! I'll check it out! That's weird that your comments with links don't get published. Could you try as a test? My mod queue is empty.... Thx again
@@micade2518 just saw the comment with the link (thank you!) in the mod queue and I hit approve so it should be showing up here shortly ;-)
Bonjour Diane!
Ice cold air conditioning is why I could never live in any other country except America!
@@micade2518 The planet is an inanimate object. You leftists are soooo incredibly intolerant of anyone who thinks differently or lives differently than you.
@@fredashay You realise some countries don't need it as they have decent temperatures all the time?
A friend of mine is from the Netherlands. A relative of hers was a prominent baker and traveled around the world for his profession. He didn't understand the massive portions of food served in American restaurants. It wasn't the norm in other countries he visited.
Same in Japan! Portion sizes are smaller for everything here. Lots of extra packaging on snacks to deceive the eyes too. It works, I am a healthy body weight doing it the Japanese way. Even when I have my chocolate or dessert now and then. My American family was upset when I went home to visit. I guess they thought I don't eat now. 😂😂
So true...23 things I won't miss when I move from America to France later this year!
Welcome! We're happy to count you in :)
Sometimes I miss the pill bottles with clearly printed instructions. French handwriting isn't always so easy to read!
@Oui In France I've never seen handwritten labels on any type of medicine. Now. In the US, doctors are now supposed to send prescriptions electronically, due to doctor's handwriting being that bad, that people unintentionally overdosed on medicine, or got the wrong medicine, due to bad writing.
I am loving the French health care system and my local pharmacy. My pharmacist said he would deliver anything I needed after my surgery. Also, my doctor, who speak English, offers house calls!
Love that!!! Such great service!
So in the Us the pharmacist doesnt deliver what u need after a surgery ??!!
@@claude_1c74 Definitely not. You have to go to the pharmacy and pick it up, regardless of your physical condition. (At least, from my experience/observation.)
Yes, my pharmacist deliver any time you can't come yourself, not only after a delivery, for free, you just have to text him. He even told me I can text him if I'm a little bit late because he don't live work right after the closing hours so he can always re open for me ! And we are not closed, I rarely goes to the pharmacy
Wow, sign me up for that service. We also need to see the dr for prescription medication. The pharmacist doesn’t recommend medication they just fill the doctors prescription.
I’m a french woman living in the US since 96’ I miss the most from France is the healthcare, pharmacy anything related to health! Even if you don’t have insurance the cost of things are so different! I love french pharmacy, they are always helpful and ready to answer question, nothing like pharmacist in the US who care less and stay behind counters!
In the US at a gas station - you pay first then you fill up the tank.
In France too in some gas station
I spent most of my life in NJ so when I worked in Memphis, TN, and people talked about guns at work, I found that odd. Nobody I knew in NJ talked about guns.
Guns are difficult to buy in NJ. That discourages the casual buyer.
There's a thing i never understood is publicly ask a person to be your wife/husband with people around aplaud. 99% of french people would never do that in public.
I wonder if other countries do that too, besides the US (I'm in the US, but never liked this custom). A marriage proposal is a personal thing, and it seems that asking this important, personal question in front of an audience puts the other person on the spot.
In the UK you are compensated for giving blood, they give you tea and biscuits 😁
Same in America. But juice and cookies.
So our blood sugar just sky rockets after we give blood😅😅. Weeee.
@@ambersantodomingo5006 Same in France, in fact. I suppose what she wanted to say is that you don't get paid for giving blood.
People can get very desperate in American, sell there blood to make ends meet .😡
It's usually a sandwich in France, or at least it used to be a few years ago. Proteins.
One thing that Frenchs found strange about UK, you see tea as a compensation 😁.
Such a fun video. I love this format too!
I think those things are weird in America too! I am American😂. I am guilty of eating sometimes during a movie at home. Kinda sad though- I feel like I miss out on my meal because of the distraction.
Thank you for another interesting episode.
