I don’t think I’m your typical French.
First, people seem to be surprised when I acknowledge I’m French: apparently, I look Latina, Russian, Spanish, Italian… anything but French. Second, I must admit I’m an awful French: I can’t sing the national anthem, La Marseillaise but for the first two lines; I didn’t travel my birth country much, I wouldn’t know how to rent an place, find a job or deal with the administration anymore because I left after graduating from high school. And last, I have an underdeveloped patriotic sense and didn’t even party when France won the World Cup in 1998 (I actually bitched about the noise and the fact that drunk fans puked all over the city).
Yet, I am French. I don’t mind it. I like to call myself a “word citizen” but this is the country where I was born, where I grew up and where I was educated.
And it occasionally catches up with me…
Smoking: I smoke. Well, duh: it’s my genetic and cultural heritage after all! That said, I don’t drink pricey grape juice like many of my peers.
Cheese cravings: and I can eat even the stinkiest ones. That includes blue cheese and runny Camembert. Not very glamorous, I know… this is one of my deep dark secret. That said, I don’t usually eat cheese in Canada because the imported stuff is expensive and I don’t like the local cheese.
I loves politics: and deep down, I think that there is no problem that can’t be solved through a good demonstration or strike. North American’s general indifference to politics drives me crazy. The first time I witnessed a demonstration in Canada (five people walking in circle holding placards in front of the Parliament), I almost wanted to step in to teach them how to do it.
Scarves as a fashion accessory: sure, it’s cold in Canada. But I must admit that the number one reason why I love scarves is because they are soft and look pretty. I have been told that French women have an inimitable way of wearing scarves… is it true?
Awkward tipping: I’m now used to tipping 10% to 20% in restaurants, but I still don’t understand people who tip a lot at hair salons or spas. I mean, stylists or massage therapists don’t work minimum wage, do they? I don’t see why I should tip $20 on top of an already very expensive (yet straightforward) haircut. And where do we draw the line? Why tip an employee at the convenience store but not your doctor? Is there anybody I’m not supposed to tip? I’m starting to wonder…
Driving: like most of you know by now, I’m a shitty driver and I’d rather walk everywhere. Unlike pretty much everybody here, I don’t see cars as a convenient way to get around. I’m still scared of driving and I wonder if I will ever get over it. I don’t know anybody here who doesn’t have a driver license (most people take it while in high school) — but in France, almost none of my friends have one.
Distances: I don’t think a city located 500 kilometers away is “right next door” like most Canadians put it. Nor I’d drive there for the day (but then, again, I don’t drive). And I still find kind of cool to live in a country with several time zones.
Fast food: let me put it this way; I’d rather stand naked in the middle of a busy street on a Saturday afternoon rather than being seen eating McDonalds or other similar crap food. Subway doesn’t count though, it’s kind of healthy. I’m still quite French when it comes to food, even if my cooking is way less elaborate than you might imagine.
I have a “yahoo.fr” email address: yes, “fr” like in France. People never seem to understand it whenever I spell it. I registered with Yahoo in 1999 and I didn’t speak English at the time, so I naturally signed up with the French Yahoo. Most people in Canada have .com or .ca email address.
Food: poutine, a hot dog or a bucket of fried chicken is not a dinner. Now, a baguette with butter, ham, cheese and pickles is. What can I say, it’s cultural… I don’t like peanut butter (and I really don’t understand people’s obsession with it), I don’t eat ice cream (it’s already cold enough in Canada) and I like croissants better than muffins.
Now, as usual, I’m curious. How about you, fellow expats, immigrants, world citizen? What did you retain from your birth country?
I’d like to ask a few of you the question: what are the 10 clues that you are still _________?
- Bluefish, Canadian and Tawainese, now living in Denmark
- Barbara, American from Hawaii, living in France
- Gean, Brazilian, living in Canada
- Los Ziegler, Argentinian, living in Canada
- Rowena, American from Hawaii, living in Italy
- Priyank, from India, living in Canada
- Expat Traveler, from the U.S.A, living in Canada
- The Writer, from Indonesia, living in Denmark
As usual, no pressure, but I’d be curious to know!
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Taking notes of the chore… linking back soon!
.-= Guillermo´s last blog ..Los 10 mandamientos del inmigrante =-.
You would be surprised at how few people smoke in Paris these days. I went back to the U.S. for summer and was shocked to see about the same number of people smoking as I see in Paris. Perhaps it is the cost or the general inconvenience of it now, but to me, it just seems like less and less people are lighting up here in the city of lights.
