The bread is no good back home

 

This was a common response, notably from the Brits. And let's be honest, it's hard to compete with fresh French bread. 

 

… and it's not free either

 

One Australian commenter said she found it “affronting” when a restaurant offers bread and it arrives with a price tag. Yes, in France, bread with a meal is not only delicious, but is free.

 

Photo: Connie Ma/Flickr

 

The binge drinking

 

Several people pointed out that the French were a refined bunch of drinkers in contrast to their home compatriots. 

 

“Everytime I go to the UK I wonder how the hell France can always be ranked higher in terms of average drinking per person in every study,” says Ferdinand Lefebvre on Facebook. 

 

One Brit said that the British towns saw such heavy drinking and unruly behaviour that there was “an atmosphere of potential violence rarely experienced in French towns”. 

 

The kissing conundrum

 

It might take a while to get used to doing “La bise” in France but once you are accustomed to the French greeting kiss, you'll find the custom hard to drop. Which makes returning home a little tricky. 

 

You'll find yourself automatically giving people you meet two cheek kisses when they were expecting a handshake or just a nod and a smile. You'll either have to drop the act for fear of embarrassing people or making their partners jealous or proudly insist on doing it, but explain yourself each time.

 

The weather…

 

For those living in the sunny south of France, the return to Britain is always going to be tough.

 

 

The noise…

 

“Everywhere is so noisy, especially bars and restaurants,” said Nigel Hartnup. Yes you'll have to take your earplugs back home with you if you've been used to evenings on quiet café terraces in France.

 

Having to drink inside, standing up

 

Yes there is far less café terrace culture back home compared to France. That's in part due to the weather, but also because the French just like to sit down, relax, talk and sip. In the UK at least, a night out often involves standing up, inside. Not good, readers say.

 

And also on the subject of drinking…

 

Not eating on a night out

 

What is it with people back home who are happy to go out for a night and just drink. If you've been in France for a while you know that a night out pretty much always involves dinner somewhere. Eating is never cheating.

 

 

 

People don't fight for their rights like the French do

 

Christos Tiger, who says the French are masters of fighting for their rights.

 

“The English put up with everything without complaining,” he writes.

 

“I must have gone native as I always kick off trying to stand up for my 'rights' whenever I go back to the UK, not that it makes any difference whatsoever…”

 

Transport costs

 

Going back to London and seeing how much people pay to use the tube or buses makes you long to be squished in on an RER train or Metro carriage in Paris, one reader declared.

 

Public transport in Paris might have problems but at least it's fairly cheap.

 

 

Expensive French wine

 

You pay a premium to drink French wine anywhere but France it seems. It's pain full having to shell out £10 to get a half-decent bottle of French wine in a British supermarket knowing that the same money would get you a really decent wine from Nicolas or Monoprix.

 

On the other hand you could just buy Californian or South African plonk.

 

They don't do basic politeness

 

Be prepared for strange looks if you continue the French custom of saying “hello” in lifts, waiting rooms, shops etc…

 

The Local's former intern Katie Warren said that basic politeness went out the window when she returned to the US.

 

“Reverse culture shock is so real,” she said. “My first interaction here (in a deli) went something like this:

 

Me upon walking in: “Hello!”

Cashier girl: Silence.

Me: Puts pasta salad on counter.

Cashier: “Seven fifty.”

Me: “Great, thanks. Bye, have a good evening!”

Cashier: Silence.”

 

Jock Meston says: “I've also grown used to the French politeness, saying thank you and please, looking each other in the eye when clinking glasses, that sort of thing being the norm.”

 

The lack of holidays

 

In the US at least, “people work incredibly hard and get very few vacation days… and they do some in an almost robotic way”, says Erielle Delzer.

 

All the chain stores and bars

 

France has managed to look after its independent stores, bars and cafés better than many Anglophone countries. “When you go back to the UK now, all town centres just feel the same. Boots, Costa coffee, Superdrug, Pizza Express…” one UK expat said.

 

French towns are thankfully holding on to their originality. 

 

“Motorway service stations…

 

…With only junk food” was one suggestion sent in by a reader and we agree. French motorway service stations are a pleasure to stop in. And the machine coffee is even decent. 

 

Litter and rubbish

 

Two or three readers, presumably not living in Paris, pointed out how they are shocked by all the litter and rubbish onthe streets of UK towns compared to clean French towns and villages. Not just the rubbish, but also “how scruffy the towns” were.

 

Having to drink six cups of tea a day

 

My bladder is no longer big enough for the average daily tea intake in the UK, said one reader. 

 

But there are positives for some people…

 

 

 

The red tape is suddenly so easy

 

“What will never cease to be pleasantly surprising is how easy everything admin is,” said one Australian woman. “I dedicated half a day to renewing my driving licence and it was done in 20 minutes without an appointment and with irregular circumstances. I was expecting huge problems.”

 

Smiling is normal