Love those videos!
thanx for your video! peps me up a bit during these hard times over here in France
Been reading about the protests there, stay safe. At least France doesn't have an ex president actually calling for riots.
When you go to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, on the doors at the entrance there's a sign saying "No guns allowed inside" 😮
Enjoyed the video !!!
So glad! Thank you for watching!
Merci Diane!
You're welcome!
The first thing I noticed and that surprised me is the taste of the food. More sugar and oil (fries) or butter in general than in France. It is very good but when i travel and eat in restaurants every time, I need to alternate with lighter dishes.
Divorce lawyer advertisements! One said "Because not all marriages are made in heaven" :D
I’ve loved the small talk when in the US. It made me feel quite welcome. Our tipping in 🇦🇺 is similar to 🇫🇷
I love going to France. I think the only that bugs me are the open shower stalls. I get water all over the floor. The last time I went I was happy to see a half shower door. 😊. I love these videos.
Same! At first I thought we were doing something wrong, but no 😂
The good thing is that shower doors and curtains are pretty common too. But when we bought our house, I made sure our shower stall had a full glass door because I've definitely seen more open ones like you have.
I remember when my family first came to France, the shower in our Paris rental was not sectioned off and the drain was just part of the tile in the corner. So of course every time you showered, the water got all over the toilet and other parts of the floor. 😂 🚿
These showers with drains directly on the floor ("à l'italienne") are as far as I know advised for accessibility: there is no threshold or step that would prevent a person with disabilities from walking in an out. (In contrast, it is advised to eschew bathtubs, since stepping in and out of a bathtub may be difficult or impossible to elderly or disabled persons, and it is not uncommon for elderly people to fall when doing so.) @@OuiInFrance
Hi Diane. This is excellent. I find myself on the side of the French on these and so many other issues. I’m struggling with how things are going in the US these days. All best. Josef.
#12 is for the Americans with Disabilities Act those gaps under stalls are VITAL for many disabled people especially wheelchair users to safely enter, exit and in cases of emergency get medical assistance in a worst case scenario like someone getting hurt from a fall in the stall or something and not being able to move on their own. I wish this was in place everywhere as a disabled woman myself. While I thankfully am an ambulatory wheelchair user meaning I can stand and transfer on my own and even walk a little bit(sometimes medical issues make it complicated or impossible without help some days) I can not imagine how much more difficult this becomes for other disabled people who have less mobility or are even paralyzed especially those who need to have a stall with enough space for a caregiver to help them.
In France we have specific toilet for disabled persons, with more room for wheelchairs
@@claude_1c74 we do too but that doesn’t mean others can’t have issues that might make easier access a good idea.
Those gaps exist in France too. Probably for the same reason. Not everywhere but in a lot of places.
@@davidlacoste That's good! In the USA if it's a public bathroom with multiple stalls I think it's mandatory to comply so they all are like that I don't remember seeing any that aren't but when it comes to like a singular bathroom like a family bathroom with only one adult sized toilet those usually just have doors
This summer I saw a few 4x4 pickup trucks in Europe, and I'm pretty sure some of them were in France. They didn't have any lettering to indicate they were anything other than personal vehicles. I had never seen that before (though this was only our 3rd trip to continental Europe, so I'm not speaking from a lot of experience).
That is one thing that slightly bugs me as a cold natured American. I have to keep a light jacket in my car all summer even though it gets quite hot here. Lower 90s normally, which is probably 35 c I'm guessing off the top of my head. It does get hotter. Anyway restaurants and stores in general are so chilly I need a jacket. I'm to the point I don't care if it looks kind of odd putting on a jacket while I walk from my car into a business in the heat of summer. I'm so over shivering while I sit there with cool air blowing on me. You can't get away from the slight breeze of ceiling air conditioning vents that are throughout a ceiling. Yeah not only is it chilly, but on top of it they make sure you get a breeze no matter where you sit or stand.
