6 EVERYDAY FRENCH THINGS THAT AMERICANS FIND ODD

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France, with its rich history, stunning architecture, and undeniable je ne sais quoi, is a dream destination for many of you out there. But before you pack your beret and practice your “bonjour,” there might be a few normal French things you encounter that’ll leave you scratching your head. Let’s get into a bunch of French cultural differences that might not only lead to a sense of wonder but often seem odd or strange to Americans as well.
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Salut! I'm Diane, an American who has lived in France since 2012 and the creator of the blog/KZbin channel Oui In France. My channel's focus is "Everyday French life and beyond." I make videos on French culture topics, France vs. US culture comparisons, with a sprinkling of food, travel, and language topics and give you my thoughts about what it's like living in France as an American in the Loire Valley. Thanks for being here and if you enjoy this sort of thing, please share with friends and subscribe!
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[@OuiInFrance]

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[@loloverlord1664]

You're supposed to SAY clearly, from the start, and with a written banner, this video contains advertisement. It's the law in France, sorry.

[@wrv6927]

And summer

[@nufcjoker9057]

I’m French I’ve lived in France of my life it’s not very common at all about French storing bread or basket , most French people will just buy the bread daily in the morning and leave it in the paper that comes in that’s what the French person would do , minority of people would do what you’re talking about ..

[@Squossifrage]

Depends on the size of your household and how often you shop. Not everyone finishes their bread in a day and not everyone has a bakery around the corner.

[@fynna8640]

Une tradition ok ça se mange dans la journée mais chez moi un pain se garde 4 jours, et dans ce cas il vaut mieux le conserver dans un sac en lin/coton

[@blacksquirrel4008]

My French friends keep their bread in a linen bag but they have no bakery close and it lasts a couple of days.

[@samwisegamgee6532]

Well I think Americans and French should agree on one thing : at least when you’re all sweaty at the gym, you avoid both hugs and cheek kisses.

[@nox8730]

Agreed. Being french, i know that you can simply say: "no way, don't touch me when you are all sweaty". If it is your friend, no problem. The french speaks his mind, and so, no reason not to.

[@sheilakerr-jones4345]

Bread is delicious in France and most of Europe! What’s with the plastic bags in USA? Makes for mushy, soft bread, yuk!

[@nox8730]

@@sheilakerr-jones4345 Well, it wasn't much about bread. But still, i believe that 2 amongst the many problems with so-called "bread" in the USA are tied to the unhealthy use of chemicals, and sugar. Bread should contain neither. At this point... the main concern when it comes to the plastic bags... is more about the environement. No matter how you store crap, it will always be crap in the end. When it comes to food, ingredients are 60% of the end result. The remaining 40% are recipes and cooking expertise.

[@amc1956uk]

Other countries in Europe have that same kissing ritual and I, for one prefer it to hugging people I barely know.

[@rmonogue]

@@sheilakerr-jones4345I live in the southwest, with humidity down into single digits in the winter. If I don’t keep our bread in plastic, it will harden into a crouton-like texture within a day. On the other hand, our potato chips never get soggy.

[@alanjameson8664]

I am old enough to (barely) remember bread boxes in American kitchens. Also bread knives.

[@christinewedge8980]

I grew up with breadboxes. I don't know when they disappeared.

[@Cor6196]

Same here. In guessing games, when we had to guess what object someone else was thinking of, our first question was always, "Is it bigger than a breadbox?"

[@firewood9991]

I still use my bread box, and several bread knives.

[@jeanneMN]

I still have a bread box!

[@cremebrulee4759]

Although they are not common, they still make bread boxes and bread knives. Check the internet.

[@cltransler]

I was at a friend's apartment in Paris a few years back, and when I went to leave, I fell back into my American ways, and started hugging people goodbye. They did not react well. I had to apologize and go for la bise. They looked at me like I was so weird--I'm not saying they're wrong... The shutters... OMG! I love them! Our sleep-clocks are completely off the whole time we're there. We're often up at 3:00am and won't go back to sleep until 7:00am. However, those shutters can block out all the light, so I can sleep without being blinded by the morning light. The con of that, is that we've often overslept and woke up at 1:00pm! (His mom is SO nice and let's us sleep, but I wish she'd get us up so the day isn't gone). Thanks for another fun-learning post!

[@johnkenney7217]

The shutters work there because windows open inward, which would be super rare in the US. I actually liked it, because you can have the window open when it’s raining, if the shutter is closed. (Shutter is intentionally not at all airtight, but sheds rain.)

[@timpauwels3734]

American windows open outwards?

[@johnkenney7217]

Yes, casement windows open outward here in US. In that case, you can have functioning shutters, but cannot have the window open while the shutter is closed.

[@anitaitisanita8549]

In UK I ordered and installed french doors that opened inwards for this reason. Vastly better in UK summers, doors opened but no rain coming in. I next moved to Florida, you should see the trouble I went to to specify my windows. Replaced old "80's with impact horizontal sliding so no in/out nonsense. And electric shutters for necessary shade, or hurricane protection, or security. Retract to invisible. Design is everything. The French are so wise. And glass.... there's a subject too

[@Blueforme]

Yeah that would be nice! Love to open my windows! Shutters!!!

[@Blueforme]

@@timpauwels3734or Up

[@PlatypusWWK]

Despite being French, I have never liked 'la bise'. Always disliked it very much in fact. But the idea of hugging someone to say 'hi' is just purely terrifying for me. If someone tried it on me I would instinctively consider it as an aggressive thing. Personal space is important for me.

