French culture 101

Here are some things I've learned about French culture during my first week:

1. The French always clean their plates at meals. If there is even a little bit of food or sauce left, they use a baguette to wipe it off. It's amazing that they don't waste food, and my family then doesn't even rinse their plates before putting them in the dishwasher!
2. French dogs are very well behaved. They wait outside stores for their owners even without leashes.
3. French children are also very well behaved. There seem to be families with young children all over the place, but yesterday I was walking around town and saw a little boy crying. It struck me as very odd that he was crying, but then I wondered why and realized that it was the first time I have seen a child make any kind of scene or disruption in public for the entire week that I've been here!
   
4. Dinner here is usually served at 8 or 8:30 p.m. I'll have to get used to having afternoon snacks to tide myself over. The first few days, I thought that everyone here was just used to that and could go from lunchtime until 8 p.m. without snacking. But a few nights ago at dinner, my host sister asked me what I ate that afternoon. I was confused because I had just told them about the delicious lunch I had, but then she said at 4 p.m. It turns out most people snack at that time. I guess the French aren't superhuman after all - our stomachs can't go 8.5 hours without any food!
5. Apparently French people do not concern themselves with the private lives of politicians and celebrities. Today I was at a friend's house and we were having coffee with her host dad and talking about cultural differences - he seems to do a lot of international business deals, so he understands many different cultures. He said that for the French, there is no scandal over people's private lives. We mentioned Tiger Woods, and he just said that he's still a golfer and so it would not be a scandal at all in France. Later we were watching rugby and he told us one of the players is gay, but that the French are very tolerant. The mayor of Paris is even gay! (but do not be mistaken that I am talking about the stereotype of the "typical" Frenchman as gay...I have also realized that is not true at all)
6. Speaking of being gay and relationships, it was also explained to me that French people are very clear about relationships. Apparently my friend Katrina's family had an American girl stay with them a while back who started kind of dating a French boy, but she decided to end the relationship without really telling him. In France, I guess people are more upfront- they are either dating or not. And they say what they are actually thinking, instead of playing mind games like Americans do in relationships. This seems strange to us, because it means that French men are very forward - if they like you and think you're pretty, they just tell you - but there is a lot less confusion!
7. Just like in the U.S., there are different accents for different regions. Also just like in the U.S., French people who live in the South have the most noticeably different accent.
8. Although France is a "Catholic country" - 4 out of 5 are Catholic - very few attend Sunday Mass. Today at Mass it was full, but more than half the people were elderly. And the Church was freezing cold because it's old and not really heated. People don't take off their coats and scarves during Mass.
   
9. French people really are very skinny. I haven't seen any overweight people at all except a few elderly women. My host mom even pointed out to me that television commercials that have to display message from the French government across the screen, which, translated, means something like "Snacking between meals is bad for your health." It seemed a lot like an American surgeon general's warning, but for snack foods.
   
10. They love American music and television. The other day I talked to my host sister, Laureline about "Gossip Girl," as well as all the other shows that they have.
    

There are plenty of other things to say about French culture, but 10 is enough for now.

Tomorrow I begin classes, so I will hopefully finally get into a routine and figure out what the next four months will be like on a daily basis.

Au revoir mes amis!