Oh yeah, the peanut butter thing…I love it. Always have and always will. Just think of it as the American roquefort 😉
Good question. I don’t even know who I am anymore. I’m starting to rethink about my identity…I’m a person with 2 cultures and soon with a third one. It’s driving me nuts ’cause I took pieces of every culture and glue them together–>me today.
You know what? I don’t get tipping either…it’s stupid rule. They should just take Europe as an example: higher salary and no tips. I used to have a friend who was a waitress and she’d make us feel bad for not tip more.
I’ll think very hard this week to come up with 10 clues since I can’t work or learn Danish yet.
I know I’m still Canadian because I still eat Kraft’s Peanut butter every morning 😉 My parents get me 1 kg jars !
.-= Cynthia´s last blog ..Joyeux anniversaire! =-.
Love your clues & learning more about you. Don’t ever lose your French ways – you’re an asset to your new country and provide a refreshing perspective!
(I do not frequent McDonalds – yuck – and you’ve got me wondering about the amount I tip and when…)
.-= Beth´s last blog ..Achoo… =-.
Haha. Good thing you didn’t tag me on this one Zhu. I would have a very very hard time scanning my brain with stereotypical Filipino habits and culture. I’ve looked around, and found this website, which describes Filipino habits. Somehow, I violate all of them. And yes, I bring packed lunch to work, but my other colleagues do it too, and they aren’t Filipino!
.-= Linguist-in-Waiting´s last blog ..Weapons of Mass Destruction =-.
I lived in Tokyo for a year, but it wasn’t a long enough stay to lose my nuances from the Philippines. I did meet a lot of other French students and they became quite good friends of mine. They were easily the friendliest among my European friends, haha! 😀
I like the fact that you hate McDonald’s; I’m always trying to stay away from fast food but sometimes I don’t have time to cook. Sigh.
.-= Lizz´s last blog ..Catching Up On UP’s UAAP Turn-Out! =-.
You are definitely French ! 😉
This is a great post! It’s interesting to see how we change and how we don’t when we move away from home. You’ve given me some inspiration for a similar post on my own blog.
.-= Kirsten´s last blog ..Bedtime Stories – Bled Dry =-.
i’m orignially an idaho-er. it sounds like ida-whore, which is why most people from idaho prefer the term idahoan. but i call my self that because i like to call my husband an oregoner (pronounced ori-goner) instead of an oregonian like most people form oregon like to be called.
idaho is famous for its potatoes. and i *love* potatoes. but idaho potatoes you buy from other places never taste as good as potatoes you actually eat in idaho.
you can tell i’m an idahoer because i eat potatoes.
i live in california now because i like the weather here better.
californians are very liberal compared to the rest of the united states. that’s why i think california should be part of canada instead.
.-= Seraphine´s last blog ..Is that a Vampire Bite? =-.
Nice post! Heh, every problem can be solved with a strike? If true, India would have been the global superpower by now.
.-= Shantanu´s last blog ..Dum Pukht in Sonar Kolkata =-.
nice post. will try to make a list on my own 🙂
.-= the writer´s last blog ..Insensitive bastards =-.
Hey Zhu,
OMG; look what Zhu gave me as a welcome back gift !
Now, once I wade through Didier’s stacks of vacation shots, I’ll dig into this one.
BTW; check out the photo updates on the blog. Little by little, I’m downloading samples of our pics.
Bises xx
.-= barbara´s last blog ..The Falls of Montmorency =-.
I know I’m still an American because:
1. I refuse to call it anything but “soccer.”
2. I have a Fahrenheit – Celcius conversion chart by my Belgian oven so I know what temperature to use.
3. I don’t have to be dressed to the nines to go out and get my morning croissant. Flip flops and my gym clothes will do just fine.
Oh, and your question about the scarves? Yes, it’s true!
From the U.K., living in France for a hell of a long time, but I’m certainly not French.
How do I know?
1. Every time I ask why I need to provide five photocopies of everything when I am convinced that my taxes have paid for photocopying machines in every French government office in the land, someone will tell me pityingly
‘C’est la France, Madame. Il faut se plier.’
Rough translation
This is France, just do as you’re told. I have never learned to ‘se plier’.
2. I eat Marmite.
3. I listen to Test Match special…at whatever hour is necessary.
4. Like my French neighbours, I don’t trust anyone in authority. But I say so.
5.I won’t employ the local builder just because he pays the taxe professionnelle some of which goes to the commune.
6. The andouillette has only once ever passed my lips and I am not sure it was a real one as I did not throw up at the smell.