[@brigittelacour5055]

Same for me ! And I only respond to my kids need of bise and cuddling, as a respect of their personal space. "We don't need to kiss to show we love each other" said my youngest ! At work I told everyone that I don't do la bise and if someone insists I ask him if he wants my microbes and cough a bit. Replay of the scene in the lift in Ghost ! 😂 Since COVID la bise is even less done between my relatives as lot of then are working in contact of public ( teachers, shops, ...)

[@visitingfromsantafe1329]

I'm American and I would say hugging is not a typical greeting unless it is with someone you are close to. If you have a really good friend you haven't seen in months and you are delighted to see her, you might hug. Or you might hug a relative. Definitely not mandatory.

[@JoanMurray-j5y]

Meghan Markle 5:27

[@JoanMurray-j5y]

MM was hugging the RF and they didn't like it.

[@nailsofinterest]

​@@visitingfromsantafe1329 or you're at that type of church. At church many Americans especially, woman hug vs shake hands. *Maybe* an air kiss if very close.

[@irina-ty1336]

One nice thing about the bread bag too, is you can go to the baker with it, gives it to the baker, so you don't get the paper sheet around your bread. One less thing to throw away. I think bread drawyer is something you will more find in older houses. Recent one are not build with a bread drawyer

[@user-qs1xz2mx6f]

Not only in France, we also have Breaddrawer in Germany, as well as in Italy, Malta and Spain. Sometimes they are on top of the counter.

[@helenramsdell1959]

In the US, the bread box was very common and can still be found in homes. But we also had a bread box that was built into kitchen cabinet drawers. It typically was metal. I had one in my house that was bulit in the '70s.

[@chiarac3833]

I had one in an older home. Always thought it was weird but we used it.

[@Lily_The_Pink972]

In Britain we have a special box made of metal, plastic or wood called a bread bin. Some have a lift off lid, some a tambour type roll front and others a lift up or drop down flap.

[@Kate-qq3ez]

We also have this in France, sometimes it is built in kitchen cabinet …

[@hiannahgus574]

We have them in the US, too.

[@GillianBergh]

I had a bread bin when first married, but soon got rid of it, and started storing bread in the fridge, to stop it going mouldy. Also, the kitchen was tiny and the breadbin took up too much space.

[@cremebrulee4759]

​@@GillianBergh everything I read says not to store your bread in the refrigerator because it will dry out. I have not noticed that as long as I keep the bag closed, and during humid weather, especially, it prevents bread from molding quickly.

[@bikerboy2791]

I love good bread, which is hard to find in the US especially in a small town, and I'm inclined to store it in a dedicated bread box. However, recently I've found that bread keeps fresh quite a bit longer when stored in the referigerator. Maybe Brits and other Europeans eat their bread fast enough that extending it's storage time isn't an issue.

[@Cassandra.Z]

I am French but I don't like "la bise" I don't have a bread bag and don't eat that much bread... maybe 3 breads per month... (btw, I don't like wine either 😅) There are many french habits that I personnaly don't have... Maybe I was not made to live in France 😅 (forgive my mistakes I'm not fluent in english...) I really like your videos. It's interesting to see how french life could be seen by other people 🙂 I can understand everything you say on your videos because you speak very clearly and it helps me a lot to learn english by myself... Thank you Diane !

[@paulmccarthy7461]

Your English is good. Much better than my French!

[@annelousteau9799]

Your English sounds fine to me, Cher.

[@rdhawke]

Your English is beautiful and compared to some posts I see on KZbin is superior.😉

[@oORaaA338]

The same ! No bise for me, and just a baguette on Sundays (when I don’t forget 😅)

[@remipersonne1375]

I am French and believe me, there are many bakeries that make bad bread. It has become a staple of our diet and unfortunately many people buy it automatically and choose it most often to save money. Rather than abstain, they prefer to buy poor quality bread, like the kind that goes stale at the end of the day. They no longer have the culture of good bread, they don't even know what it tastes like. And it's a shame, because it encourages more some who call themselves artisans to continue selling crap than those who struggle to make real bread with only basic ingredients, and not the kind that most bakeries make, with a whole lot of additives.

[@evelyngrammar]

Older homes in the US often have a bread drawer built in the cabinetry. We use a bread box.

[@OuiInFrance]

Very handy!

[@santamanone]

How old? I’m familiar with houses well over 100 years old when I grew up that did t have them. That said, as a southerner we normally ate our breads the same day we baked it.

[@santamanone]

LOL. Beta Carotene turns the skin orange.

[@santamanone]

It seems those cars are basically the French equivalent of golf carts in a Florida retirement community.

[@doghouse583]

My parents house was built around 1960 and had a bread drawer in the kitchen. It had a sliding metal lid that you opened when you pulled out the drawer. It was under the silverware and cutlery drawers.

[@Patrice11300]

When I visited my cousins in France and hearing them speak all their noises it made me realize why my French mother did the same. She was so different than all the American mothers of my friends but fit in perfectly back in her country of France.

[@sonjagatto9981]

I am sure she did not feel that good about herself.

[@rsoubiea]

Hawaii uses wood shutters, they usually don’t have a/c either that’s a more recent thing. They have trade winds. Lots of rain. I don’t think they’re so great for security tho.

