8 Things that Aren't "A Thing" in Paris:
(I was going to say things that aren't "a thing" in Paris but should be, but that's not always entirely true.)
- Efficiency: Paris has done better than places like Rome in turns of catching up with the real world but the level of efficiency just leaves something to be desired. It's hard to pinpoint exact things (which makes me an awesome writer, I know) but after waiting in line at the store MUCH longer than I should have, it's clear there are a lot of things not done quite right.
- Cleaning up after your dog: Parisians just prefer to leave it in the middle of the sidewalk for people to step in. Lovely.
- Lawsuits: I know they still kinda exist here, but not like in the US. It's obvious based on the things that exist, which in the US never would because the are a lawsuit-waiting-to-happen. The French make fun of us for our lawsuits too. Not that I blame them. Also, not "a thing" that I miss while being here. France, in this sense, you can stay just the way you are! Although I still hate that bridge at Paris VII that everyone always falls on in the winter!
- Hoodies: Sure you occasionally see people (especially guys) wearing chic looking zip-up hoodies but I miss wearing giant, warm, cozy hoodies out in public especially when it's cold outside. But that's just not something that happens here unless you want to throw on a fashionable zip-up sweatshirt (but that's totally NOT THE SAME THING!)
- Bacon: this is the saddest one. The only place I've ever really seen bacon is at Breakfast in America. Sure you see fancy looking bacon bits on salads and whatnot but that isn't nearly the same thing. I think you can buy strip bacon in the grocery store so why is that not a thing?! If anyone has found a place where you can eat bacon please take me there! Now!
- To go boxes: Although French portions are definitely smaller than those you find in America, there are still plenty of time when you get way more food than you are capable of eating, and unlike in the US where you can take it home for another meal, in France there are no to go boxes or "doggy bags". You lose whatever you can't eat. And it makes me sad.
- Dryers: This is more of a Paris thing, but I've found that most families don't seem to have dryers and often just hang up laundry to dry instead. Most apartments have fancy space saving drying racks for this purpose. While I have no problem hanging up my laundry to dry, I do miss having a dryer. I miss being able to shrink jeans/shirts/etc back to their original size after they stretch out from wearing them.
- Petting other people's dogs: This is something American tourists don't seem to understand. Back in the warm, friendly USA it's totally fine to ask to pet someone's dog if you are out walking, but here it is just not done. People will look at you in horror if you reach down to pet their dog, no matter how cute and fluffy they may be.
Definitely so true, and a very good idea for your blog. And some day you should do a post of things you will see everywhere in Paris but not so much so in the USA (or at least in York, PA.) For instance, scarves. Sure you see people in the US wearing scarves, but EVERYONE wears them in Paris... women, men, babies (I loved that... babies and little girls with fashionable scarves.) And the Parisians have a thing about putting locks on bridges as a sign of their love toward one another (couples) where us Americans would be more inclined to etch our initials in a tree (GB+JK) or the underside of a desk. And in Paris, all buildings are special in terms of architecture. Nothing is plain which includes the bridges. In Paris, dogs are allowed pretty much anywhere including restaurants. Just to name a few. See, now that I'm logged in and can actually post comments successfully, I might go crazy and do a bunch :)
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