When we lived in the south everyone carried or wore a sweater in the summer due to the air conditioning.😂
hearing fellow co-workers here in the US plead with other staff not to call an ambulance in a health emergency because they don't have health insurance. All the while the political class has given themselves platinum tier health insurance while berating those who call for universal health insurance as communists.
You forgot the gun death rate in schools, concerts, work, ....
I am not sure if it applies to French people's views of the United States, but I have discovered that most foreigners are amazed at the level of volunteerism in the USA and the types of positions in organizations and institutions which are often filled by volunteers.😀
I think of that as exploitation - not paying someone for a job in a company. Local charity organisations are a different story.
I'm french and I was shocked when I've heard than many workers in hospitals are actually volunteers! In the USA it's seen as a positive things (serving your community) while here it would be seen as a deficience from the state, the hopistal (state) don't want to pay people so they ask for volunteers and it wouldn't be well seen. We have less volunteerism and less "community sense" here, simply because we know if we have a child, lose our job or get sick our government have our back. I think something in "between" those to models would be great because as a consequences we don't have a sense of community here
True - also, senior citiwens working
cheese for desert after the meal in France- before as hors d'oevres in the US. US breakfast cereal v. French croissants, bread every day on the table, US not every day and in baskets not directly on the table, drinking wine every dinner in France v. US not, greeting every person in the room bonjour whenever you enter any room, even a waiting room in a drs office in France v. US silently waltz in saying nothing.
#22 and #23 are the same here:( Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.
I've been to New York with my husband, and been to a dinner. We got served a really huge glass of coke, and when the waitress wanted to refill our glass we felt so bad for telling her we didn't need it. But we felt like we already had drunk half of litter of water.
A half liter seems very small? I usually have at least 3 glasses of Coke (or preferably sweet tea) with a meal. (Around 1& 1/2 liters total) Maybe a half liter if I’m drinking milk.
Bonjour Qui, vive la difference! Robin in Seattle
I'd personnaly would have had the fact that you can recieve credit cards in your mailbox that you can use without signing any contract. In France, getting a credit card is a huge deal, and most people only use a debit card.
Credit card are so expensive that no one wants to use them.
*I really HATE the last one. Price are already very high when you go to restaurant or to the hairdresser... and you have to add a tip?!?!?! If you compare with France, does it mean the difference goes to the business owner? (the VAT is lower than in France btw!!!). TIP is a SCAM in USA*
Well, nobody asked you
As it said in the video, tip in the Us is a wage , not in Europe.
Here tip is just an extra.
@@claude_1c74 As I said... prices are already very high in USA when you go to restaurant or to the hairdresser. If prices were lower, I would accept it. And as I mentionned, VAT is lower in USA (same for corporate tax and employer contributions). So the real scammers are business owners !
A lot of people tip the hairdresser in France. It traditionally goes to the "shampoo girl" who usually is an apprentice.
@@J0HN_D03 the US has a lot of taxes including those on business but the one tax we don’t have is VAT therefore you are correct it is lower as in non existent. It does make me question whether you have any understanding of US business taxes though.
Let's talk about the wall mounted shower head. Honestly, really stupid idea. Probably the idea of someone who didn't have to clean the shower. 🤦🏻♀️♥️
I would be fine with deracable if they didn't fall off every time you have a shower.
@@jack2453 : I've had a detachable showerhead for years and never had one fall off. How would it happen?
I do wish we would include tax in the price in the US. When I was in Iceland, the cars where about the same size as they are in the US.
Hopefully you as an American realize why tax is rarely included in the price.
@@ggjr61 Because stores are lazy and prey on human psychology to make us buy more things.
Tipping is more of a thing in France than in many other countries, though it has oddly waned a bit as it has ramped up in the US. Pour boire is definitely a thing though.
I've only been to France a few times, and maybe it's because I live in an American city and in a place where people are not going much to the Olive Garden or Red Lobster-type places, but I didn't find the portions in France to be all that small, plus you eat multiple courses, whereas I think many people in US (unless it's a celebration) order just a main course. Also while it's true that drinks are refilled at a lot of fast casual places, that's not the norm in an independent restaurant. I'd gladly take most everything else about France that you mentioned, especially gun control and national health insurance.
