5 American Things I STILL do that drives my French husband crazy! I Bicultural Relationships
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- Опубліковано 12 чер 2024
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I’ve been living in France for 11 years and with my French partner for almost 9 years now! Safe to say we’ve had our share of French/American culture shocks and culture conflicts on top of the every day, normal compromises in a couple! You’d think after so long, I would be 100% Frenchified, but alas, this is not the case! Some American habits and things, just seem to stick around no matter how long I’m a “foreigner in France.” Today’s video is 5 of the random American things that I can’t seem to shake, that really drive my Frenchie crazy. Are they stereotypical American culture things? Is my French husband being a bit too complicated? I’ll let you decide! Check out the video and let me know in the comments below some of the culture shocks that you’re experience in your couple and whether or not you relate to mine! And long live buttery popcorn in movie theaters!!!
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Check out some of my other culture shock videos!
USA Culture Shocks: • USA CULTURE SHOCKS | W...
The French Do It Better: • REVERSE CULTURE SHOCKS...
French Culture Shocks: • FRENCH CULTURE SHOCKS ...
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omg as an american its literally my DREAM to go to the movies/cinema without people eating around meee
Wow! I always thought the eating ritual in the cinema was an exaggeration for the sake of comedy in American sitcoms and films, I never thought it's actually true! I'm with your husband on this one.
Oh man, you can basically eat out like at a restaurant in cinemas in the US. It's really really intense compared to France. Not exaggerated at all :)
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified In Greece we have some VIP-like screens on multiplex theatres that give you the option to dine a la carte (and lounge in La-Z-Boys), but it's a rather privileged experience (but very enjoyable). We do have the usual snacks like popcorn, crisps, nachos and colas, but it's more an option than a must have, a big factor is because things tend to be overpriced in cinemas, so it's not rare to prefer to eat before or after the film; it gives more space socialising that way. What almost everyone hates is the noise from opening the packaging or when you are reaching whatever is in the bag when the sound is low enough to get distracted by the bag's noise.
They blast the sound in the U.S. so no distraction there @Ringwe . The popcorn smells so delicious it's hard to resist...that (fake) butter topping is unhealthy but so yummy. We don't buy the treats because they're ridiculously expensive, although I'm told they're the way the theaters make it financially because they just break even on ticket sales. The modern cinemas have LayZboys for all seats, but small room so they can show many films at once. I miss the big theaters with a stage and a balcony.
I am French living in Ireland. At the cinemas, it is like in the US.. everyone is munching, opening the sweets packaging. So annoying :D
Some cinemas combine a proper restaurant so you can eat a real meal instead of popcorn.
My husband lived in the US for 13 years and I have to remind him everyday that I'm right next to him, he doesn't need to yell 🤣🤣
And when he's on the phone to family omg! it's another level screaming 🤣
hahahah when i'm talking to my family for Robin is seriously the worst. Add my mom yelling at me and me yelling back at her and now facetime with my daughter yelling, he's like "HELP."
Regarding food in cinemas, I'm with Robin. Multiplexes are essentially junk food joints that show movies on the side, and the stuff they sell is way overpriced. Plus, not only is it annoying when dozens of jaws chew popcorn and dozens of hands rummage into boxes all around you as the movie plays, but industrial popcorn has a stomach-churning odor that lingers in the room, and when you leave you see litter everywhere.
I don't disagree with a lot of your points, but i seriously LOVE popcorn from the movie theater. All the buttery goodness, I have a hard time giving that up :/
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified As i said above, take a bit of it. As we say in France, everything is fine in moderation. It is seriously annoying to go to the cinema with someone who lives a lovey-dovey relationship with her pop corn.
I'm Australian and the thought of going to the cinema without popcorn is very sad to me :(
I eat like a quarter and then forget about it, but I need that quarter for it to feel like I'm seeing a movie :')
THANK YOU! this is how I feel. It's like part of the experience and if i don't have it something is missing.
Tbh there are many cinemas in France with no popcorns typically the one who show more author films. So yeah mainstream cinemas get your popcorn and if you don’t like the noise or smell you can find cinemas that don’t allow food.
Don't forget the choc-top cones!!!!!
I am Filipino but I can relate much :) The french are a quiet lot, it seems. I still can remember when I lived in France that the malls are overly quiet and I have to remind myself to lower my voice when talking.. And you are not alone in thinking that they must love the cold in winters hahaha
As a Philipino, as a French I can understand your point about temperature. Glad you did not froze in France! 😉😂
Heating your home at 30°C in winter is probably quite a waste of energy because the greater the diffrence between home and outside, the greater the thermal leaks. So keeping the temps at 20 - 25°C is much more efficient.
Also, ideal temperature for sleeping room to sleep is 18°C (blanket makes up the difference to 20 - 25°C)
It’s so funny that you call a manual car a stick. Im in the UK, we call them “normal cars” and “automatic car”😂😂
hahah i love that it's "normal" cars. Like there is one right way to have a car and one wierd way.
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified As a matter of fact, automatics would be the weird way in France in this case. It is not really widespread, and most people dislike them.
Let's be clear, my mom, who is Italian and who was a teacher, is loud. Like to the point that when I call her on the phone I have to lower the volume consequently. American are louder, in a way that it arouse my admiration. An effortless, yet powerful voice level that I would never reach even if I trained hard...lol
I would sit three seats over at the movies. Get him his own Google home unit. Robin needs to be more understanding. 🙄
That was one of his options. Is maybe for the theater, just sit in different places until i finish my popcorn. And great idea, we have two google homes, one could be in french and the other in english!
As a Canadian which does a hybrid of the imperial and metric system as well as being the daughter of a Québecois and Ontarian, I can relate to both of you! When it comes to baking, building, describing height and weight and cooking temperatures, we use the imperial system. When it comes to math, other measuring and describing the weather we use the metric system. My dad would chastise us for being noisy, whereas my mom is the loudest person in the house. However; when it comes to watching movies I am 100% on your side! Snacks and movies are a must!