[@ariannewdnotbe]

Interesting point about French bread storage. My husband’s family is all in France. I’ve only seen baskets for storing bread. Bread is kept in a paper bag & stored in a basket. We’ve been married forever & that’s all I’ve ever seen from Paris, to the Loire Valley, to Provence & Toulouse.

[@OuiInFrance]

Probably because you weren't realizing the other thing wasn't a garbage can! Hahha, but jokes aside bread bags/drawers are very common but not all homes use/have them.

[@lavachekikri]

@@OuiInFranceJust happy I didn’t put a used you know for my periods 🩸 in that bag…! 😳

[@niconemo3929]

Paper bags are fine ! Traditionnaly la "huche à pain" (bread hutch) is made of wood or metal. The bread can also be wrapped in a clean cloth or towel. As long as it is not air proof it's OK. It's done to slow down the drying inside while keeping the outside crusty. Otherwise the bread tend to be soft and rubbery before being completely dry.

[@LisaApril]

I find that when I leave my bread from a very good bakery in a paper bag gets very hard. I know I can Use my wet hands to cover the bread in water and put it in the oven and it will turn out like new I slice my bread and keep it in the freezer.

[@charlesrussell8137]

We have a bread bag from Carrefour. V stylish 😊

[@mgparis]

Haha, about doing la bise with glasses, this past week I saw my boss and a visitor both remove their glasses before greeting each other - I'd actually never seen that, but it makes sense! :)

[@irina-ty1336]

Yup very commun with the oldest generation

[@ironked]

Diane. I have been watching your videos for several years. I've been a Francophile since grade school French lessons. A recent side benefit is my French parentage next door neighbor. We have become great friends. Some of it is because of what I have learned from your videos.

[@OuiInFrance]

Oh wow, thank you for telling me. It's so nice to know that my content has helped people out there. Means a lot!

[@mochalattemiss]

The Swiss French (Les Suisse Romande) do three “bises”. When I went there many years ago to study, they quickly instructed me that they weren’t the French-they do THREE bises, not two! I had to chuckle…anything to NOT be French!

[@catherinebargo853]

3 bises in Brittany / Bretagne / Breizh 😉

[@Nap_is_back]

Speaking of la bise, it seems to me that it has disappeared since the covid. Before the covid we used to make la bise between coworkers. A month before the covid craze, new job, I was making la bise to old colleagues I'd met again in this new work. And boom! Barrier gestures, masks and all. It's been 4 years, I've changed jobs again, but I haven't made la bise to anyone since. I don't miss it, especially when I used to make la bise to people I didn't like, but I have the impression that it's changed relationships between colleagues.

[@TheEstampe]

13:16 It's quite interesting you mention speech noises. As a French native speaker (but not French, Belgian), I had never realized that French uses such noises so extensively. It's also worth pointing out that exclamations are different between languages; for instance "hush" becomes "chut" in French, "yum" become "miam" and so on.

[@corettejones]

Bon Jour, Hello! In 1965 7yr old, our kitchen cabinetry included a Bread Box! My mother used for bread products and cereal. It was waist level. Over the years that space was claimed by the dishwasher! 🎉😅✔️🥰🇺🇸 Happy you found me, New Sub!

[@Liffster]

Excellent video, once again. I used to sing in a community choir here in Tours and we began every 8 PM rehearsal with bisous for each and every one, meaning we didn't sing a note until at least 8:30. Rehearsals let out very late!

[@OuiInFrance]

I can totally picture that. Hope you had fun ;-)

[@chanboubou9245]

and very often you end up the rehearsal with something to eat and/or drink😂😂French qualité of lire!

[@ganymeade5151]

That is very French.

[@mamaahu]

We always had a tin (I guess) lined drawer for bread in the houses I lived in in Northern California in the 1950's. The houses were Victorian. They were awesome at keeping baked anything fresh.

[@BuddhaBeanie]

Those were also made of zinc too.

[@Melissa-gn3dv]

When I was a kid here in the US, we had a bread drawer which was just a drawer that had a sort of lid on it that you slid back to get your bread. I don't recall anyone else having one.

[@helenramsdell1959]

I did, too!

[@sarahnichols6607]

Yes, we had one in our house in Pa.

[@reppi8742]

Yup we had one, Long Island, NY

[@trishgoodman7127]

I remember a bread box in Iowa. We just didn't have plastic bags yet

[@viciadkins2472]

Most bread boxes are lined with metal to keep mice away from your bread

[@Jeanniewhatnow]

I never know which side to start the bise. And my favorite thing to see in France is people walking down the street with a baguette completely bare. A bit of French air to make it extra delicious.

[@domitiennegegou5967]

I've got the same problem with la bise, given that I'm a lefty. And I'm French ! I only kiss family, though.

[@lilibetp]

I thought it was turn left so right cheeks touch, then turn right so left cheeks touch.

[@OuiInFrance]

There's no hard and fast rule that I know of but most people go to their left first

[@nox8730]

Being french, this is true for everyone. You end up using your finger at times. Like here, there? Which side first? There is nothing embarrassing about this.

[@Kate-qq3ez]

By law You should have a paper around your baguette…

[@taghiabiri3489]

Swiss here, from the Swiss-German part of Switzerland. Three bise here.

[@almaz4346]

From the Swiss-French part also, three bise.

