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this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2023
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Everything in this thread so far is normal stuff I could have guessed. Guns, metric, tipping, etc. Most of it has large groups of people in the country that agree, or at least know.
What are some non-obvious things? Culture shock isn't about major political issues. It's about universal things that turn out to not be universal.
For example, US people have a strong culture of how standing in line works. It's basically a moral sin to butt in line unless you have someone holding your place. This is universal in the country. My understanding is that other countries differ. Is that true?
France doesn't understand how to queue.
They will look you in the eyes and smile while they cut you off in line at the bakery to buy a fucking baguette, not even realizing the injustice they have done you.
Source : I go to France at least once a year on vacation.
Well, that also depends on your attitude in the boulangerie. If you're busy standing around looking and going ah-humm and look like you're still browsing while the cashier isn't doing anything, then yeah folks are just gonna walk to the counter to order that baguette. The transaction is gonna take 20sec, they already know what they want, the baker already knows what they want because they buy the same thing every day, and probably they're gonna give them the exact change needed.
If there's an actual queue and people are waiting in line, no one in their right mind would try to cut, in some French regions that's how you end up at the hospital.
Ah.. no.
I mean they will literally cut you off as you're about to order and shout over you.
I've been to all corners of the country except for Alsace and it was extremely common.
And even if someone is still deciding, it's still extremely rude to cut people off.
I really cannot confirm this. I am French.
Well you said it yourself that you cut in line when people are a little indecisive at the bakery...
I've seen people cut through an entire line at la poste and walk up to a counter directly to get service while everyone else was yelling at them and still get served. It boggled my mind.
I've seen people rush to huddle trying to all get into a bus at the same time instead of doing a queue like anywhere else in the world.
People pretending they have a question, walk directly to a the cash register at a market and then ordering directly while a whole queue is waiting to be served.
I'm from Montréal and I have a lot of French friends who complain everytime they come back from a visit home about this type of behaviour and how it just made them rage.
To be fair though, this type of behaviour is mostly from older generations with a few exceptions. And then there Paris....
Okay yeah I have to admit some of the examples ring pretty true, especially the bus one, there's no discipline there.
I don't go back to France that often since I live abroad and when I do I avoid people like the plague, hate the bastards.
I still wouldn't say that cutting in line is accepted, in my example at the boulangerie I don't picture a line, just someone standing in the shop looking at the choices and there's no one waiting at the counter. But yeah you're right that maybe it gets tried more than other countries, but I also remember vividly people getting called out for it, you also mention the people at la poste were yelling at them so clearly it's not like a normal thing.
I think what you describe is more the uncoordinated and individualist/me first French attitude rather than just line-cutting like I've experienced for example in China where that's really like if you leave 20cm in front of you they slip in and no one says anything, if you do that in the wrong line in France you won't forget it.
Finally, lol sometimes I forget Paris is part of France, hate these bastards even more than the rest of them.
PS I married a compatriot of yours and have family in Outaouais, we'll probably move there some day and visit regularly. Quebec people are super chill and friendly compared to French, so I think that's also part of the culture shock, not line cutting but just the fact we're a bunch of assholes.
Yeah it's not accepted. When there is a line and people do cut in, they're usually told. Hahaha.
Like many other French people have told me "la France c'est bien mais c'est plein de français".
To be fair, I've had a generally positive experience. Except for Paris, people are generally nice. Especially in Bretagne and in the south.
Parisians are... execrable. There's always exceptions, but my general experience has been pretty much consistent with every visit.
I was expecting people in Bordeaux to be a bit similar but it was the complete opposite. People would actually take the initiative to ask us if we needed help if we looked like we were looking for directions.
In Chamonix I made a bunch of friends in only a couple of days of visiting hahaha. They were really chill. Like a bunch of surfer dudes, but in the mountains.
Corsica is ... Corsica. LoL!
I almost got run off a mountain road by a crazy Corsican that must've thought we weren't driving fast enough (foreign plates probably didn't help) so I know what you mean!