I go to France every year with 8 guys and we are there to cycle in France. I speak French pretty well so that breaks down the cultural barriers, however we are so loud that we are constantly being asked to quiet down. After a week stay in one village, the restaurants feared when we showed up and would put us in the seller with the wine'
My American girlfriend is exactly the same, and I’m exactly like your Robin 😆. The sauna at home… so true
Long live the saunaaaaaaaa :)
I totally agree with your husband on the eating in theatres thing - I only go to movies in the afternoon when I know the theatre won't have a lot of people because I can't stand listening to all the people chomping popcorn around me.
As an American - no only did I learn on a Manual Transmission (stick shift) but the inly car my brothers and I were allowed to drive was stick shift. And when my husband and I met he had a manual transmission pickup too. Half my family currently owns manual transmission vehicles….seems like it really just depends.
Hi Kate! I’m from WI married to a Mexican and we obviously have plenty of issues, cultural and other ;) But I feel like it’s important for the person not living in their country to have some extra leeway from their spouse! I mean, what else is left for you so far from home if you can’t scream with your girlfriends on the phone or enjoy trashy movie theater food?! You seem super considerate to your new home/culture so I would give you a gold star for effort! Keep being you!
Why? That is because it oftentimes creates problems with people around. Screaming on the phone implies that people have to suffer it all the time. In France we have a basic thing going on that can be sumed up as: "One's freedom stops where that of others begins". Being a foreigner never precluded anyone from behaving properly.
In Rome act like the Romans do
I agree. She's given up her home country and family to live in France with him. She's learned the French language and has truly modified herself to fit into the french way of life. She deserves to have a few things that bring her joy, such as popcorn at the movie theater and use of the measuring system she's used to while in her own home. I think her hubby needs to remember everything sh'es given up for him and stop being so fussy over such small things.
@@nox8730 I love how in France everyone tells me, an American, how the differences in our cultures are "behaving properly" or not--as if I'm some sort of beast. It amuses me to try to think of my husband surviving in America.
*I loooove A/C in USA in Summer, even if it's more polluting than fans... But in France, I can't sleep without my fan if it's too hot. And I also use my fan during the day from May to October because I love to feel air.* 😇🌬🧘🏼♂
Another no-no is eating in the metro, public transportation, or in the street in transit instead of pausing and taking the time to sit down at a table to eat. I worked that out eventually.
European homes are a lot colder in the wintertime than in the U.S. I've lived in different countries in Europe and I've always been cold in the winter, especially Italy. It's normal to wear a hat and big sweater inside here.
Love your videos. I lived in Brussels for 4 years and never did adjust fully to metric, especially weights and temps. 🤷♂ Pro tip for your husband... "Hey Google, what is the weather in celsius?" Ça marche ! 😬
I told an American that a "long distance call" didn't require her to yell through the phone.
This is a funny video. I come from Latin America so I don't find people in the US to be particularly loud. I recently had to fly home for a family emergency and I couldn't wait to be back. The ambien noise levels are super high! At my cousin's town they even have a siren going on at different times of the day. I couldn't hear my thoughts 😳
I learned how to drive on stick shift and it sucks so I am glad I don't have to drive one of those and if I have to pay extra to get an automatic car when we move to Europe, I will gladly do so. We all have our differences but I've learned not to sweat the small stuff and just live happy.
Appreciate your honesty about these things in this and the more recent video!
I can relate , I like the windows open , my husband likes them closed . I like toilet paper 🧻 on the roll one way , he likes the other way , I can keep going … 😂
This was one of my favorite videos!! I loved it!! I laughed out loud about the talking loudly!! I came home from Europe after 12 months and landed in Texas, I couldn’t figure out why everyone was so loud!!
Hi ! For the temperature thing, you didn' t say what the temperature was in your apartment, but, in Celsius, around 20 ° is ideal.. They even recommend having your bedroom around 18 ° C to sleep well. So, if you' re between 19 and 21, I would say that you' re fine. If you' re at 22, it starts to be warm.. 23 is hot and 24 is clearly too hot.. If Robin wants to live with 16/17° C then that' s a bit too cold
He likes to live at 19 so apparently i should bundle up and relax haha :)
Also I’m French with a French boyfriend and have the same problem because comfortable temperature for men and women are simply different because of our biology. So yeah my boyfriend is always too warm and I too cold :)
I think that’s just men in general with the temperature! They have more brown fat so naturally they feel less cold than women. It has been extensively written about that offices are air-conditioned to suit men, and therefore too cold for most women.
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified It's not especially French I think, it depends on everyone, we see it at the office. When some are cold, others are too hot...
I am a French man, at home the heating is on 21,5°C. At 19°C I think It's too cold, at 23°C a little too hot.
But for example at my aunt's home it's 18°C. She's fine, I'm frozen.
I've generally had the thermostat at 21°, sometimes up to 22° if it gets too cold. This year I tried 19°, moving up 20° and I've survived. But that hasn't kept my husband from coming home and yelling that it's an "étuve". I think because he tends to walk really fast and heats himself up, plus there's a radiator by the front door.
If you want to be confused with the metric v. imperial system, just live in Canada where you'll need both on a daily basis but for different things.
Temperature: °C: weather, room temperature (unless you're talking about AC), body temperature. F: oven temperature and recipes, pool temperature
Volumes: Litres: Gas, water, most of boxed products (eatable or not). Ounces/Pints/Gallons: Cup sizes at the coffee shop and beer glasses in bars, some hardware stuff like varnishes and paint, pool sizes. Both: Recipes (cups/spoon and mL)
Lengths: Meters: Distances (roads), you buy fabric and ribbons by the meter. Inches/Feet: your height, apartment floor space, anything regarding construction, unless you're talking about engineering/architecture plans. Both: Furnitures
Weight: Grams: Charcuterie, cheese, meat and fish (only at the counter), Most boxed/canned food. Pounds: Your weight, some bagged food (like potatoes, carrots and onions) and butter. The default unit for produce prices is in $/pound but the price by kg is always shown.
