When you come to live in another country, it is almost unavoidable that some local customs, rules or even laws are going to strike you as weird, funny or even awful. Here is my personal list of the 5 things that still surprise me about America and Americans.
First of all, because I like food (I am French after all), the size of the portions in most restaurants
Coming from France especially, this is always striking. The portions here are just huge, which means that the “doggy bag” is a much more popular thing here than it is in France.
It took me a bit of time before I got used to ask for a box, because we don’t really do that in France. And I was brought up to finish my plate, which here would definitely get me in trouble with my weight!
Overall, you get a lot more on your plate here for the money you pay at the restaurant!
The “Let’s deep-fry it” philosophy
Another American quirk is an almost obsession with deep-frying anything and everything.
Think chicken, steak, French fries (the obvious one), donuts, onions, but also soda, pickles, pizza, Oreo cookies, ice cream (yes… ice cream), etc.
Basically? Anything can go into a deep-fryer, which is a bit scary. And consider that at the same time, you have all these TV commercials on how to lose weight in 4 weeks…
The overall patriotism
That is something that most people have heard of before actually coming to this country but it is still something that I find quite striking.
It is pretty rare in France to see French flags on people’s houses. The only time that happens is usually during the Soccer World Cup… And I don’t think that many French people actually own a French flag.
Here many houses show off their love of the flag on their front lawn or porch. Come the 4th of July, Walmart has entire aisles dedicated to red-white-blue items, from paper plates, hats, house decoration items to flags of all sizes.
The National Anthem is played at the beginning of each sport game, and most people stand for it.
The words “the land of the free and the home of the brave” are very often used in political rhetoric. I cannot remember a single time I heard a French politician quote any part of “La Marseillaise”, the French Anthem.
Most political figures also wear pins of the American flag.
I personally enjoy listening to the Star-Spangled Banner, which I find beautiful (when performed correctly…) and very compelling. I am a bit bummed that I am not capable to sing it…
So because I cannot resist, here are the complete 4 verses 😉
The Star-Spangled Banner
O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,
’Tis the star-spangled banner – O long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto – “In God is our trust,”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Source: Smithsonian National Museum of American History
The place of religion
Ah… the religion in the USA. It is everywhere, pretty much like the Flag.
The National Anthem includes “In God is our trust” in its final verse. Elected officials swear on the Bible.
Public figures speak freely of their love of God, which is not a very usual occurrence in France unless it is religious figures, like cardinals, imams, etc.
And this is also probably why the debate over abortion for example is much more heated here than it is in France right now.
The Healthcare system
To be honest, after more than 2 years here, I am still not sure I get the healthcare system completely.
France is a welfare state, with a hybrid public and private healthcare system. The public part is managed by the “Assurance Maladie” (Health Insurance). The “Assurance Maladie” reimburses roughly 75% of all healthcare spending in France.
Every person who resides in France legally is entitled to a “Carte Vitale”, which is France’s universal healthcare card, and is thus covered by the “Assurance Maladie” system to a certain extent.
Most people also have a private insurance, through their employers (who pay the biggest part of the insurance) or bought on the private market. That private insurance pays for what the “Assurance Maladie” doesn’t pay.
As a result most people in France are completely covered for most of their health expenses.
France has been a champion for a government-subsidized medical coverage for a long time and it’s pretty rare to have stories of people who get in debt because they can’t pay for their medical care when they have a long-term illness, like cancer.
Here the story is a bit different, and although they are not going to let you die at the ER if you don’t provide insurance information (as people abroad think is the case), the bill can be pretty stiff to swallow. And it’s not unusual for people to have to sell their personal things or take another mortgage on their house to be able to pay for their medical bills when they get older.
Basically here there is no such thing as the French “Assurance Maladie”. If you don’t have insurance then you pay everything out of pocket. If you have insurance, then you still usually have to pay a copay (flat fee you pay every time you go to the doctor), the amount of which depends on your insurance policy.
Then, you have something called Deductible, which is the amount you pay each year before your health plan begins to share in the cost of covered services. For example, if you have a $3,000 deductible, you will need to pay the first $3,000 of your total medical costs. Usually, a low deductible means a higher premium.
There is also the concept of Coinsurance: this is the portion of the cost you pay after your deductible has been met. For example, if your coinsurance is 20 percent, you pay 20 percent of the cost of your covered medical bills. Your health insurance plan will pay the other 80 percent.
Then there is such a thing here as networks. Basically each insurer works with networks of doctors and hospitals. If your doctor is in that network, he will agree to charge less and your insurer will pay the difference between that agreed-upon rate and your copay. If your doctor is out of network, then you are out of luck… Best thing to do usually is to find another doctor…
With the advent of Obamacare, people were hopeful that a cheaper healthcare program would be available to everybody. Sadly, it turned out that the program was not that well thought-out, and was going into the wall even before the new Administration decided to get rid of it. Some people were dealing with two figure percentage annual increase in the amount they were paying to their insurer.
Now, I am not saying that the French system is better than the American; both have their pros and cons. For example, the French system costs a lot, and doesn’t seem to do as well as far as innovation is concerned.
So there you have it, my personal list of things that Americans do differently than the French! I am sure there are many more!
What is your own list? Share in the Comments section!