USA v. France

No, it’s not sports. It’s my version of what I missed and didn’t miss while abroad. I’ll try to make my rambling short & sweet (sarcastic comments included!).

What I missed:

1.  Public restrooms: If you’re going out and about in town, you better have change because they do have public pay toilettes, but the majority of stores don’t have one. Some places, like Carcassone, have public toilets, but no T.P.

2.    Toilet seats: If you are going on a road trip and you stop at an “Aire” (The US equivalent would be a truck stop), Ladies, get ready to squat. No toilet seats! Or even better you can use the “toilette turque.” Go ahead and Google it….

3.    Decent TP…. Most homes I visited had decent toilet paper, but the hotel I was in had really terrible paper….

4.    Air Conditioning or Refrigerated Air… I’m a Texan. I expect when it’s 95°F that the inside of a building should be 72… just saying…. Our hotel had A/C but it was not like it’s American equivalent.

5.    Midol…I forgot to pack mine. Went to the Pharmacy and tried to explain what I was lookin   g for and they tried to give me ibuprofen. So not the same thing.

6.    Stores that were open after 8pm…. Or on Sunday… or on Monday.

7.  Beef Jerky

8.    Corn Nuts…I didn’t eat any corn this time, but if I had, I would have added decent corn. The corn in the US is much more flavorful & sweet than what’s available in France.

9.    Giant cups of coffee. I did run across a Starbucks, but I was unwilling to part with 5€ for a drink. That’s insane.

10. Iced Tea… Although, they do have Nestea flavored iced tea in a can… Not exactly the same… but a peach tea will do in a pinch. I used to miss big cups of ice, but I guess I’m getting used to being asked if I want “Un ou deux glaçons?” (1 or 2 ice cubes).

11.  My iPhone… I don’t have service in France. Thank you, Verizon. But I was able to link in on the Wi-Fi from my hotel. Which I could add that I miss having multiple free, public Wi-Fi hotspots to choose from.

What I appreciated:

1.     The freshness of food.

2.    That when I walk into a store, I’m greeted by someone who works there.

3.    Markets

4.    The kindness of my new family.

5. Well-behaved children, and parents who weren't afraid to discipline when needed.

What I didn’t Miss:

1.     Fake cheese… you know what I’m talking about that plastic-like mass of orange goo that is passed off as “cheddar sauce”. We had a layover in DC and I ordered an egg & cheese breakfast sandwich. Took a big bite and “WELCOME TO AMERICA”… I got a mouthful of nasty.

2.    Fake coffee creamer. (See a pattern here?)… our plane from DC to Texas was with Delta. Asked for a coffee (Because I had missed it so…) and I was given “dairy fresh” brand non-dairy creamer… wtff? I’m going to blame jetlag on my forgetfulness to ask if the cheese and creamer were real….In France, I didn’t have to ask.

3.    My computer… I left it at home! It was nice to be partially unplugged for a while.

4.    Work… duh!

OK looking forward to your comments and questions. If you don’t have a blogger account, you can leave me comments on my facebook link to this post.

<3