#5: When I was time for me to learn to drive, my parents already had a stick-shift car and by the time I had my own car, the default was automatic transmission. So, I never learned how to drive a stick-shift car. Now, both of my bf's car and my friend's car (we're taking care of his car while he's away) have a manual transmission. Last weekend, I had to rent a car for going away from the city because I couldn't drive my friend's car. I should learn some day.
Fellow Canadian here! 🙋🏼♀️🇨🇦 You are SO right! The fact that we are measurement ‘bilingual’ (metric + imperial) is because of our strong ties to the U.S. who did not switch to metric when Canada did. As a kid, I always watched Detroit TV stations and to this day, temperature in F means so much more to me than C. My husband argues that, although metric is more logical, metric is lacking a measurement similar in size to a “foot”. A foot is a very practical size for measuring rooms, height, etc. Also, I wonder how lumber is measured in Europe … you obviously can’t buy a 2 x 4! Is it a 5.08 x 10.16 (cm)? 🤔. This measurement bilingualism does handicap me at times because I’m not truly bilingual. As you pointed out, I use imperial for some things and metric for other things, and I constantly have to convert. And forget about baking using grams!! 🤦♀️ I am NOT going to weigh my flour! Lol
@@pm4129 I'm a scientist, so I'm fully fluent in the metric system and it makes way more sense to me. But, I worked in the construction industry for years and I had to be fluent in the imperial system.
I still weight my flour or sugar when I bake. It's more precise and it's needed for pastries. But that's just me! 🤷♀
@@anne12876 Very true; pastry chefs do say that weighing is more accurate! 🥐
hahahah i didn't know this about Canada, but seriously you guys are impressive. Robin and I would love to move to Canada for a couple of years (Montreal seems like a great mix between the US and Europe) and at least we would have a good measurement mix even if it seems crazy complicated!
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified I'm from Ontario, but I can say that you'd love Montreal for its history, culture, food, etc. You might be shocked by the difference in the French, though (the accent and some vocabulary) but would certainly have no problem communicating.
I’m American, but spent part of childhood growing up in rural England. My Dad bought a stick shift to train my sister and I on (he said he was doing so because we would likely end up in a country at some point with only stick shift cars),which I still drive. A lot of my American friends my age (late 20s/early 30s) are able to drive stick shift, but none of the other third grade teachers at my school (most of whom are mid/late 40s) are able to drive stick.
So much fun watching you clips, would love see another on the go in Paris again :)
Yes definitely! Especially since it's starting to get warmer!
Goodness, this much be a French thing because I agree with your husband on all points (except the last one because I don.t drive). It doesn’t mean I don’t understand where you’re coming from because of course it would be harder to use the metric system if you were raised using a different one. But I so agree with him on the temperature struggle, we do turn off the heater at night and wake up freezing but I guess we’d put on layers and layers of clothes before turning up the heater. I have less problems with AC because I enjoy cooler temperatures and it really doesn’t take much for me to feel like I’m in a sauna ;) Great video, I hope you make one about the French things that still annoy you!
Good plan, i'll do the 5 annoying French things Robin does that drive me nuts :)
I've got my driver licence in croatia on a stick-shift obviously, moved few months later to usa, and - I DON'T WANT TO TOUCH THAT SHIFT-STICK EVER AGAIN! 😂 Last year l rented an automatic in croatia and my brother drove an automatic for the first time in his life who's an amazing driver (holds master's degree in his field and a semi-truck-licence !!!!) and became obsessed with automatic on the spot! My sister in law figured she was bad in driving and given up but now they own and she drives an automatic! To me driving a stick-shift is like spending a day shovelling in my backyard 😂
*11:25** I'm French and sometimes I love to speak loudly to employees in small boutiques like boulangerie etc because I love to be sure that I'm heard and sometimes they do not understand you or don't hear you. I think it's a part of a cheering attitude, like in a small market (but I think American people speak louder than me, especially in public transports where I don't like to speak).* 🤣
I must say that as a Texas living in France, I do talk quite loud when speaking in English. I am totally aware of this and I do think I can change that. But when speaking French, I feel I am much quieter, so I don't run the risk of embarrassing my French friends.
Love your content! Wondering if you could do a video on American consuming/shopping habits as compared to France as you slightly mentioned in this video? With love from Texas!
Girl, you crack me up! As a Canadian that lived 4 years in Sicily I can relate to a few of these points.
#1. Kilos vs Pounds. I have to be honest with you in saying that here in Canada we live in a mix bag of metric and standard. We speak in pounds but our commerce is in kilos. Ex. 1 lbs of banana's price is written on the grocer flyer as such but when you go to the till it will ring up in $/kilo. We've done this our whole lives. Moving to Sicily screwed me up because the first time I ordered 2 lbs of chicken from our local butcher I got so much more! It didn't hit me until my husband pointed out everything in kilos. When I finally understood how to ask for "half a kilo" life became more comfortable. Plus my butcher chuckled when we saw me come through the door.
#2. Speaking loudly - to be honest, Sicilians are loud. We always thought they were fighting, when we were out walking in town, until a Sicilian friend said, "no, we're just passionate". Considering we worked with a lot of Americans when we were there, I had to laugh at your description. It's true.