[@lesheinen6116]

I have also noticed that personal space (i.e. the comfortable space between you and someone you are talking to) is smaller in France, about 12" whereas in the US it is more like 18". That take a little getting used to.

[@J0HN_D03]

3:20 NOT all people do la bise when they're sweaty lol! 😂 Nobody that I know do it in this situation.

[@EtherealBlueRainbow]

Since my landlord switched my old mechanical metal shutter to a remote controlled one, I am so happy. I keep the remote beside my bed/sofa. When it's cold season, I lower it as soon as the light's almost gone to keep the heat in for the night (it really helps a lot with insulation) & in the warm season, I keep it 3/4 lowered until early afternoon to keep the sun out, with the exception of high heat times where it stays almost entirely lowered until the evening to keep out the heat this time. In my studio, I have one heater for the winter & one fan for the summer. No AC. It's not needed really.

[@QueenBee-gx4rp]

We could not live like that here in New England, USA. Even though you one would think that it’s cooler here, yesterday it was 102 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity. You would perish without air conditioning. And in winter we can experience just the opposite-it can go way below zero! Why do we live here? It’s very beautiful and appealing to us.

[@EtherealBlueRainbow]

@@QueenBee-gx4rp I know that I'm lucky for not usually needing the big guns because we don't go over 32°C (in a heatwave) and -3°C (extreme cold front). I have relatives who for work reasons, live in an arid place, so it's AC from March until October. It's mostly dry heat, but since they're near the sea, when humidity hits, they can almost swim in it. Other relatives live with a continental weather, with a lot of snow in the winter vs hot summers. Shutters are not enough for their house, though it helps. They build with red brick there (keeps heat in the winter/ coolness in the summer) & use serious insulation for the roof. They have heavy duty heating for the winter since they go way below -10°C, but in the summer, they can get by with a fan. Though people in apartments (not as well built) have started buying AC with temperatures rising because of climate change. Weather is a strange thing, lol.

[@juliebrooke6099]

@@QueenBee-gx4rp, I don’t think you’ll‘perish’ in those temperatures provided your house is properly built and insulated. We stayed in a village in Spain where it was at least as hot. The old house had thick stone walls, painted white, there were shutters outside the (small) windows and a roof with a large overhang to shade the windows and walls. Honestly we were perfectly comfortable. It was in the mountains so winter temperatures would be below freezing at times but the open fire in the living room and electric heaters in other rooms would ensure it was cosy. When everyone runs ac, not to mention tumble dryers when it’s warm enough for clothes to dry quickly just by hanging them in the sun it actually increases the average temperatures in the area.

[@cremebrulee4759]

Nice!

[@richardbrinkerhoff]

I grew up in NJ. We had a metal-lined drawer in the kitchen for storing bread.

[@janinawaz4596]

I never understood no waste can in the bathroom, although I've seen it plenty of times. It's asking for a clogged toilet or waste pipes.

[@alwaystruetoblue]

So where do you put it?

[@janinawaz4596]

@@alwaystruetoblue Where do I put the bathroom waste can? Anywhere there's a spot for it on the floor, so people can see it and use it. Preferably within reach when you're on the toilet.

[@redragfr]

@@janinawaz4596 we use waste can in the bathroom! I mean many French use it (I have seen few French home without a waste can in their bathroom).

[@Mikethemerciless11]

I grew up in France for about eight years during the 80s, and spent the next thirty years in the States and other places. When I returned to France, and began living here, it took me quite some time to get used to la bise. It's quite the intrusion into personal space, which made me uncomfortable. Back when I was a kid, I didn't have a problem with it because I was a kid.

[@OuiInFrance]

Agree that it's definitely something to get used to!

[@Mikethemerciless11]

@@OuiInFrance My friends and neighbors here understand, thankfully. They know how screwed up I am. 😀

[@irisouyart]

It’s funny because for me the hug is more an intrusion into my personal space than la bise. Don’t get me wrong, I have never liked la bise, especially as a kid I would try to escape whenever possible, but as an adult when I lived in the USA, hugs felt so wrong and uncomfortable! I am half French half Spanish by the way, presently living in France.

[@michaellima6272]

"the recoil from an agressive approach of an incoming bise" - LOL

[@theprof73]

I feel like the Germans should have a special word for this

[@hollywebster6844]

​@@theprof73😂

[@amyspeers8012]

I love my volets! My husband says I’m really good on temp control in the summer. We don’t have a bread drawer, but we bought our house from a British couple who had done all the Reno. I love my bread bag!

[@jemi7207]

To keep bread fresh and crusty a coton bag is a good solution. A good baguette is still crusty the next morning. Be careful it is now difficult to find a good bakery . No way for industrial bread in supermarket or chain stores with additives in flour . Only organic flour, sourdough and water, and time and night work ,no less, no more.

[@pointermom7641]

I have a bread drawer and my home is only 26 years old. It just came in the cabinetry. I love it.

[@WavyCurlyGina]

My grandma had a bread drawer, but she isn't French. She always had yummy things in there ❤️ My mom I keep our bread in the cupboard 😊

[@paulkolodner2445]

I had a summer job in a French factory 50 years ago. Each morning, we greeted each other by shaking hands - once. If I offered my hand to someone a second time, I would be told that we had already shaken hands.