Yeah as a American I find several of those things strange too!
For sure! The freezing cold a/c is one that I just can't wrap my head around.
I agree
The majority of the restaurants I ate at in France were small mom and pop places so I did tip. And I do love ice in my water so if the waiter is kind enough to get me some ice I always will add a tip.
I think that the gun culture in the USA is strage - and i am an American. ☮️
Law: could be sentenced to 500 years in jail; have to pay millions of damages il you do not warn that cats should not be dryed in micro-ondes (do not English name); evidence rejected if a formal (and ridiculous) procedure is not followed. Politics: voting for intermediates electors at the presidentials without any reason rather than directly; voting for sheriffs, judges...
You cannot not be compensated for giving whole blood products in the US. Plasma donations can be be, and often are, compensated.
I would add credit score. That thing is insane.
Many Americans find these things strange as well.
I have never found american particularities strange to be honnest, it's just different wether i like it nor not. But it's always interresting to see the cultural differences and understand where they come from and why. It helps appreciate what we have and what we could strive for.
Lot of these differences are cultural and explainable. But I don't understand the one with prices not the same on product and what you pay. Be it taxes or tips.
Yes it would be nice to simply pay the price on the sticker with taxes included. As for tips, I’ve heard from people in other countries they love the level of service they receive from American wait staff. It’s because they have an incentive to perform well to get a better tip. Our labor laws allow for incredibly low hourly wages for certain types of personnel. For example I believe in Texas it’s 2.50 an hour plus tips. If you don’t work a job that earns tips you may make 10.00 an hour or whatever the minimum wage is. Just as an example. So if you’re a good server and working the right restaurant and shift you can make good money, but if you have a crappy shift or low end restaurant you’ll bring in much less.
@@christinabayma119 Granted I've never put a foot in an american restaurant but from what I've heard, waiters come off as pushy in my opinion. I like being left alone when I eat and if I need something I simply ask. Waiters in France are still very respectful and do a good job without the need of tips.
I really miss France a lot maybe I go for the Olympics
Another difference is my understanding that the French all take their vacations in August. Where here in the US we do not have a single month that we all go at the same time.
Hi Carol, it depends on the workplace but most French people do take some vacation (or at least a couple of weeks) in the summer timeframe. July and August are both really common.
And we have a 5th week, sometimes 6 !!! Same in Switzerland and other European countries.
It is also a legal obligation to take 2 weeks of vacations during summer time (I can't remember what is exactly "summer time", I guess from May until end of september). It can explain that lot of people take vacantions in July and August.
@@alexandreochem3142 there's no legal obligation but some company can make you take at least two weeks. In exchange, they must give you one extra day holiday.
@@alexandreochem3142 It's not a legal obligation. It's usually company policy to force you to do it (through your contract) to help them with inner organization and to prevent employees from taking their 5 weeks in the busiest month of the year.
❤Hello!
Bonjour!
Most, if not all, of these things apply to Europe in general, not just France. The obvious one missing (perhaps because everyone else talks about it without fail): Having a person at the supermarket who bags your groceries for you (« paper or plastic? ») and even carries them out to the car (of course!) for you.
As annoying as it is, not having the tax included in the price is understandable. As there can be multiple sales taxes that vary even within a single state (state sales tax and local sales taxes that can vary from one city to the next), it would be impossible to do any kind of advertising beyond the local city limits that showed a final price.
More annoying for me - advertising often shows very low prices (especially for electronics), but when you read the fine print, the prices shown are « with rebate ». You have to pay a much higher price, then send in your receipt and various other pieces of documentation to the company, and at some time you will get the money back. They count on people not making the effort to do all the red tape.
The fact that sales tax varies from place to place and is unpredictable is an argument FOR having it on the price tag, not against.
