{"id":1944,"date":"2017-12-06T12:08:02","date_gmt":"2017-12-06T17:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.frenchlanguagesalon.com\/?p=1944"},"modified":"2020-01-21T18:12:16","modified_gmt":"2020-01-21T18:12:16","slug":"top8-differences-france-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frenchlanguagesalon.com\/uncategorized-en\/top8-differences-france-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 9 Cultural differences between France and the U.S.A"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have been living in the US for the last 3 years. Long enough to notice the following every-day habits between France and the US…. that change your life!<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Doggy Bags<\/strong>: A routine thing people in the US, which is close to inconceivable for a French native. To us, it sounds like being stingy. With that said, you get used to it easily when you live here because it\u2019s a good thing. It\u2019s economical and it prevents you from wasting food. This is certainly a habit we should make ours.<\/li>\n
  2. Ice Cubes<\/strong>: In France, we don’t use them much except when it gets really hot or in some cocktails. In the U.S, they are EVERYWHERE! Even sometimes in red wine, which a real sacrilege for a French guy.<\/li>\n
  3. The Shower<\/strong>: Or more specifically, the shower head… stuck to the wall! In France, the shower head is at the end of a long flexible pipe, long enough to rinse easily. In United States, mind the first freezing spray of water when you take your shower!<\/li>\n
  4. Tipping<\/strong>: In the US, there\u2019s nothing more natural and logical than leaving a tip for service. And even a big tip if one is very satisfied with a service. In France, gratuity is always included in the service cost and there\u2019s no need to add up a tip.<\/li>\n
  5. Coffee<\/strong>: Ordering a coffee has a pretty different outcome depending on the country. In France, you will get an expresso in a small cup. In the US, the coffee will be much lighter but you will get enough of it to last the whole morning!<\/li>\n
  6. Dining Habits<\/strong>: In France, the meal setting is simple. It starts with a main course, followed by a dessert, and most often a coffee. For special occasions we add up an aperitif (wine, alcohol, cocktail drink or juice), some salty \u201camuse-gueule\u201d (like chips), and hot or cold small appetizers. Besides, the whole family is gathered and eats at a specific time. Every single day. In United States, basically, it is whenever, however and whatever you want. Voil\u00e0.<\/li>\n
  7. TV Commercials\/Breaks<\/strong>: In France, they are regulated and can’t last over 12 minutes per hour, plus ads must be spaced by 20 minutes. Recently, on the main public channels (France TV), commercials have completely disappeared. In USA, frankly, we feel like there are more commercials than the actual program sometimes. In some cases, you will see ads 5 times in one single movie on US channels vs only one time in France. To be honest, I was not watching TV much before, but now I don’t watch it at all anymore.<\/li>\n
  8. Courtesy<\/strong>: French people are not impolite, but the reasons for apologizing are less diversified. For example, skimming against someone on the street is not enough to apologize, bumping in to someone is. In the U.S., the “I\u2019m sorry” is almost nearly used too often, to a point that I sometimes wonder why the person is apologizing to me. But at the end of the day, it is pretty enjoyable and it is something contagious so… \u201cSorry!\u201d<\/li>\n
  9. Internet and Phone Plans<\/strong>: I am going to be honest with you, the following will make you jealous! A phone + internet plan costs a maximum of $41 in France and we think this is expensive. My mom, to give a good example, pays $70 for her phone, internet and my 2 sister’s phone plans… What about you? How much do you pay for your phone and internet? More? Me too…<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    And no, this is not a top 10 because finally, we are not that different and we get used to these small changes really fast. Actually, this list proves only one thing, a French guy will never stop complaining! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

    What do you think? If there are any expats among you, either French living in the U.S. or Americans living in France, feel free to share your thoughts and experiences or compare it to mine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I have been living in the US for the last 3 years. Long enough to notice the following every-day habits between France and the US…. that change your life! Doggy Bags: A routine thing people in the US, which is close to inconceivable for a French native. To us, it sounds like being stingy. With […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[116],"tags":[285,642],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/frenchlanguagesalon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/120217-cultural.jpg?fit=2000%2C1038&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8kt18-vm","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10387,"url":"https:\/\/frenchlanguagesalon.com\/animals\/four-places-you-can-go-to-practice-your-french-besides-france\/","url_meta":{"origin":1944,"position":0},"title":"Four Places You Can Go To Practice Your French (Besides France!)","date":"March 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"So, you\u2019re learning French\u2026 If you\u2019re like many students, part of your motivation while you climb over its grammatical hurtles may be a desire to visit France\u2013to stroll picturesque Parisian boulevards, meander through the lavender fields of Provence, or take a dip in crystalline waters of the French Riviera. While\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Advantages Being Bilingual"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/frenchlanguagesalon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/120617-frenchtravel.jpg?fit=1200%2C623&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1517,"url":"https:\/\/frenchlanguagesalon.com\/french-culture\/top-5-sports-france\/","url_meta":{"origin":1944,"position":1},"title":"Top 5: Sports in France","date":"July 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"France ranks 5th in the world for sports after the United States, Russia, China and Germany. Soccer is by far the most popular French sport with 2 Million players. 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Truly, it\u2019s no wonder why a lot of foreigners\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Learning French"","img":{"alt_text":"advantages-of-learning-french-if-want-to-work-in-france","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/frenchlanguagesalon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/advantages-of-learning-french-if-want-to-work-in-france.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1468,"url":"https:\/\/frenchlanguagesalon.com\/french-culture-en\/work-usa-vs-france\/","url_meta":{"origin":1944,"position":3},"title":"Work: USA vs. France","date":"June 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the main differences between life in France and life in the US resides in the working world. First, finding a job is a lot easier in the United States than it is in France but it is also a lot easier to lose your position. The job search\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "French Culture"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/frenchlanguagesalon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/060717-Job-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C623&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2619,"url":"https:\/\/frenchlanguagesalon.com\/french-culture-en\/french-of-france-v-french-of-quebec\/","url_meta":{"origin":1944,"position":4},"title":"French of France V. French of Quebec","date":"October 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Our French-speaking cousins overseas definitely speak French, but their French is a little bit different which includes its own unique idioms. Before we speak about grammar or about the language itself, you will see the first big difference, or better yet hear it. Listen closely to Celine Dion speaking French,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "French Culture"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/frenchlanguagesalon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/101018-frenchquebec.jpg?fit=1200%2C623&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9932,"url":"https:\/\/frenchlanguagesalon.com\/france-v-usa-en\/friendship-in-french\/","url_meta":{"origin":1944,"position":5},"title":"Friendship in French","date":"July 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Friendship in France is experienced differently than in the United States. In the United States, people call an acquaintance, a friend very quickly. Whereas in France, a friend is a person we have known for a long time. It is also a person who has proven to be reliable and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "France v. 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