[@frankbiggs5589]

I love the light hearted approach and that one is not better than the other. Also, I'm glad to know about bread storage. I would have assumed the bag in the cabinet was a trash bag too. OOPSIE! LOL

[@stephanerouy4456]

La bise at work can be quite unpleasant for women who feel obliged to endure it. I have the impression that post-COVID social conventions have made it disappear a little.

[@dokhiapso5079]

Right ! Especially at the begening of the year, when every man feels authorized to kiss you to wish a happy New Year 😕

[@boc7640]

I confirm, since COVID " la bise at work ", this practice has completely disappeared.

[@witteney3334]

I hope so. Stay away from my face with your face.

[@dekox]

In Switzerland it's three bises, and in Belgium only one. This leads to constant misunderstanding during international greetings since there is no agreed convention on whether the host or the visitor's preference should be used.

[@valtranslator]

And 4 in Northern France like in Picardy (part of Hauts de France) ;)

[@solaccursio]

here in Italy it's two, normally. Sometimes just one, but it's a rare thing.

[@valtranslator]

In Northern France,especially in my little corner: 4 bises !💋

[@tonymouannes]

That think is always awkward, there isn't even a rule for which side goes first. It's also common in the Middle East. So many different customs. Usually a single kiss is more personal than 2 or more. I'm not sure about Europe, but in Lebanon a single kiss is for close people and it's usually longer. 3 kisses are the norm, but some people go with two, especially in less formal settings and you never know if you should go for the 3rd. Or even the second, with a friend. Then sometimes it's better to stick with a hand shack, but some situations are ambiguous.

[@dev5963]

Bonjour Diane. Some things are strange but not others. My grandparents, my parents, and now I all have breadboxes on the counter for bread (albeit not a bread drawer). My grandparents also had a pie safe for baked goods (I have it in my kitchen but use it for general storage). Humm, tanning pills. While I'm not familiar with them, I find it interesting that the US FDA says that they aren't healthy but there are many food additives/chemicals allowed in the US that are illegal in the EU.

[@21ruevictorhugo]

As for cars, yes, there are teenagers who need to have transportation but in my rural area they all have motors scooters or motorcycles. It strikes me as odd, backwards even, to have the most inexperienced drivers driving the most dangerous vehicles.

[@OuiInFrance]

Right?!?!

[@LetiziaCamboni]

I'm from Belgium and always used a "Breadbox" (Boîte à pain). For whoever is interested, look into it, I'm sure you'll be able to find very cute ones and even Diy one! I've definitely noticed bread bags at some of my friends in Paris, hanging behind the kitchen door, but for whatever reason I thought it was just a them thing 😂

[@davidpaterson2309]

English friends who had a house in France caused hilarity at the local M. Bricolage by confusing the words “volet” and “vélo”, switching syllables. Puzzled looks until it dawned on one of the staff who said, in halting English, “Sorry to laugh Madame, but you do not have “bicycles” on your windows.”

[@christianjambou8208]

I had a similar incident in San Francisco with a tall friend who had the look and accent of a skinhead... but is a really nice guy. He was towering a short Hispanic dude in the paint department of a hardware shop...Asking him if he had White Spirit. The pour dude bewildered look made me realize than we were not saying the right thing. He meant paint thinner. In French we use the English words for it...

[@valtranslator]

Had the same misunderstanding when I 1st went to Great Britain as a highschool student, between "soap" and "soup" ...pronunciation

[@nox8730]

@@christianjambou8208 Oh mon dieu... mdr.

[@ninaelsbethgustavsen2131]

@@valtranslator Outch ! Well, how about the Norwegian student thanking her English hostess ; "No more soup please, I'm "fed up" ! 🤪 (meaning full). 😂

[@valtranslator]

@@ninaelsbethgustavsen2131

[@lhzook]

My grandma had a bread drawer in her house built in the 50’s but her drawer was deep and wood coated in laminate

[@jacko.6625]

Bread bag. Also mold. We buy good bread here in NJ, but it gets moldy unlike the supermarket bread. If you leave it out, it dries out and gets hard. I've tried putting it in paper bags. I just ordered some cotton bread bags.

[@kathleenspellman5658]

Keep bread in freezer if you want it fresh for a number of days. Never put bread in the fridge makes it stale faster.

[@elgeckorien2608]

ever heard about french toast ? it's main purpose is to turn hard bread soft again. honestly feel like magic. the hardest part for me is to slice the hard bread without it breaking into pieces

[@santamanone]

It seems like those cars are basically the French equivalent of golf carts in a Florida retirement community.

[@jeanneMN]

That's what I thought 😅😅. No offense to French people or their vehicles though.

[@nailsofinterest]

Ohhh!! I get it!!

[@nance1111]

We've always had a bread box kept on our counter. It would have been in a drawer if I had enough drawers to accommodate that. I love your content and appreciate you reminding us that differences are only that - differences.

[@Flying-Bunny]

It's uncomfortable for men too, it's a good thing that it has mostly disappeared :)

[@marlenestewart7442]

My mother-in-law had a bread drawer in her kitchen in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. No "French Connection" that I know of. It is the only one that I have seen. Countertop bread boxes were common in kitchens in the '50s & '60s.

[@emmanuellegd4515]

As a french woman, even living in another european country, I always have my bred bad hanging at the kitchen door.... It's something I can't help using😜

[@OuiInFrance]

I admit, they are VERY handy!!

[@katmartinez3737]

The bread drawer faux pas!! 🤣

[@bholmes5490]

We had a bread drawer in our home in the 50's. It was tin lined walls and lid to be opened after you opened the drawer.