#3. Popcorn in the theatre- I found living in Sicily, it was the only place in all of Europe when I observed the absolute obsessiveness of America. So desperately are they trying to bring in American culture that even in the cinema they would have a plethora of popcorn, drinks and candy. The one difference that took us by surprise was that they actually stop for intermission. When it happened to us the first time we thought that the projector had broken. Honest mistake, let's face it, Sicily acts very 1st world but sadly they run off of 2nd world funding.
Thank you for this video. I look forward to watching the next. You're a riot!
1) Merki d'avoir remis le générique plus rock des débuts : le machin à l'accordéon commençait à devenir pénible. Mais le truc rock est une compo originale pour le vlog ou une chanson déjà existante ?
2) La vidéo suivante pourrait être les 5 choses typiquement françaises que fait ton mari et qui te rendent folle en tant qu'Américaine toujours pas habituée...
I agree, eating and watching a movie goes hand in hand, I would think most french people would agree too
With the energy crisis, no A/C anymore in summer and no over heated homes either. Let’s save energy. Wearing a sweatshirt at home in winter is a good habit.
Omg i love your videos and i feel so related to you. And, i am not even from the states im from Latin America. Ive been leaving for almost 5 years in France , came because my boyfriend is french. But the cultural shock is HUGE. I was petrified when i had the same experience as you at the cinema. Like i was eating my popcorn and he says your so laud 😒.
Also , the fact that im loud i cant even speak in my own house i feel. And the CAR, is really insane i had the exact same experience as you. I love france and french people but they are so stiff , you feel like they still live in the old days. And they are SO difficult for everything.
Thanks for sharing your stories i feel better to know im not the only one. ❤
I live in the US, and I learned how to drive in a stick vehicle. I miss it. I have had several cars that had a stick, and am now driving an automatic
I hate a cold house. Bundling up where you can’t move doesn’t do it for me. Funny video. Gosh, now the US has dinner and a movie with cocktails and beer. Great video.
The more of your videos I watch, the more I think I’m French!😆 (a Hungarian w some German roots living in Ireland)
Can truly relate!!! Especially with the temperature changes! I completely thought it was insane to turn off the heating at night and it has started many a arguments between me and the French beau. Went from being able to wear shorts in the house in winter to having to wear multiple layers over here! I feel so ridiculous 😅
Wanting to wear shorts in winter is problematic. There is something sick in this idea. Winters are not meant for wearing shorts. I haven't heated for years now (at all). And i always feel comfortable with 2 sweaters. Actually, i feel great under the heavy duvet and in the wool sweaters. Heating is mostly unecessary in most parts of France, on top of being bad both for money and ecology.
@@nox8730 Two sweaters is a bit much though! The weather in Norther France can get pretty cold in the winter so you most definitely need heating. Also, shutting the heat off at night is unreasonable. A compromise would be to turn down the heat a bit before bed.
@@simonledoux8519 I lived in Lille for a year, and yeah, you would need 'some' heating up there. I live in Pau, South West, and my appartment has thick walls that resist pretty well to temperature changes. I open during the day and close in the late afternoon, and the opposite in summer. 2 sweaters is not that big a deal. I don't need to heat, and if i heated, it would be for the sole purpose of wearing only one sweater instead, which i can't help but find rather stupid. This winter energy will be ever so precious because of the current situation, so i won't change my habits.
@@nox8730 A chacun son goût!
It's even more confusing in the UK because we use a mix of both imperial and metric.
I think #3 is a conflict that couples from all over the world deal with!!
Greeks are super loud, it's no comparison to the USA lol. A Greek family at the dinner table is chatting, gesticulating constantly with their hands, and overall loud. :-)
In the South we have stick and we are usually taught stick first before automatic. Popcorn is a must and we usually unless it's extremely cold turn off the heat in winter but don't you dare think of turning off the air-conditioning
I'm Mexican living in the US married to an American, and I have never understood nor even tried to use Imperial system. I check the temperature in Celsius, measure everything in metric, and use recipes with grams. My husband is the sweetest cause he's changed to use Metric and actually admits that it is easier, more practical and logical. I even ask him when he goes out to bring back half a kilo of this or that. I also can not stand people eating in the cinema either. But that's a custom in Mexico too, so I'm the weird one and I've always suffered it. As for the heater, we do turn it off at night, otherwise you cook in bed!
But when it comes to a car, I'm with you, give me an automatic, never manual! Oh, and as for fuel for the car, I have a little problem... In Mexico we are used to having someone fill your car at the station and for some reason I am terrified of the gas pump. So I never do it! Never in 4 years have I put fuel in the car!!! Except when I drive to a far away town where they fill the car like in Mexico. Embarrassing but true!
Same here (French) - I lived in the US for 9 years and never bothered learning the imperial system or Fahrenheit, I just said "it means nothing to me" :)
It's sooo fun to notice that you and your husband have the same struggles ( end probably more ) I still have with my american wife after 17 years .
Metric system, fooding at the theater ( snaking in general, by the way ^^ ), temperature at home ( no air conditionning too ) , LOUD speaking and driving are constant struggle after all these years.
1- I am used to work in imperial and it don't bother me to use whatever unit, but sometimes I think she could try to adapt.
2- Nothing piss me more than anyone eating or drinking in a theater .... and it's possible to have popcorn in our theater. Most of the time, when we go to the theater, I am not beside her and our son, who is doing exactly same ! ( he lived in USA from 2013 to 2020 ). It seems impossible for them to be silent in a theater
3- We are living in an old farm with thick walls, and it seems to be hell for her, as it is hell for me when I have to deal with 35°F difference between inside and outside.
4 - My wife speaks loud at the phone only, why ? she's used to speak moderatly otherwise , when I speak loud, what is very rare, it means I'm pissed off .
