34 Fascinating Cultural Differences Between the USA & France

Here are 34 differences in the Home, in Restaurants, out Shopping, and Getting Around Paris.

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[Jesse]

I was amazed by how friendly people in Paris were. I just needed to open with the magic words: "Bonjour... Desolee, je ne parle pas francais. Parlez vous anglais?" People were more than happy to help me out as long as I started with these words.

[lasysound]

I’m french and i don’t really agree with the fact that you don’t have to bring a bottle of wine for a dinner.
You can bring one as a present and it means « we are going to drink this one the next time you come ! »
It’s a way to keep contact with people and a present is always a good idea imo

[yummemys]

I'm Chinese, dressed in plain clothes, no designer stuff but I was polite, smiley and can't speak French. The locals were happy to help and guide me. ❤❤. Words I knew were bonjour, merci, cest tout. 😂😂 and lots of finger pointing.

[melusinenoArashi]

As a French, I do agree with most of it.
Just 2 little remarks, the first one, For the salad depends on the family culture, in our we start our meal with a salad. The second one (and believe me, this one has been drilled into us) is you don't bring flowers when invited, but you send them the next day with a thank-you note, or you bring a box of chocolates, macaron, or a good bottle of wine but don't expect to drink it during the party.

[franckysand]

bonjour
As a frenchman, I love your videos as they make me understand lots of things that happened to me in my time in Paris during interactions with american visitors !
But I must say that offering a good bottle of wine is not a fault. You are invited for diner ? offer flowers to madame and wine to monsieur and don't expect to drink it at the dinner. the thing is: "I offer you this good bottle to be kept in your cave for another day as I know that you have already choosen the wine fitting for tonight's meal !". No one will be offended !
Good job les frenchies 👍

[HaussmannRider]

I am French but i spent 14 years of my life in North America. I really love how objective your videos are. I agree with most of every pieces of informations you are sharing.
You are the kind of immigrants French people love. You adapt and respect our flaws as well as appreciating our good sides. Thanks for being in France with us ❤❤

[alicefrancoual]

As a French (and even worse Parisian) who also lived in the US and other EU countries, I can relate to quite a few points but 2 of them are not really mainstream : 1/French people do go to grocery stores ( the markets are nice but apart from WEs people don t have the time during the week when they work to go to markets in the morning) 2/ French people do bring wine to dinners or parties. It is not rude at all. An opportunity to discover new wines together or later (bottles are not always drunck during the dinner)

[mathildec]

Je suis parisienne, je suis née et ai grandi ici toute ma vie et il y a un point avec lequel je ne suis pas tout à fait d'accord malgré la super qualité du contenu de cette vidéo : la majorité d'entre nous fait son shopping au supermarché à cause des coûts élevés des produits sur les marchés ou dans les magasins spécialisés (fromageries, poissonneries indépendantes, etc.). Le marché reste un endroit pour les gros budgets et même si je suis objectivement assez privilégiée, ça ne me viendrait pas à l'idée de faire mes grosses courses au marché du quartier 😄

[pink]

I love your videos...however, I'm British married to a Parisian and have lived here for 10 years ..and no one is offended with me bringing wine...everyone brings wine to a party or dinner party .. xxx

[cm-nj]

Our daughter and sone-in-law had a destination wedding in Paris last summer - we rented a large apartment in Paris for our group of 7. We had the most fantastic week. I don't remember any issues with Uber and we used it to go everywhere, including Versaillies. Every meal was wonderful (my favorite was the crepes at the cafe just outside of Versaillies and our wedding dinner - shoutout to Mokanuts!) Our 5 bedroom apartment had central air conditioning which was an absolute lifesaver as the July week we were there was hot. The bakery across the street was wonderful and we enjoyed going over every morning to choose our treats for coffee. There were fabulous cafes on every corner. Too many memories and great experiences to mention. It was truly a trip of a lifetime and we talk about our memories or share a photo with the group at least once every week!

[corgiowner]

I’ve learned to duck into a cafe and buy a cup of coffee if I need a toilet. You must buy something however.

[miazw]

Just came back from Paris! Very true with your statements!! Realized that life can be appreciated no matter what size our houses are. Loved the paristian way of life

[RogerRoving]

Quickest way to find a toilet ("restroom" for Americans) anywhere in France (and indeed in Paris) is simply to go into a bar or cafe and order a coffee. They will always have a "toilettes" (always a plural word in France even if there is only one WC). This is invariably what I do. Never occurs to me to look for a public toilet.

[enriquesanchez]

WONDERFULLY produced, succinct and to the POINT! Thank you both! ♥♥♥♥

[HubrisMaximus]

I love your videos, but find some of them, like this one, a bit Paris-centric. Outside of Paris, like here in Nîmes, you CAN find free toilets at shopping centers, we kiss three times (not two), though handshakes are certainly acceptable too. Paris has its own holiday rental rules, so they're not the same everywhere in France. While it's true that French people shop at small stores all the time, I don't think it's true that they don't do a fair bit of their grocery shopping at the local supermarket. Going to the local outdoor market, or the local les Halles is certainly preferred, but most working class French people I know could not afford to buy all their groceries that way, and do use the supermarkets to balance things out. Similarly, French people do shop at big chain stores, which aren't always only found in touristic areas. France has malls and shopping centers and big box stores ... and outside of Paris they're usually found just outside the city center. I actually think that, at least around here, the shopping center/mall is more popular than they are back in my old US community, where the shopping malls seem to be dying. Keep up the good work, but try and note that there are differences (often pretty profound ones) between "Paris" and "France"..

[JamesKanze]

I was struck by the comment on air conditioning. In Paris, of course, it's not very frequent, because the climate (with generally very mild summers) doesn't require it, but we live in Perpignan, in south France, and almost everything is air conditioned. A number of other comments seem to apply more to Paris than to France in general.

[gregoryhageage]

Yep, some things are certainly different in France, as they are where I live. I’ve never lived in Paris, but have spent many extended periods there, and am chomping at the bit for the next one. Bring on the differences, from the quirky to the sublime. For me, that’s what travel is all about. Vive la différence !

[minas]

I just came back and to be honest l love aspects French lifestyle in the sense that life is a little more slower more compact and distances are great for travelling. Plus the food is amazing

[dschultz]

I enjoyed this video very much!! The first time we went to Paris, I was surprised by some of the differences. I'm thankful we got to visit again, because I was able to appreciate these differences and learn a new way of life for the duration. "Bonjour" is really the magic touch, though.

[BReihle]

Loved the video! As a German, who lives in the south of France, I have two corrections to make. First, it depends on the region you're in, how many bises (kisses) are usual. Here in the vicinity of Nîmes, it's always three! Second, at least here in our region it is perfectly common to bring wine to a dinner you're invited to. Our french friends do that all the time, but they also commented on our wines we serve and even ordered some Alsace wines because they liked it so much at our place. It is more a thing like "Look, what I found, you have to try this wine, too!" Oh, and a "épicerie" is not always a speciality shop, in the next village are two: One with amazing cheese and wines and snacks, the other just with fruit, vegetable and some dry goods. I look forward to your next video!