Bordeaux is nice, I have friends from there and went once but I'm mostly from the Eastern half, sounds like maybe you went more west half, probably because they call pain au chocolat chocolatine, right? Haha
Yeah I would agree with my compatriots, France is great except for being full of French... I'd go back if I was retired and/or too rich to work, but having to be an active part of society there is a non-starter.
Anyway end game for us is likely a lake front bed and breakfast somewhere in Quebec, I just want to do one more tropical country first.
We've been to Cuba, Martinique and Cancun. Cuba is beautiful in its own way. The beaches are freaking amazing. But you won't eat well. The food is terrible. Plus, the people there are almost starving so you feel bad eating whatever they offer. Everyone is after your money too. People who want to take you on a tour to visit Havana or any other places have shitmobiles that barely hold together and are a moment away from breaking and having an accident. And don't drink the tap water and don't eat from any outdoors buffet.
Martinique is wonderful. Amazing beaches, amazing food and especially the rum! Lots of great activities to do and places to visit. And you feel safe. I've had a wonderful time there. Truly the best tropical destination so far.
Cancun was great. Went to an all inclusive resort. It's nice but if you stay in the resort you won't experience the true Mexican experience. The food is good, but very "white people" if you get my drift. If you want authenticity you have to go visit Cancun city proper. And you will get charged extra for EVERYTHING. We call it the gringo tax. Everyone will be after your money. And you won't feel safe. But overall it's very cheap and you will eat very well. Just don't drink from the tap.
In the UK we pride ourselves on our ability to queue for no apparent reason.
Sir, pride in the sanctity of the Queue is reason enough alone.
Seriously though, being in places where people don't queue properly is miserable. That's something America should be applauded for.
We only embrace the chaos of the queueless on Black Friday.
Unless you're up the ramp at the pub, then it's everyman for himself and hope the bar maid has a good memory.
Now I'm picturing pubs with orderly lines and it just feels very wrong.
I know some small petty things!
You say "off of". In the UK we just say off. "Get off my lawn" Vs "Get off of my lawn". Why do you need the extra word?
You call pasta noodles. Pasta is not noodles.
I once got kicked off (of) a beach at 9pm by a police officer. Wtf? It's the beach, who cares if I'm on it at night? And why is it so important to have a police car patrolling it?
On that note, trespassing seems much more serious in America. In a lot of the world you can just wander around, if it's on somebody else's land it's no big deal as long as you don't cause a mess.
For the culture thing, Americans are generally louder and less subtle than any other nationality. They're more friendly and energetic. There's a certain type of dry sarcastic humour that never lands with Americans. I don't want to call it British humour because there's never any confusion with the rest of Europe
I spent some time in Germany and it's very much so not true there. I was waiting on line for something and my German friend got in a different line and he got his food a solid ten minutes before me. Afterwards he explained that he took the line against the wall so people could only budge in front of him from one direction. He told me "Germans cut. It's just the way it is."
God, how is there not more daily murder there.
Why would it not be bad to cut in line? It just makes sense to respect people's time by maintaining FIFO order.
The lack of relegation or promotion in your sports leagues. Isn't the same 20 teams being in the Superbowl, MLB, NBA, every year boring? How do you live without the shaudenfraude of seeing a previously good team go down or the glory of a team cooking up and giant killing in their first tip flight season?
...Two teams play the Super Bowl every year.
An NFL season consists of a 3 week pre-season and an 18 week regular season during which all teams in the league--currently 32--compete within their division and conference. The winners of each of the four divisions in both conferences plus three wild card teams who among the remaining teams have the best record of both conferences (14 teams in all) go on to play in the post-season playoffs, a single-elimination tournament whose final, championship game is the Super Bowl.
American football fans enjoy the schadenfreude of a previous championship team not even making the playoffs, or the glory of a team who hasn't made the playoffs in recent memory going all the way to The Big Game.
It’s the same here in the Netherlands.