5- My wife do not struggle that much with a shift, except she's not using the engine properly and don't change gear at the good engine speed. We have a pretty old car with a big engine, it is not an issue, but I have to remind her often how to use the gearbox correctly. She's also very scared because many drivers here are pushi and she don't know what to do. I tell her all the time to let them pass and not accelerate, but she's thinking french drivers are maniacs who don't respect speed limits and many other things.
hahaha i'm dying that you said you actually sit in a different place in the theater than your wife and son because they eat and it bothers. This is what Robin told me he would start doing if i didn't get with the program hahahah :)
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified It could sound radical, but at least I can watch a movie quietly. It depend of the movie, of course. My point about it is that movies are considered as a show in US and art in France ( even some french movies are crap as some american movie can be. In France, you go to the circus with pop corn and drink, and even if lot of movie theater had pop corn , candies and drinks, when I was a kid, it was only allowed during "l'entracte", when the operator was having a break, because his room was simply hot as hell ( the husband of my sister was operator, I watched many movies from projection room, and it was so noisy ! ^^ )
@@jean-claudevoillemin4618 "My point about it is that movies are considered as a show in US and art in France "
That is exactly that. When watching a film, i need to focus all my attention on it. Observing actors, the photography, the palette, and get immersed in the feeling and atmosphere created by the director. This needs immersion, and hence, silence. I would do the same as you. I would be patient at first, but i would be pissed pretty fast if there is no effort on the other side. That is very conform to what i imagine of Americans. They consume culture the same way they consume pop corn, and can only really taste the latter. They are like their coffee.
Best video ever! I live in New Zealand and laughed so much while watching this. My husband is from NZ too but we have the same temperature issues, he says we wait for hot summer days and then I make the house into a fridge. We don't understand how Americans still use the imperial measurement and don't usually eat at movies. However, he yells down his phone, which really is not necessary 🤣 and we both grew up learning to drive a stick but now only drive auto, so much easier, why wouldn't you. Just shows how we are all the same or different irrelevant of culture/country.
As a 30-year-old Canadian, I am absolutely with you on the "not fully committed to the metric system" thing!
LOL! So relatable in reverse! (except for the C vs. F argument). I'm French and my husband is Canadian. We live in Canada.
Happy to hear you can relate! I'm never 100% sure if it's a personality thing, or a cultural thing.
Hahah i’m French and my dad always tell me to finish my popcorn before the movie even begin, so we don’t annoy other people 😂 I think it’s a bit extreme haha
And for the heating and air conditioning, I guess you are aware but there is a huge belief in France that big changes of temperature will get you a cold ! 🤷♀️
That's a great compromise, lol. You can have the popcorn HOWEVER, you must absolutely finish before the movie trailers are done hahah
Nope Cam you have received a proper education. Same for me. How in hell can an adult not be able to stop eating for 2 hours? It will put him late for his 5 000 kcal of the day? 😂
@@khaelamensha3624 Well if you have a habit of mindlessly eating, popcorn is a good option if you don't cover it in butter.
@@jazmine9570 Not very fond of pop corn I préféré a sandwich with rosette or ham a bit of butter and cornichons 😇😋😂
@@khaelamensha3624 if i watch i need to chew on something even at home. it helps me get in the zone where i can enjoy the movie. i don't snack at any other time. (i am french btw i know i don't represent the majority).
For the heater! I have got the same with my french woman. Home is always too cold in winter! 🤣
I always drive stick shift cars because they are less expensive, not more. Yes, nowadays, they are sadly harder to find and you don't get a choice of color. We do have stick shifts in the US and many of us still LOVE them.
*12:00** I have an automatic driving license like I always wanted to, and I'm totally OK with it. But concerning the cost of driving license fees in USA, we can relate this to the road traffic accidents death rate...*
*In France, driving schools don't book a test for you if they feel you're not ready to pass the exam!*
I’m surprised you are not divorced after 9 years of conflict. I was born in the US my wife in France:
1) I learned both F and C long ago;
2) I used to eat at the movies but after 15 years in France I lost the habit. Now I can’t stand eating noise in theaters;
3) I have suffered through canicule after canicule in France. In the US we live in a moderate climate w/o clim;
4) Loud talking. I’m guilty, trying to change but even so my wife always asks me why I’m screaming. Conversely she whispers so I often have to make her repeat;
5) When I learned to drive in the US I learned both stick and auto so not a problem.
5)
Many Americans don’t have AC. The ones who do set it to just remove some heavy humidity and decrease the temperature some. Otherwise, the electric bill would be very high- and no one wants to be “cold” anyway. However, grocery stores and some other public places do seem to set it at a lower temp and it can feel too cool- not sure what the reason is for this.
As far as Winter, many Americans do keep a lower temp. in the house and wear a sweater or supplement with a little room heater if needed. No one wants a big heating bill. However, some people like and are willing to pay for a Sauna-like house. This is usually more an individual than a country based choice.
Lovely. Your culture is very much you! I think the vocal thing is an enthusiasm thing. Celsius weather forecasts are boring, lol! However we get along I guess. Cheers bis to you too!! 🇺🇸🇫🇷🇺🇸🇫🇷
I grew up in Vermont and stick shift are less expensive than automatics. When renting a car though, I always go for automatic too. There is enough to think about in a rental or new place than shifting! Love your channel! I’m heading to Montpellier for 3 months in April, thanks for all your informative content!
Oh Vermont ❤
Vermont! I've got a really close friend who here who is from vermont too. Enjoy Montpellier! My husband is from Sete which is really close to Montpellier and we spend a lot of time in that area of France. So nice :)
I am French, and I cannot sleep with 2 much heat. I actually turn the heater off and open the window nearly all year long (I live in Paris).
I am a fusion regarding measurements for cooking. In Australia we are metric - but for cooking I still use cups/tablespoons/teaspoons. Because I actually have those measuring devices in my kitchen drawer LOL. Fortunately our butter specifies (on the label) the 50 g mark; the 100 g mark; etc.
