American Reacts to 15 French Culture Habits That Shock Americans!

Comments · 44

• MA

  @marieadriansen2925 · 9 months ago

  Hello, I am French. Many things in the video are exaggerated and some are false. It took us a little time to start kissing again after COVID. We kiss friends and family, but for other people, we are more likely to shake hands. Most of the time we give two kisses. We are allowed to eat at work during our break. The law prohibits smoking indoors. Outside, we cannot smoke in places where there might be children, such as parks, gardens, bus shelters, beaches, near schools, and in public areas. We can still smoke on restaurant terraces. You should try to sit at a table away from people who are smoking, or if you can't stand it, go inside the restaurant or café. Many people are in sweatpants or shorts, etc., and you can dress however you like! Many people respect queues; I always do. As for ice cubes, if you ask for some, you'll get them. We’re not used to taking as many as you! Saying hello is a friendly gesture. At first glance, like other Europeans, we may seem less smiley than Americans. We are nice too, but our culture is different. We still smile. Someone explained to me that in the US, people used to speak different languages and didn’t understand each other, so to avoid trouble, they smiled a lot to show they were friendly. At school, we are taught to think and debate without arguing. Still, we tend to avoid certain topics if they are very sensitive. Certain things are exaggerated in what is said and are not always true. Welcome to France, we will be happy to have you. I know that Charlie's great-grandfather came from Franche-Comté. Dijon is a very beautiful city in Burgundy Franche-Comté. There are also plenty of other beautiful regions.

  29

• CA

  @Caporal_Blutch · 9 months ago

  Everything related to food is almost sacred in France. Because it&apos;s the first vector of socialization in French culture.<br>In France, food is not only a natural biological obligation, it&apos;s not just about gluttony or the pleasure of eating well... it&apos;s first and foremost the primary vehicle for socialization.<br>It explains all these habits and rituals around food. The long time of meals, the lunch break out of work, the &quot;aperitif hour&quot; before the meal, the wine culture to enjoy the moment a little... etc...<br>Because the meal and all the habits that surround it are what will allow people to not just eat, but spend time together, meet people, discuss, be joyful, make friends...<br>Food is the pretext, the thing around which people gather, to socialize.<br><br>There is a popular expression in France when you meet quickly one person like during work or in the street, you say &quot;La prochaine fois on se fait une bouffe&quot;, wich litteraly mean &quot;Next time we meet we make a meal&quot;. It means you have no time this day, but next time you will call and see this person, you will take time to rest, to dicuss with her, to deepen the relationship... around a meal.

  7

• MA

  @marieadriansen2925 · 9 months ago

  In big cities, there are many shops open at noon, it depends on the type of shop, pharmacies are closed at noon. Department stores are open all day throughout France.

  6

• CD

  @cdrw-q9i · 9 months ago (edited)

  the thing about not eating at your desk is made to prevent employees to pressure their employees into working during their lunch break. Butr it&apos;s hardly applied by anyone<br>actually I&apos;m currently watching this video at the office while eating on my desk<br>it&apos;s also for hygiene and security. the law forces any company with more than 50 employees to provide a dedicated common place for eating

  7

• MA

  @marieadriansen2925 · 9 months ago

  I am French, and there are a lot of things that are very exaggerated or false. We can stay longer than in the United States in a café, but we don&apos;t stay for hours. We don&apos;t pee against a tree in the street; those are exceptions. Often, if there is no public restroom nearby, we take the opportunity to go to the bathroom when we have a coffee. I have never been to the United States, so I can&apos;t compare; there are certainly cultural differences, but we are kind and friendly. We have the same culture as other European countries. We are direct and we like to chat, but it&apos;s not offensive. We are kind. We respect queues. If someone doesn&apos;t, it is frowned upon.

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• HE

  @herzwolf1724 · 9 months ago

  I am neither French nor a US citizen, but I have lived in both countries. Guess where life was more comfortable, relaxed and enjoyable. And whereever in the world I have been I have never experienced &quot;culture shocks&quot;. It&apos;s all a matter of adaptability.

  3

• MA

  @marieadriansen2925 · 9 months ago

  It&apos;s true that with friends and family, we enjoy talking about many topics. Everyone sincerely expresses what they think; we may not agree, but we don&apos;t argue. If a topic is very sensitive, especially with people we don&apos;t know well, we still try to avoid talking about it.

• AN

  @AnthondeVries · 9 months ago

  they do ice in the netherlands, but i prefer to have no ice so you have more cola. it&apos;s cold from the machine and i plan to drink it right away.

  4

• RA

  @Raynard236 · 9 months ago

  Pour l’histoire des toilettes, c’est une histoire d’organisation 👍🤣

• MA

  @marieadriansen2925 · 9 months ago

  We don&apos;t put a lot of ice, no more than 2 or 3 in the summer, just enough to cool the drink. It&apos;s out of habit and taste, as he explained. At McDonald&apos;s, they put a lot of ice in the Coke, and personally, I don&apos;t like it at all because the Coke or other drinks lose their flavor. We probably stay longer than Americans in a café; the servers won&apos;t ask us to leave unless, as he said, it&apos;s a tourist spot and people are waiting, or it&apos;s closing time and they need to clean. We don&apos;t stay for hours because we often have other things to do or if we see that people are waiting.

• DI

  @dignum · 9 months ago

  Eating at your desk implies that you are still working during lunch break.<br>This could be a problem for the employer in court, they would have to pay for it, salary + additional damages.<br>The burden of proof regarding work time rests with the employer, which is why the rule exists. They will tolerate you eating physically at the desk, as long as they can somehow prove in court that you effectively took the legal breaks.

• RA

  @Raynard236 · 9 months ago

  Ah oui le fameux bonjour 🤣 <br>C’est sacré ici, l’absence de bonjour est vécu comme une offense.<br>Faites treeeeees attention. C’est une véritable insulte si vous ne saluez pas les gens en entrant, avant d’initier une discussion etc etc