Another glaring difference between the U.S. and France occurred to me today, after taking a detour at Safeway during my afternoon hour bike ride out to San Ramon.
Other than the woman who "forgot" that she was in the express lane with a million items in her cart, peoples' behavior in the U.S. is completely different than anything I ever experienced in France.
1.) When biking, walking, or driving (peu importe) people in France always seemed to huddle up together on sidewalks and roads. When you happen to be coming at them from the other direction or even wanting to pass, the French would not budge. In short, I find that they are very rude pedestrians/cyclists/motorists.
On the Iron Horse Trail this afternoon, I encountered many groups of people and my blood pressure did not immediately increase 55 points upon seeing them, like it usually did in France. Instead, the mothers would tell their children to move over to the side, passing cars would STOP AND LET ME CROSS even though I was the one with the stop sign, and runners with their dogs would pull their dogs off to the side of the trail.... and then *gasp* pick up whatever their dogs left behind. That never happened in France.
2.) At the French grocery stores, people do their own thing and run up to the fastest-looking line, taking no precautions to care about anyone around their general vicinity.
While I was in line at Safeway this afternoon, two older women's carts sort of bumped on their way out. It wasn't really a problem and neither of them were in any ways harmed. But instead, they both genuinely made eye contact and started apologizing at the same time.
And 3.)....
French people just don't do small talk. They don't offer any unnecessary services either. Since we're in the grocery store context, you have to bag your own groceries. I guess this is all part of the "independent me" I learned to become in France and I can say that since living in a different country, I'm so much more self-sufficient and less reliant on others.
But again, at Safeway, I forgot that checkers/baggers always ask, "Would you like some help out today?"
And for the first time -- since hearing that question 1,381,649,503 times throughout my entire life -- I was blown away.
For a second.
Other than the woman who "forgot" that she was in the express lane with a million items in her cart, peoples' behavior in the U.S. is completely different than anything I ever experienced in France.
1.) When biking, walking, or driving (peu importe) people in France always seemed to huddle up together on sidewalks and roads. When you happen to be coming at them from the other direction or even wanting to pass, the French would not budge. In short, I find that they are very rude pedestrians/cyclists/motorists.
On the Iron Horse Trail this afternoon, I encountered many groups of people and my blood pressure did not immediately increase 55 points upon seeing them, like it usually did in France. Instead, the mothers would tell their children to move over to the side, passing cars would STOP AND LET ME CROSS even though I was the one with the stop sign, and runners with their dogs would pull their dogs off to the side of the trail.... and then *gasp* pick up whatever their dogs left behind. That never happened in France.
2.) At the French grocery stores, people do their own thing and run up to the fastest-looking line, taking no precautions to care about anyone around their general vicinity.
While I was in line at Safeway this afternoon, two older women's carts sort of bumped on their way out. It wasn't really a problem and neither of them were in any ways harmed. But instead, they both genuinely made eye contact and started apologizing at the same time.
And 3.)....
French people just don't do small talk. They don't offer any unnecessary services either. Since we're in the grocery store context, you have to bag your own groceries. I guess this is all part of the "independent me" I learned to become in France and I can say that since living in a different country, I'm so much more self-sufficient and less reliant on others.
But again, at Safeway, I forgot that checkers/baggers always ask, "Would you like some help out today?"
And for the first time -- since hearing that question 1,381,649,503 times throughout my entire life -- I was blown away.
For a second.
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