Habits That Are Normal In France That Are Rude in The U.S.
When I decided to move to France, I knew I would most likely experience culture shocks and have to readjust to my new life. Though aware of this, I don’t think I knew to what degree I would be readjusting my definitions of normalcy. What’s polite or not can vastly change in different countries. Even after living in France for years, I still discover new things daily! Here are a few habits that are normal in France, which would be considered rude in the U.S.
Debating
I had heard how much the French love to debate, but I didn’t realize how true this was until I made French friends. At the dinner table, my French boyfriend (now husband) was debating in lightning-speed French with a new French friend of mine about topics that wouldn’t be dinner-table friendly in the U.S. I remember trying to mediate the situation, trying to fill the gaps of thought with a forced chuckle and a comment of “C’est un sujet assez compliqué, n’est-ce pas?” (“It’s a pretty complicated subject, isn’t it?) After finishing our classically-Parisian gourmet meals, we got up to catch the subway home.
