The French List #2

Five Insignificant Oddities About Life in France:

1. The paper here has different dimensions.

Seriously. For the first two weeks, I couldn't figure out why all the worksheets I was given looked slightly off, but there you have it. Regular paper in the USA has the dimensions 8.5 x 11 inches, but in France, standard paper is about 8.5 x 11.6 inches. Okay, just over half an inch isn't much of a difference at all, but it still threw me off for a while, along with making all my folders from home sort of unusable.

2. Your hands must be visible at all times while eating.

This politeness rule took a little getting used to. In America, having the hand that isn't gripping a fork or a spoon resting on your lap is no problem, but here it's considered rude. So normally, I rest the wrist or forearm of my non-eating hand (my left hand) on the edge of the table. I dare an American to try to this one night a dinner. It feels a little bizarre.

3. Bread is not meant for plates.

I don't know why, but when we are eating bread and cheese after dinner, my host parents put their slab of baguette directly on the table surface while placing their cheese on a little plate. Apparently, bread does not go on plates. It is forbidden.

4. Wearing clothing from Abercrombie and Fitch is "très chic."

Even though this store is present in many large American malls, I'm not quite sure how popular it is in the US. At least, I've never bought anything there, and my friends don't really shop there, and when people buy clothes from Abercrombie, it's not really a big deal. However, in Europe, it IS a big deal. There's only one store in France (located in Paris, of course) and it's apparently always mobbed. When a French person wears a shirt from Abercrombie, many people notice (except me and the other Americans, I guess. We are oblivious). The brand is very cool here in Europe. I just think it's funny.

5. Walking around the house barefoot is just not done.

It's not exactly rude to walk about with naked feet, but it's also not a common practice. I was completely unconscious of this unwritten rule throughout my stay in Tours, but looking back, everyone else in the house was always wearing socks at the very least. I become more aware when my host mother here in Strasbourg presented me with a pair of slippers and then commented one night at dinner how I was barefoot (okay, I get the hint). Luckily the slippers are cute and soft and my own pair is back at home after being cut from the packing process, so I'm totally okay with this rule.