It’s amazing how quickly your brain switches when you live in a foreign country. Although I grew up and lived in the United States until fairly recently, those Frenchy French habits catch hold quickly! Here are five odd things that I catch myself doing when I return States-side:
1.) Go in for the kiss: Instead of hugs, the French kiss each other on the cheeks as a greeting. It doesn’t matter if you see the same person all the time; the first time that you see each other during the day, social etiquette demands that you do the bise. (We don’t really full-on kiss each other on the cheek usually, it’s more like touching cheeks and making a brief kiss sound.) I bise everyone: my in-laws, colleagues, friends, even my spinning teacher at the gym! It’s a great way to share colds. When I go back to the States, my reflex is to go for the bise and I often catch myself right at the limit of acceptable American face distances. French kisses for everyone!
2.) Beam at the cheddar cheese, crackers, and instant oatmeal: France is world-renowned for its cuisine, and rightly so. That being said, there are some things that I really miss as an American in France. The first of these items is cheddar cheese. Although France is blessed with hundreds of delicious and inexpensive cheeses, cheddar is not one of them! Crackers are also thin on the ground in France. When I go back to the States, a moment of appreciation in front of the Triscuit section is obligatory! Ditto for the instant oatmeal. During our trip to Edinburgh in September, I was thrilled to discover all three of these items! (See my post “Being Sassenachs in Edinburgh” in "Bon voyage!")
3.) Add “no?” to the end of my sentences in English: It’s a strange moment when you realize that your second language is interfering with your native language! Since living in France, I often find myself ending sentences in English with an interrogative, “no?” Example: “That’s a good idea, no?” Why has this aspect of the French language subtly infiltrated my mother tongue? I don’t know, me!
4.) Giggle at immature bilingual jokes in places I shouldn’t: Like church. It never fails: ever since Nico pointed out to me that the word “Peace” sounds exactly like the command form of “Piss” in French, I cannot get through a “Sharing of the Peace” at the church in Pullman without giggling! Call me immature, but a whole bunch of adults walking around, solemnly shaking hands, and telling each other to pee is just too much!
5.) Stare people down when we say, “Cheers”: There are a lot of rules about having a drink in France. 1.) You are supposed to clink your glass with everyone at the table individually. 2.) While clinking glasses, you must look at the other person in the eyes. 3.) You must not reach over or under other people’s arms. For example, if two of your friends are reaching across the table to clink glasses, you are not allowed to reach over them to clink with someone on the other side of the table. You have to wait until the trajectory is arm-free. This set of rules has so marked me that even when I’m in the States, I tend to look intensely into people’s eyes when saying, “Cheers!” Creepy, no?
There you have it! So if you see me over the holiday season, please be forgiving: my brain is going French!
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