A good example of this is bread or what the French call pain. The most famous is the baguette. Bread is very important to the French diet. It is eaten at almost every meal, so it is no surprise that the preparation of all the different types of bread is taken seriously. For the people who are eating the bread, this is seen by the many different boulangeries, or bakeries, in the city and the many different kinds of bread in the store.
That’s not to say that the French don’t eat “American style” loaves of bread that come prepackaged in the supermarket. They do, it is just not as common. This is similar to baguettes in the United States, while they are sold in grocery stores, they are not as popular as the sandwich style bread on the shelves. This has also be seen with specialty shops like butcher shops and cheese shops. While these types of stores exist in the United States, my experience has been that a large number of the French go to the smaller specialty stores more often to do their everyday shopping.
During my time in France, I have noticed several differences, both small and large. While there are some things that remind me of my home, some traditions seemed a little strange to me at first. While neither the traditions I am used to or the new ones I am learning about in France are right or wrong, it is important to get understand them. I am able to better understand where I am but also where I come from as I am traveling. Comparing and contrasting these new experiences to my experiences at home play a major part in my study abroad journey.