Two comments from a French Canadian (note: I married a French woman... and we own properties on both sides of the pound). Canada switched to metrics decades ago, but while I accepted my weight to be 80 kg, I am still 6 ft tall. Also: the air temperature is 20C, but the pool is 80F. Drives my in laws crazy. And when driving, I have a hard time with priority to the right. Without any direction signs, one needs French genome to figure out which side will yield at the next crossing. C'est la vie.
Oh wow, i should have talked about the priority on the right. That is so so hard to get used to. I'm like ummm im driving straight on the road with no stops anywhere. What do you mean that I have to yield randomly to other people?
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified yield to anyone coming from your right. This assumes that you know the street is one way from your right. As hard to explain as it is to figure out ;-)
Noise in Cinema is really an issue in France yes, the priority in a cinema is for the film and if someone bothers you and interfere with your viewing of the film you are definitely allowed to ask him to quiet down, stop eating loudly, shut off their phone or whatever they were doing.
Oh and you can't get in the metric system in you don't use it all the time.
I know it's hard in the beginning but you need to make the effort in order to slowly get a new benchmark of value, it's like when we started using Euro we just dived in and after like 1 or 2 years we knew all the price in Euro and didn't need to convert them into Francs.
Hi Kate: ) I relate to you on all 5 of these "annoying" habits. I don't think they're annoying and things to be fixed, so much as personal preferences (due to cultural norms). ☺ I always have 3 or 4 different windows open on my phone whenever I'm baking, because I mostly bake cupcakes/cookies/other American goodies and so I have to convert the cups to grams before weighing everything on my scale. My boyfriend Mathieu and I once got into an argument because he was doing the converting for me one day while making cookies, and he thought 1 1/4 C meant eleven quarter cups. We ended up laughing though because after having more than doubled the amount of flour in the recipe, we managed to double all the other ingredients and end up with twice the amount of cookies😂
A little hint: you can settle Google home with 2 different languages. Mine is setup that way and I can talk to it in either Canadian French or Canadian English .
(American) With “smart” thermostats we definitely program ours to drop at night or common times of the day that we tend to not be home. I think the temperature thing is just a male:female thing. I always prefer it warmer than my husband does.
The stick shift thing I think is just an age/generational thing but American-ish. I am fine with a stick but my first car was a stick when I got my license in 1998, the car my parents got me was a 1990 Honda Civic. BUT many people born in the 80’s and later don’t know how to drive a stick.
Who goes to movie theaters anymore?? We just stream it when it comes out 3 months later 🤷🏼♀️😂😂
Also, I’d like to say that I think Americans talk louder because we don’t like to stand so close to each other. We are huge into personal space (because we HAVE so much space here outside of cities and the coasts!!) so I think you have to talk louder. And if you’re close together it’s usually in places that are loud (bars, restaurants, public transit, concerts) and so you feel you have to talk over the noise to be heard.
OMG, this is me. I had no idea how American I was until you mentioned these pet peeves. I’ve lived in France and now in Korea and the metric system is still …. argh! I’m with you on all points. In Korea, we couldn’t eat in the cinema during the first 2 yrs of the pandemic. I felt like I was getting a partial experience. I need my popcorn and soda - I normally don’t even drink soda!
I am proud to say that I converted one very stubborn German on the stick shift issue. When we wanted to buy a car, my boyfriend wanted us to get stick shift because it's cheaper in Germany too. I insisted on an automatic and now he admits that it's a lot nicer to drive.
And if we need to rent and a stick shift is a lot cheaper, he's the one to drive it, since I have very little experience with the manual transmission.
Totally get all your points! My French husband gets annoyed by the food thing for sure, and our theaters here in France, the popcorn sucks! I saw that it was in these huge bags already popped so i lost all interest for eating it at the theater. I do sneak my own food in though ;)
We finally came to an agreement so i don't freeze in the winter and so far it has worked out. I am breastfeeding and i argued that he's not popping out a boob in the middle of winter to feed our child and it is not practical to wear a jacket inside to do this either. :)
He does sometimes still get annoyed by my loud American voice on calls at home though :)
And somehow i was one of the rate Americans that learned to drive stick so we have no problems there ;)
I can tell you that the food thing in theaters would annoy anyone. Patience can only last this long. I am actually with Jean-Claude VOILLEMIN above. I would probably stop going to theaters with you altogether, since simply parting ways inside is meaningless. That is just way too unsufferable for a french who like the 7th art. As he says, this pop corn thing is more what you do when going to the circus.
You’re so right about the manual stick v automatic car😎Ad I’m older than you we drove stick and all 4 of learned in the 70s and 80s when it was standard transmission. There is NO WAY I would drive in Paris. Maybe in the country but not necessary for the city so point to you😂
People eating at the cinema are also driving me nuts. Even more so when they wait until the movie starts to munch on their popcorn.
My Danish ex also used to make a sauna out of our house. 18-20°C is very comfortable, 25 not so much.
