The photos juxtaposed above are amusing, and extraordinary. Ron found these photos on the site Frenchly (but regrettably I can't find the original source). I have never seen anything that captures, so perfectly, the differences in American and French life. Folks often ask why we moved here--see above for the answer.
Let's break it down a bit--the photos tell a complex story.
France: Let's go get a coffee! In Paris alone, you will have about 13,000 outdoor cafés to choose from. We walk over to one of many near us in Beaune. Love that espresso--a pretty cup and saucer, a little cookie served on the side, we bask in the sun under a parosol, and often friends pass by to chat.
USA: We hit the Starbucks--McDonald's in a pinch--for a styrofoam go-cup to drink in the car. See photo above. I don't know about your town, but in Charleston I'm having trouble coming up with a whole bunch of charming coffee shops with outdoor terraces. Nothing near that 13,000 number!
Slow food in France: Time for lunch! We wander out to an intimate bistro, where we dine and drink for a couple of hours. The working crowd is here too, along we the retired.
Fast food in the USA: the fast food restaurants are everywhere, in town and country and strip malls. Grab lunch and go--maybe eat at your desk or in your car. And the architecture of these places? See photo at top.
France, transport: we walk to get a coffee or a meal, most of the time. Easy because there are so many boulanageries, cafés, bistros.
USA: we get in our car.
Now I know this is a bit unfair. Fast food drive-throughs exist in France, though they are few and far between. And the US has plenty of nice restaurants and coffee shops too, but because the US is more suburban than urban, they usually require a car trip.
In the end, the great French lifestyle is what it's all about. In France, leisure, social and family time are precious. Work, ambition and material goods take a back seat to pleasure and relaxation. They don't have worries about who will pay for their health care or retirement, as their taxes and systems take care of all this for them. They are surrounded by beauty. Could this sociable, active, lower stress lifestyle be why France spends half what the US does on health care, yet the French live longer? I think they're on to something!
So, dear readers, what do you see in these lifestyle photos?
In the COMMENTS: Emily, I got a kick out of hearing that your friend adopted all 5 kittie--je comprend! More in a future post, though, about how to foster without keeping every adorable kitten. Anne Marie, no lapin for me either! Colleen, have a wonderful trip. Tom has just taken a group on a great and impressively thorough tour of Burgundy, I'm glad it was fun!
Favorite READS: Natalia, who always supplies us with the best French related books, has a really good one for us, called The Paris Assignment. Julie makes a great case for reading Long Ago in France, which I will do as I have discovered the delights of our nearby city of Dijon as well. And our reader Anne Marie has just published a book! It's called Being Bunny, and it's about her experience with rabbits as (wonderful!) pets.
And speaking of bunnies, many of you are already familiar with the beautiful artwork and children's books of our loyal reader Colleen Taylor. But did you know she does greeting cards too? There is a selection of beautiful cards, and amazingly you can add a personal note/signature in your own handwriting, all on line! She paints lots of animals, and here is her bunny card. See this card and more here.