[@dustyflats3832]

Here in the States I remember hoosiers that had built in bread storage. There were also some older homes with the drawer built in and then came the stand alone bread boxes that sat on the counter made of wood, tin or plastic. I actually find bread to mold quickly in a bread box. Some store it in the refrigerator, but I think that dehydrates it. I suppose it depends on your weather as well. Interesting to hear of another’s culture, thank you.

[@OuiInFrance]

You're welcome, thanks for watching!

[@mala3isity]

We used our storm shutters in New England.

[@Kamiyu97]

When it comes to bread, we personally just set it on the table, it has its space, and that's all. The rest of the bread that we won't be able to eat right away is cut and stored in the freezer in plastic bags, serial killer style 😂 never seen or heard about a bread bag before! But, most importantly, you talked about the shutters! That's the first thing that struck me in the US: first night, I was expecting the shutters to go down because, normal, right? And nope, nothing happened, to my amazement! I later realised the house I was living in didn't have any, and so was it for the neighbours, the whole neighborhood, and... Beyond! Never seen anything but decorative shutters in the US. At the beginning it was kinda hard when I understood I'd have to sleep with the light coming from the street: I had always been used to sleeping in pitch darkness and find trouble falling asleep if there is even a little bit of light in my room! I eventually spent a year sleeping with a pillow on my face to block the light out, which decreased the time it would take me to fall asleep. I even had a friend, in California, who had a little set-up in her bedroom window with a big piece of cardboard blocking the light. I guess it's just a question of habits! I am personally very glad to have shutters again and still prefer sleeping in pitch darkness, even though I got used to the no-shutters situation!

[@nanmagrath5564]

Talking about bread drawers - I grew up in a mid-century ranch style house in NJ - it had a deep drawer that you pulled a metal cover forward to keep the contents fresh - it was a bread drawer. Needless to say as Americans we used it for something else and kept the metal cover pushed out of the way. I have not thought about this in years - so France is where that came from...

[@westzed23]

It seems to me that bread at every meal in the US is something passé. In visiting friends and family it seems that they don't automatically put out a plate or basket of bread on the table. Has anyone else ever noticed this?

[@OuiInFrance]

I think it's because it's so difficult to find good bread!!!

[@alexandre5204]

You can also store bread in the fridge. Not for the cold, but for the low humidity !

[@lafemmevocale1040]

I just watched "strange noises...." Wonderful! I love the way you explained it. Thanks for a fun channel!

[@LynnThompsonAuthor]

My mother had a bread box in the kitchen in which she kept all her bread and baked goods. It was metal, and opened with a door on the front that dropped down. Avocado green, because it was made in the 1970s. Although I lived with her for the latter years of her life, after she passed, I got rid of it. It's hard to find well-made French-style bread here in Florida, so I buy the typical American whole-grain loaf bread for the most part, using it to make sandwiches and toast. I just keep the bag of bread on the kitchen counter. When I can find a good baguette, I typically cut it into smaller sections and freeze them so I can heat it and enjoy it tasting like just-baked bread.

[@niconemo3929]

It's definately gross and impolite (not "normal") to do "la bise" if you're sweating. In that case we usualy just say "je ne te fais pas la bise…" (reason unspoken but obvious for both persons invoved) ou "Je te fais la bise de loin !" (and then we do it not to close or just send a kiss by hand). The same in case of disease. Everyone will understand.

[@warped2875]

La triple bise was fairly normal in Nice, at least that is what I recall. Also, in Paris, we had a tall, vertical, vented, wooden bread box in the kitchen that would fit three baguettes.

[@abnsqd7622]

Another great video from the Amazing Diane!

[@OuiInFrance]

You're too kind, so glad you enjoyed it! ;-)

[@nox8730]

Never used tanning pills. I am whiter than you :). Under the sun, i burn, but don't tan. I know no one who uses or used these pills. Despite living rather close to the sea (SW France). Actually, in France, there are "beach people" and "mountain people". I guess no one i ever knew (except my great uncle?) was a beach person. Ah, and the so-called "bread drawer" is called a "huche à pain".

[@margreetanceaux3906]

Fun fact, the local bakery gave me a linnen bag, for abt one loaf: I use it to store plastic bags ;-) Not trash, but still… We Dutch traditionally have a bread-tin (actually tin, or plastic, or wood), which holds about three loafs. It has a sliding lid, very efficient qua space. Although by now it is custom to store your sliced loafs in the freezer.

[@21ruevictorhugo]

I’ve lived in France for about 24 years and there used to be other strange tablets in the pharmacies - treatment for what they called heavy legs. I don’t see them anymore and that could be because I moved to a different area of France or maybe they just went out of style.

[@OuiInFrance]

I've seen the boxes!! The jambes lourdes stuff

[@21ruevictorhugo]

@@OuiInFrance ahah! I used to see them when I lived in the Aude but now I live in the Dordogne and the pharmacy I go to doesn’t have them.

[@Sine-gl9ly]

Jambes lourdes (venous insufficiency, in English) can be a precursor to varicose veins. In the 20thC, France was the largest consumer of venotonic drugs in the world, sold to 'treat' jambes lourdes. However due to various metastudies showing that lifestyle changes and containment (ie compression/support) offered significant and lasting improvement, while venotonics, merely resulted in temporary reduction of inflammation at most, the French government reduced and then ceased its subsidy for venotonics, as well as restricting/controlling the advertising for non-prescription formulas (usually a horse-chestnut extract), starting in tbe late 1990s/early 2000s IIRC.