I can understand 25 being a bit hot, but i don't mind like a good 23 :) hahah
I freeze in the winter time usually and we try to keep our heat at a lower setting and then in the summer time, we have the AC on and I'm freezing again! My husband loves it cold in the house when it's hot outside and I go around with a sweater on in the summer. So both things are annoying. I love AC, but not that cold! I find Americans to be extremely loud! We go to a restaurant, and you can literally hear what everyone is saying; very annoying! (I'm from Canada) So, your husband might have a point, but it's hard, like you said, in your own home, you should do what's normal for you. I learned how to drive a stick shift when I was young, love driving like that! It's fun and it's always good to know. Automatics are always easier, but worth your time to learn to drive both. Good luck on everything! Thanks for sharing. (from Sandi)
In France we have a very social culture and we are very aware about people around us for example we don't talk too loudly in a public place, our kids have to behave in a public place not to bother other people like in a restaurant vs America focuses more on the individual so everything around the expressing too contentiously someone's individuality won't be socially accepted in France, since public decency is key in French and being considerate of others. So I can totally relate to your husband with his cinema experience with you. Because you were focusing on having a good experience but not having in mind that you were sharing a place with other people who were also there to enjoy an experience as well. You were only focusing on your individualistic experience without taking into account shat you were sharing the place with other people. It's definitively cultural and don't get me started with the level of consumerism that you went trough which is ingrained in American culture like the fear of missing out
In Canada were metric, but because were so influenced by the US I cook and weigh myself in pounds, not kg. So I go back and forth from metric to imperial. Also, I with you on treats at the movies it part of the experience! Most cars in Canada are automatic and I have tried to learn how to drive a stick shift but was unsuccessful. So Robin, if you don't want to do all the driving then don't give Kate the gears! lol
I think American loudness depends on where you are from in the US. More suburban or rural areas, there's no need to shout. The world is pretty quiet and so naturally, we speak in a softer tone. People in cities, especially like NY, have to speak loudly, just to be heard. Although, my BIL was brought up in the same area as my husband and I and we constantly have to tell him to turn down his volume!!! He just naturally has a booming voice! I've talked to my SIL, who's from Laos, and she agrees, her family sounds like they are YELLING at each other when they speak Thai, but their English is soft. She thinks it's it's a difference in language confidence level. But she said her family's language just sounds more "shouty" to a Western ear, anyway. 🤷🏻♀️
It's an interesting point about speaking different languages at different volumes. I think for example that people have a deeper voice when they speak french versus english. Maybe english is just a language made for shouting hahaha
Hi Kate, well done on Goggle Home in English, you have to make the language effort outside the home, so deserve not to struggle in the home as well. My Italian husband is way too loud, really loud on the phone and with the tv. We argue about the heating all the time!
From a Brit living in France, Google Home does recognise when I speak in French.
Maybe we should change it then and try it out!
I never go to a movie without popcorn :D
I spent a semester at Virginia Tech as an exchange student a lifetime ago. One of the courses I picked was House Planning. I was coming from a French business school, but there was no way I was going to waste that opportunity studying the boring business stuff I was already studying at home. For some reason, I didn't even suspect that Americans were designing buildings in feet and inches. The teacher just assumed that I was completely clueless about the imperial system and she was right. She came to my table, told me that an inch was 2.54 centimeters, that there were 12 inches in a foot and that inches could be divided in fractions. My then young brain got used to thinking in these imperial units that same day, but it never seemed like a reasonable or convenient way of measuring things. And yet, it's still infinitely more logical than weighing things in pounds and ounces. Those ones are my true nemeses. :)
American here. We learn the English system in grade school (years 1-6) and as such it’s ingrained into our brains early. We use the metric system in the sciences but outside of that our lives are lived in the English system. Geek fact-Gerald Ford, US President in 1975, signed the Metric Conversion Act of 1975. It stated metric system is preferred but still allowed the Imperial System to persist.
🤣🤣🤣 no worries Kate, so typical!! I am french living in the US and married to an American and I know exactly what you mean. The metric system, the unnecessary bad movie snacks, the too hot or too cold house and the loud voice. We have the same conversations, every day I ask him to lower his voice because I am right next to him!!! So funny👍 Vive la différence 🤣
Good luck in the USA! You must be experience everything from the other side!
I think that a case for #4 could be made in reverse too. You could be in a crowded room with tons of people talking around you and background music playing at full blast and a French person would still be whispering expecting you to hear them. So I’d argue that both cultures have an issue with volume modulation depending on the context!
les Chinois ont le même problème que les étatsuniens , ils sont sourds ? ils crient croyant que nous sommes comme eux ? sourds !
@@ybreton6593 sorry, didn’t hear you…kenavo!
@@taylorraffa5104 🙂 Kenavo
Interesting point. Honestly i've never noticed this before, but if that's the case, the French could use a little american noise from time to time :)
Could not deal with no air conditioning I keep it so cold I can sleep with a feather blanket. And in the winter I like to run the heat while keeping a window open love it warm inside but with a cold breeze love the fresh cold air.
I would say that if you don't want to be next to someone eating, you shouldn't go to a restaurant. Cause restaurants are meant for eating. Cinemas are meant for watching movies.
But since cinemas make profits by selling popcorn so they probably agree with your views anyway.
Very true about restaurants. But since they sell food at cinemas, i feel like you have to assume someone could be eating by you?
Very interesting! I don't actually have these cultural differences with my french partner. Although sometimes I get annoyed when there's no delicious buttery popcorn... I'm an Australian living in Germany and I must say the too much heat thing and being very loud on the phone I've only experienced with German housemates - they are so loud I can hear them in the next room. I lived with some Americans and they would change the bathroom scales to pounds but it never bugged me I'd just click the button on the back... But I sort of grew up with seeing both numbers on the old scales when I was a kid. And all my grandmas recipes were written in lbs and quarts so I feel like its just same different to me.
My boyfriend is French Moroccan and he is loud. Lol (I am Canadian)
The heat thing is a constant issue at our house. We turn it off at night 😕 but then in the morning he feels it’s stuffy in the place so he opens all the windows. 😡 U was never a snacked in the movies. I would usually just get a drink. But I do remember being shocked how ppl don’t get snacks at the movies here. It is kinda nice to not hear all the crunching of the popcorn or the fattening of the candy boxes.
I do think that when you live in another country that you don’t have to be shamed or give up some of your way of life. It’s part of you. Little comforts can go a long way. My boyfriend didn’t give up any of his ways when he lived in Canada. He just said he was French so deal with it.
I am french and love to buy popcorn at the cinema but, i eat all of them during the announcement and never ever during the actual movie. They serve me as a way to wait, during the movie I want to be 100% in what I am watching.