@@jack2453 For consumers, absolutely; for the companies selling products nationally or across multiple states and/or cities and for their advertising agencies, it would be a nightmare. That having been said - it would be THEIR nightmare! Americans are used to it, however, and don’t give it a second thought for the most part.
@@michaelmedlinger6399 National retail corporations can afford computer systems to manage this... and just because consumers are used to being ripped off it doesn't mean they shouldn't be.
Leaves people very vulnerable to under the gap photos in the toilet cubicles while your 'doing it'? Point 13 mentions huge gaps under cubicles. Scary in my opinion,if there's perverts about. Second thing is do they mention the price of item and sales tax seperately so you have to sum up the total? What a waste of time.
Maybe I missed this topic: The use of horse-and-buggy US customary units instead of metric.
She talk about it in another video.
Hi Diane, it is not 100% true that the Euro does not have any religious references. If you have ever had a 1 or 2 € coin made in the Netherlands (with former queen Beatrix or current king Willem-Alexander on the back), you'll see text on the side of the coin. It sais "God zij met ons", in English "God be with us"!
I’m sorry for being confusing. I just meant that there’s no standardized religious language that appears on all
currency. Thank you for pointing that out! ❤
Obelix would say: "Ils sont foux ces bataves" 😁
@@OuiInFrance There is no religious language in France on currency or political documents because of the Law of Separation of Church and State of 1905. But several European countries don't have such a thing. IIRC, Catholicism is still the state religion in Poland.
French person looks for a pharmacy in the US and ends up in a dispensary :P also if i had to speak French id hate small talk too.
So true, the green signs are not the same!
@@OuiInFrance Californian here and the green signs really bum me out when I'm in France. ;) French wine is so much better than Californian, but the dispensaries here are pretty amazing.
So many of these things... I don't like as an american... god on my money, tipping, tax not included.... and #1 --- healthcare. I am working on my DELF now, and your videos motivate me so much. (but I know France is not perfect and I am not putting France on a pedestal, I honestly just crave something different and more align with my values). I'm ok with really cold AC and wearing a sweatshirt :P
France is certainly not perfect right now, thanks to our corrupted politicians.
But when it comes to healthcare we are not the odd ones, the USA are.
Almost every other first or second world country at this point has some form of socialized healthcare. When i fell ill as a French tourist in the poor northern part of Brazil, i went to the hospital for a consult, saw a doctor, got a drug, and didn't pay anything.
From everything i gather the US healthcare system is a big scam to put people's money in the pockets of insurance companies and medical supplies providers.
It is easy to get into Europe if you go through Portugal. Do some research and you’ll find out how and why.
About weapons, it would surprise you that despite strict gun control, France is more armed per capita than the US, the only country beating us is... Switzerland !!! 1/3rd of the French population has a firearm. Of course, illegal to take it with you for a simple stride, those are for hunting or recreational use in dedicated spaces. In home, weapons are to be unable to fire directly, hidden from children and ammo kept in another room, also out of reach of children.
BTW, the average Swiss 10 year old could beat the average US soldier at the shooting range. No wonder no one attacked Swistzerland !
I agree w/ French people on big gas ⛽️ guzzlers.
Some of the things. Even 🇺🇸 think the same things.
Actually medical care is needed a human right here in America. But just like the right to be armed, there’s no requirementnthatnthentacpayers fund your rights. You have to pay for your own medical care just like you have to buy your own guns nd ammo.
Americans wearing shoes while laying on beds. Hollywood myth or reality?
We don't sleep in our shoes. Def myth
@@OuiInFrance It's not about sleeping, it's like when people lie down or sit on the bed to talk or whatever. You see that a lot in movies or tv shows, especially with teens.
Shoes are not allowed in my bed or my sofa. Very unhygienic. Even at a hotel if my husband wants to lie on the bed before removing his shoes, he hangs his feet off the bed so they don’t touch. Then I make him remove his shoes anyway. I would say most people would agree with me on this one. Many wouldn’t allow shoes to be worn past the entryway.