.-= fly in the web´s last blog ..Every rural Frenchwoman is a lesbian. =-.
@Guillermo – Counting on you! 😉
@Angela – Really? All of my friends smoke in France. Mmmm… maybe it’s a Brittany thing? They drink a lot too some to think of it! 😆
@Bluefish – You are the first North American who think the same as me for tipping! Maybe it’s your Taiwanese side?
@Cynthia – That is definitely a sign of your Canadianess.
@Beth – If you know more than I do about tipping etiquette (and you probably do!), please, share. I’m willing to learn!
@Linguist-in-Waiting – Interesting! I must say I know very little about Philippine culture and I tend to see you as… I don’t know actually. A world citizen too?
@Lizz – Most French hate fast food actually, which doesn’t mean they don’t go there once in a while. It’s ideological more than anything else I think.
@Sidney – Oui…? 😉
@Kirsten – Please, feel free to do the meme! Let me know, I’ll add you to the list.
@Seraphine – Ida-whore? Never heard that before. Maybe it sounds different with a French accent 😆 I love potatoes too, Feng sometimes says I’m Russian.
@Shantanu – Really, Indians go on strike a lot? And yes, the country is kind of a superpower, isn’t it?
@the writer – Please, do so!
@barbara – I saw that this afternoon! Look like you had gorgeous weather during your trip.
@Tanya – Ah, soccer… I also dress badly when going to the convenience store. Must be my North American side. I do pounds, but can never think of Fahrenheit though. Can’t even spell it properly actually 😆
@fly in the web – Ah, Marmite… I met a lot of OZ addicted to vegemite, which I believe is the same or similar.
French do have an addiction for idiotic bureaucratic requirement. One thing use to drive my mum crazy: we attended the same school for 7 years and each and every year we had to register again, provide a few thousands copies of acte de naissance and vaccination, new ID pictures etc. My mum always wondered what the school did with all the paperworks.
Love this entry! Actually I love all your entries on your French side/heritage/culture. 🙂
Regarding the national anthem, this is strange! Didn’t your school/country make it compulsory for every French citizen to know how to sing it? Cos that’s the very basic requirement to see whether you’re a citizen of that country or not…
I think I could adapt to France well because I don’t drive much too! 😛
You got it right? It’s my Taiwanese side…hahaha. I must take that as a clue.
I loved this post very much. 😀
Now, it would be fun to know about all others too. I read some of the comments. Please post a link here when these ppl write so.
And yes, you don’t look like French.
Hahaha! This was fun! 🙂 I will do this on my blog!!
.-= Final_Transit´s last blog ..Small town boys =-.
I agree about avoiding the fast food restaurants. Wasn’t there some French guy who was blowing up McDonalds a couple years back…
.-= Seb´s last blog ..Lightning. Man. =-.
Buahahaha! I didn’t notice that I was tagged because you’ve mispelled my name?! And why can’t I see the rest of the 24 comments? But only the one by Seb? The only thing I retained from my birth country is my island attitude and driver’s license. It’s all good, wherever you are. You just need to adapt and be fortunate for what you already have. Keep a positive outlook, that’s all!
Après huit mois au Pakistan, une liste des dix indices que je suis encore Canadien:
1. Je ne porterai jamais de shalwar kameez.
2. Pas de chaï, un café s.v.p.
3. Les épices, c’est pour rehausser le goût des aliments, pas l’oblitérer; un indice qu’on en a mis trop: si on ne distingue plus le goût de l’ingrédient principal. Dans le même ordre d’idée, l’huile ne devrait que rarement être le principal ingrédient
4. Les lignes peintes sur l’asphalte doivent bien servir à quelque chose, parce que si c’est juste décoratif c’est plutôt raté…
5. Des dos d’âne sur… l’autoroute???
6. McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC et Domino’s Pizza ne sont PAS des destinations gastronomiques… mais une fois de temps en temps, ça aide à chasser le mal du pays.
7. Quand il fait 50 degrés, ce serait bien de pouvoir porter des shorts, de pouvoir aller se baigner, ou prendre une bonne bière bien fraîche.
8. Un monument à la gloire de la montagne qu’on a atomisée n’est pas la manière la plus sympathique d’accueillir les visiteurs dans une capitale nationale… ça envoie un message de bienvenue un peu, disons, ambigu.
9. Je préfère quand c’est le gouvernement qui contrôle l’armée plutôt que l’inverse.
10. Mon royaume pour une poutine! Du jambon! Du bacon! Des chops de lard! De la tourtière! Du pâté chinois! Pizza extra pepperoni!