Yup, agree with all of the above except I'm not a big eater in movie theaters. My husband teaching me to drive stick in Belgium was definitely a test to the relationship🤣 but I learned and drove my little stick shift Fiat 500 for 10 years. We just moved to Quebec and I got a new automatic car. Do I miss driving stick? Not one bit!
A lot of people who drive stick tell me that they would buy an automatic, which makes me think that it's as annoying as I think it is hahah
our new apartment building is on collective heating for both radiators and hot water. Anyways, we're on the second floor (French first floor), and I swear the boiler in the basement gives off enough heat that filters to the air ducts of the building, and since we're pretty close to it, this heat permeates through to our apartment, and we have yet to turn on the radiators this winter, also we are super south facing with almost no building blocking us, so that helps a lot too. I'm more worried about summer and if we'll need to buy a portable AC. My French hubby and I lived in Korea for 5 years before moving to France, and there it's just like the States, extreme temp differences with the AirCon on full blast in Summer, but it was super humid there and the hubs just got really used to it. But here in France he doesn't mind it, even though it does still get a bit muggy here near Paris, my first summer here I thought I was dying from the heat, lol.
Metric system I just forced myself to get used to, I mean I still sometimes compare it the imperial system (the hubs like to think of it as the Imperial system from Star Wars and starts singing the Darth Vader song if I start to use the Imperial system, hahahahaha), but I haven't completely switched my brain to the 24 hour clock, I still have to count with my fingers some times. I think this is because in Korea they use the 12 hour and 24 hour interchangeably, sometimes even on the bus in Korea the clocks with be using both, so I never had to force myself to get used to it.
My French hubby is MUCH louder than I am, I'm usually the one that has to tell him to lower his voice at home, lol, especially if he's just gotten off the phone and he's forgotten that he's at the same register, lol.
The clock is such a great example! That's actually something that i'm officially used to even if sometimes when i'm speaking i say 6 instead of 18h, when i read them i have no problem. But i counted on my fingers for yearrsssssssss!
2- I'm a French girl who loves to have pop-corn at the movies and i always get some bad looks and people saying "chuuuut !" even though i try to make as less noise as possible...so definitely a french thing 😄
3- my parents are a bit chilly and i grew up in a well-heated house. My husband grew up in a barely-heated house, so it's been a subject of tension between us at the beginning. But eventually, i accepted to have a "freezing" house in winter (16°C/61°F), mostly because of the bills, and...i got used to it ! Now i really sweat when i go to my parents house !
5- i totally get it ! I find it hard, as a French, to drive an automatic car (even though, it's really "easier") when it's been a long time that i haven't driven one. So on the other way around, i cannot imagine the difficulty ! Robin, stay calm, Kate is just normal ^^
So glad to hear there are french popcorn lovers out there, but i assumed since they sold popcorn at the theater that i couldn't be the only one! And wow, 16 degrees in winter seems really cold. When it's at 19 degrees i'm like shivering in my sweatshirt! And i'll pass the message to Robin to chill out ;)
@@UnintentionallyFrenchified my parents house was heated at 21°C and i used to also be freazing at 19°C, so yeah, the human body can amazingly adapt to everything ! 😊
The food at movie theater is for the waiting time before the movie. You should not be eating during a movie, Robin is right on this one, you watched a movie in silence.
And that's why I don't go to the movie anymore lol.
I am American and drive stick. And it will get increasingly harder to get one. My original home was Wisconsin and I think that has something to do with it! Feels like I am actually driving.
Now that you are in Montreal you will see that we use both metric and imperial systems.
I feel you! #3 I think this is as much a man-vs-woman issue. My ex (also American) and I had the same arguments. My core temperature is just much colder than his. I bundled up and asked him to wear his shorts and a t-shirt. #4 We all talk louder on Zoom/online calls! Well, everyone except French people, evidently.🤣 Americans do talk really loudly, we know that. (Unfortunately, I'm louder than most! But I'm aware of it and I try really hard to quiet down in Europe.) #5 I’m sure most Americans would have this same problem. I don’t because the first used car my parents bought me was a stick shift and I prefer them. But it's definitely worth spending the extra money because in an emergency, you want to be in a car you feel comfortable driving!
I'm a woman and I'm the one telling my boyfriend to lower the temperature in winter because he's always cold and always turns it up!
I really do make such an effort outside of the house that it happens subconciously, but there is something about turning on those facetime/zoom calls that brings out the loud american in me! :)
Eating in cinema bothers me a lot and I'm not even French. Maybe I'm secretly French
Really enjoy your videos. I’m in California. My wife and I don’t eat a lot in the theater, but I can see where it can be annoying if people are eating something other than candy or popcorn with a strong odor. :) Yes we Americans do speak loudly especially in restaurants. I’m curious about the driving. If its hard for you to drive a stick-shift, why doesn’t Robin drive instead, if it bothers him, or does he? :)
Chicago girl here engaged to a Frenchman.
I think it's just a french thing, Because as an American I know what you are going through!! I prefer the American way of life the pounds, miles, cups, automatic cars, Big spacious American vehicles!! And Yes eating in the movie theaters!! Yes Yes Yes!!
It's totally understandable that you need a reference system you were used to for a long time. It's like when we switched currency in Europe (€), it takes years to get used to it and maybe you'll convert in your head for the rest of your life :-)
Are you still converting euros in francs now?
@@ameliecarre4783 well, not always and not consciously, but sometimes I still compare how much something costs now and how much it would make in francs :-)
I make my French friends laugh when I tell them the last time I went to Paris, you were still using the Franc.
Such a good example with the francs. Robin's grandmother used to compare prices to the "old" franc which was before the new franc and then the euro. So basically 100 old francs, was 1 new franc. Some habits are hard to get rid of right?