@@s.p.8803 the answer is still no.
I'm not American (Australian) and I agree with 22 of your lust. BUT I hate European detachable shower heads. They are never stable and they always detach mid-shower.
Nous, on n’agite pas le drapeau à chaque fois qu’on va... cela démontre que ces gens ont peur.
Leur niveau de démocratie est bien bas. (25?)
Nous 35 et Russie et Chine 75?
3:45 This is absolutely not uncommon in France.
What the French don’t understand mostly is that they’re French. Can you imagine BEING French? Brutal.
Your parents must be sibblings.
@@kit-kat3356logic, he’s american
be careful outthere
Where?
@@s.p.8803 outthere
Do the French think we're crazy about abortion thing?
In which way?
If woman wants (or need) to abort, she will do. Legal or not.
The only difference is if it will be safe or not.
@Pascal Guinet
That we're making it illegal in many states. And *NO* some 12 yo girls will birth a baby (that's already happened)!
Yes, in France we consider abortions as basic human's rights.
@@bringbackdislikes3195. Your opinion is your opinion. Don’t think you can generalize it to all the French.
@@iparipaitegianiparipaitegi4643 Of course there are some crazy braindeads in our country but the vast majority of french citizen are for abortions. If it was that big of an issue in France I would know.
Gun culture is a complicated thing in France, it was very present but since the Nazis invaded us and took our right to carry guns it has remained like this unfortunately. A few of us still have a large interest un guns and wish we could carry and defend ourselves, but it seems that the nazis did something great for our government so they won’t change it. Most of French civilians are very unfamiliar with guns except for few hunters and sport/fun shooters especially in rural regions.
I'm a man, but I believe surrogacy being illegal in France is wrong. This simply makes it impossible for women who have fertile eggs, but their bodies are unable to carry out a pregnancy naturally. It should be regulated, and only be offered to women who can not carry out a normal pregnancy, and another woman is willing to carry out the pregnancy on behalf of the intended mother. I don't believe women who can carry out a normal pregnancy should be able to seek a surrogate mother to carry her children. Makes me wonder what women do if they're not able to have a normal pregnancy. I wish I could find the US Tzv movie, where a woman was born with a rare case of having ovaries, but no uterus. I found it hard to believe, but in this TV movie, which was based on real events, that the woman's mother , despite being in her late 40's to early 50's, decided to be the surrogate mother, by giving birth to her grandchildren. This TV movie is over 25 years old, that it's difficult to find online. It's something that should be an option for the French, but with restrictions, unlike the US, where some women seek out surrogate mothers, just because some just don't want to go through with pregnancy themselves. I find this wrong.
Some things take education and time. It wasn’t always legal or understood in the US either.
There have been problems because sometimes surrogate mothers attached themselves to the baby. That's why it's illegal in so many places.
AFAIK, it's not illegal, just heavily regulated.
The reason is because there is money involved which lead to many/most of the sorrogacy shcemes being hold by mafias. The US often likes to look away when it's not happening under there noses but they are not really checking and often sponsoring human trafficking (women are not volonteer nor gatting any of the money, they are forced)
Everything that is described in the video are US customs, they are not American things. America is a single continent and not a country.
Actually, there are two continents with America in their name, both North and South America. The only country, though, with America in its name is the United States of America so for brevity, the word American is often used instead of "United States of America things the French find strange". Sorry for any confusion!
What? America is a continent? Time to take a geography lesson.
While I was taught (in the US) that North and South America are two continents, the Germans count them as one continent, so there are only 6 continents for Germans. (I don’t know if the French do this.) I believe that is also the reason there are 5 rings on the Olympic flag - the five continents of sports (Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Australia). When doing translations, I have to keep this in mind. If a German text refers to the « sixth continent », it is talking about Antarctica, which would be the seventh continent for a US person.
@@michaelmedlinger6399 Same for France, 7 continents. The Olympic flag predates this fairly recent view.