[@francoiscalvo2891]

Hi Diane. Great video as always ❤

[@OuiInFrance]

Thanks so much!

[@renferal5290]

I always use a VPN when traveling in Europe. It was really hot when I was in Paris last year. Thankfully, the flat I rented stayed pretty cool

[@OuiInFrance]

Makes sense these days... especially for getting around country restrictions on streaming services. Lots of Netflix's US shows aren't available in France unless you're using a VPN. Glad you had a cool place to stay! Hoping it's not crazy hot this year for the Olympics.

[@renferal5290]

@@OuiInFrance I will be back in Paris in July and I hope the heat isn't bad LOL. I'm working on learning French as well

[@danaeads919]

I grew up using a copper bread box. I was always surprised by friends who didn't have a bread box and didn't know what they were.

[@lavachekikri]

Très intéressant et sympa comme d’hab et en plus vous êtes encore plus belle Diane! Merci d’une de vos fans en Suède 🇸🇪 !

[@lizlafferty1278]

As a New Olreanian-turned-West Virginian, I was raised to protect food items in pantry from bugs... how do the French deal with this bug biz keeping bread unsealed in the home??

[@OuiInFrance]

They usually wrap the bag around itself or have a smaller bag inside the drawer so it's not open to the air, which would harden the bread

[@gailwilliams5278]

They eat it fresh, and make croutons, pain Perdue (‘French bread’), or toast it with cheese, etc before it gets hard.

[@vincentlextrait3092]

Born in France, spent 50+ years there in many different cities, never saw a bread "drawer" a single time. I did not even know it existed. Never saw a significant number of people store bread in a bag either, only very occasionally. Bread is stored in the paper bag it was bought in or in some circumstances wrapped in a kitchen rag (to make bread breathe indeed).

[@carolynnilsen9270]

We have a metal bread box fron Next - before that we had a ceramic one, both had lids.

[@MarieHopkins-e9l]

My mother's side of the family is French, and it's nice to be reminded of those things, le bisoux, (3 kisses for family!) the bread drawer, and how one speaks - the sounds... le sigh :)

[@joelcafeolai6201]

I am French living in the UK ( I know .. why? ) and this is a breath of fresh air ! after 24 years in the UK , i do miss France, however , I married an English speaker and it would be difficult now, however retirement soon and things may change.

[@bobnelsonfr]

La bise is regional. The number of "kisses" varies in different places.

[@TxPinkRosie]

Just found you. Very interesting. I had a neighbor years ago that was French. She recently got her US Citizenship. She was always so fun. She had a bid that spoke French. He was hysterical. France is on my bucket list right along with Italy. Please share any Olympic news. I’m an old gymnastics mom and love the summer Olympics. Can’t wait! Just learned new things. Thanks.

[@Sanity_Faire]

Maybe the Olympics will be a nice breather from (politics) 🤦🏻‍♀🫢😅

[@TxPinkRosie]

@@Sanity_Faire my neighbor’s BIRD spoke French.

[@Sanity_Faire]

@@TxPinkRosie That would be so funny…I’d have been visiting too often 😬🤣

[@OuiInFrance]

Welcome! Glad you enjoyed the video ;-)

[@videomillsy]

My 19th Century French farmhouse table has a bread drawer and a pullout bread cutting board.

[@lavieestunsonge4541]

I love your videos and the topics you share and the humor. But, I wanted you to be aware that, with headphones on, the audio is a little difficult for hearing, at times, there’s some reverb and the audio echoes. Just wanted you to know. ☺️ I can’t help but laugh at the idea that when your father-in-law approaches you, the “Jaws” theme starts playing lol 😂

[@OuiInFrance]

Glad you enjoy my content! Sorry, I wasn't filming in my office for this one like I usually am so it's always a challenge to get the audio right.

[@christianjambou8208]

Hello Diane. The paragraph about french noise is good. Have you ever done one ahout hand movement? I m French and never realized them as they were taught instinctively. Reading "A year in Provence " by Peter Mayle made understand some situations I got into....lol Keep up the good work.

[@OuiInFrance]

Hi Christian, no I've never done a video on hand movements/signals or anything like that. Thank you for the suggestion and so glad you enjoy my videos.

[@matthewjay660]

Bonjour Diane. My favorite French speech word is "Ben." Ben, oui. Ben, non. Je l'utilise, moi. 🇺🇸🤝🇫🇷

[@Rachel-rs7jn]

Ha, that one and "beh", like, "bon, behhhhh". 😄

[@deborahberg3152]

Ben, oui, hein!

[@Roucasson]

It is the short for « eh bien »… eh ben… ben.

[@nox8730]

Ah ben ouais... carrément.

[@anne-marieesnos9402]

Bof

[@cassieoz1702]

Fabric bags and bread drawers are for REAL bread, that you dont actually expect to last more than two days. Those 'everywhere' bakeries means that you buy fresh very regularly. Plastic bags are for keeping American plastic, cotton wool 'bread' for much longer and, despite the humid environment, doesnt even grow mould.

