Cultural Differences: Plus/Minus

There are those that I very much appreciate, and those that I find incredibly frustrating. A subjective ongoing list that I’ll keep updating as I go along…

PLUS:

-high value on conserving resources e.g. electricity, water, etc.
-education system: With the BAC, students are forced to have a much better general knowledge base before they enter college; students are left very independent (i.e. no homework – usually just a midterm or oral presentation, and final exam); and of course, university is basically free
-importance of leisure time: you deserve it! 36-hour workweeks and 6 weeks vacation in starting jobs? Yes.
-student discounts everywhere
-resistance to our impending culture of immediacy: you still have to at least sit down at the counter for a few moments if you want a cup of coffee before work, for example. Not a lot is open Sundays and not a lot at night, because people want to devote those hours to themselves rather than to working, and because people manage their affairs so that they don’t need everything all the time, like we do. It’s really nice to stop, take a breath, and learn to enjoy life a little more.
-popular music isn’t all crap
-smaller (i.e. much more realistic) portion sizes
-wine is cheaper than coke… and always good

MINUS:

-everyone smokes, everywhere – the newly enacted ban on smoking indoors has fazed the French perhaps even less than I expected it would.
-education system: all of college is über-specialized with very little electives if any, which also means that you can’t really change your mind without starting all over; since it’s free, facilities and professors are not necessarily as good; classes aren’t posted until the very last minute and often change or are cancelled at the last minute; students don’t care as much or have as much respect for professors (at least in my experience)
-resistance to our impending culture of immediacy: it’s freakin’ frustrating! I want my midnight coffee now and to go, so I can drink it on the run on the way to the library or somewhere to pick up a snack – Oh wait, neither of those things will be open either. We all burst out in laughter when Isabelle (from our program, who was taking us on campus tours) told us that the library at the Sorbonne closes at 7. Oh, Midnight Mug, how we miss you…
-concerts end and bars close early
-showerheads not affixed to anything but a hose
-tiny cups of coffee
-telephone service is hideously expensive
-there does not exist a sandwich without a copious amount of mayonnaise already on it
-tips are included in prices, so waiters don’t care too much about good service, and the idea of substitutions or special requests is unthinkable

Example:
“We’ll have a pitcher of wine…” (pitchers are on the menu)

“No pitchers.”

“Okay, how much is a bottle?”

“No bottles, just glasses.” (a glass costs practically the same as a pitcher)

“Okay… then I’ll just have a mango tea.”

“What?”

“A tea… Mango.”

“I don’t have any of that.”

“Um, alright, can I have a passion fruit tea?”

“No more.” (Um, can’t you just maybe tell me which teas you have?)

“Okay. A café.”

(Nods, goes away.)