[@patriciarivas5369]

I love the shutters. I see them and they remind me of my aunt. I think what a better idea than blinds unless you have cats. I have vertical blinds and my kitties don’t go out. My aunt also had a bread bag. Such a great idea. And lastly, In the Berry, we do three sometimes four. Merci! 😊

[@angelah2083]

We have countertop bread containers in UK kitchens except we call it a “bread bin”. You certainly used to have them in the US a couple of generations ago because on “what’s my line” (available on KZbin) one of their go-to questions was “is it bigger than a bread box?” I lived for a year in Belgium where they operate a three part ‘bise’. As a restrained Brit, I’m not keen on hugging or kissing, both of which happen in certain contexts in the UK, or even handshaking where food is on offer (unhygienic). There’s been a craze in recent years for lots of unwanted physical contact in churches under pretext of “Let’s offer one another a sign of peace” - the moment for the introvert to leave!

[@Alex-mp1zb]

I'm French and not too keen on that cheek-kiss habit even with relatives or close friends. I only yield to it when the other person initiates the move. As for hugging, it's far too intimate for me. It's like an intrusion. But my friends would tell you I'm "different"... (I wonder if that's a compliment). Mini-cars (not requiring a driving-license) are a hazard. All the more so as 16-year-old teen-agers are now allowed to drive them. Well, I suppose our planet is full and our government have found a way to control overcrowding! They were originally designed for seniors living in the country. Diane, I always enjoy your videos and it's very interesting to discover one's own country from another viewpoint.

[@damnhandy]

I was born in Paris, but I came to the United States when I was 6. I was horrified to discover that Americans ate meat for breakfast, and did not teach their children the basic rules of etiquette. That was in 1958.

[@laurie9722]

We had a metal bread drawer growing up.

[@taghiabiri3489]

Bread-Box? Of course! How to get along with no Breadbox? Bread knife even more important. Window shutters, yes! No car without a license here in Switzerland.

[@MJHiteshew]

Growing up in the US in the 60’s - 70’s before US bread became filled with preservatives, we had a bread drawer. All my friends either had a bread drawer or a bread box on their counter. It was pretty standard fare.

[@bsk6707]

Growing up ws.always had a bread box. Never used plastic etc ..different times .

[@ushiefreebird7470]

Here in the South of France it is normal for men to do the bise also, if they know each other. I find this quite nice, no fear of contact between men. I absolutely HATE handshakes, because I do not know if this person just sneezed into her/his hand, or worse. Hugs are too intimate for me. It is like the start of a French kiss. But la bise is just a fresh flow of air hardly touching your cheeks. I love it.

[@dhelvetharron8970]

As a French, I don't have a bread bag or drawer. I cut my baguette in four or five pieces and I freeze them. But they are eaten fairly quickly, they don't stay in the freezer for too many days. Also I had never heard of tanning pills ^^'

[@robinclemmons7712]

About the ‘no wastebasket in the bathroom”, where did you ultimately place your waste?

[@OuiInFrance]

They had a tiny kitchen "garbage can" (putting in quotes because it was something the size I'd have in my bathroom) on the inside of one of the cabinet doors in the kitchen. But it's not something you'd see unless you opened the cabinet.

[@elizabethmcquinn7220]

Great video! Ah, memories! Yeah...I had never heard of more than two bises until my host family had guests over one evening. One of them, a young man, came in for the bises and after the second bise, thinking we were done, I turned and left my head straight forward...he kept going. His lips brushed mine as he went for the third bise! I was stunned and blushing. He smiled really big and no, he did not apologize. lol! My host sister said three bises are common when someone is really excited to meet you. If only they told you beforehand. That was in the Alps, outside Grenoble. The bread in France is way better than bread here. Period. My host family's home was built in 1774. They left their bread in a bag in a corner on the wooden countertop. Living on the side of a mountain, they also had shutters for their exterior doors to help block the cold winds. I prefer sleeping in total darkness and appreciate real, working shutters. I am still trying to convince my husband that we need them. Yes, the sounds! One of my professors would shrug and let out a loud, nasal "BUaaah" when he would try to come up with examples. He was so animated that class was never boring. He wasn't putting on a show, it was just his personality. We clicked. Fun times.

[@yannicklaisne5436]

for the french legislation, cars without permis are motobikes, so they don't requite permit. The speed is limited and you can't use highways with them.

[@philippediehl3135]

I am curious about one thing I didn't find in your videos. As an american, how did you get used to metric system? If you ever did.

[@OuiInFrance]

Hi, I've done videos on things that are calculated differently and honestly, you just learn what you need to learn and commit it to memory. It's more intuitive than what a French person in the US goes through since measurements are usually a multiple of 10 for metric. I learned temperature, distance and weight first since they're the most used in everyday life. ;-)

[@philippediehl3135]

@@OuiInFrance Merci!

[@Lily_The_Pink972]

Brit here. You just have to use the metric system. It's only counting in 10s, so much easier. Better not to try and convert unless you really need to. I still find it hard to think in metric but that's because I've not bothered to learn the system properly.

[@PpAirO5]

I think "La bise" is weird and waaaaaaaay to intimate. I'd rather hug... and i don't really hug. (I understand the glasses thing, and the sweat print 😅) A nod, bow or shake hands is respectful, none aggressive and not too intrusive.

[@anitaitisanita8549]

I lived in France for 8 years. The obvious bread box to use in the kitchen- the microwave! Sometimes the glass fronted china cabinet with bread in its bag. One or the other.