Filed under: Culture Shock, Environment, Technology | Tags: Acela, France TGV, high-speed train, Obama, Pittsburgh
the French high-speed train
I’m living in Pittsburgh for 3 years now, wondering why modern America is still favoring long, painful and unpredictable air transit over high-speed trains for medium distances. France has built a high-speed train network for decades, and I’m still not used to the hassle of air transportation to travel from Pittsburgh to cities as close as Philadelphia or Boston. Even though the two cities are “only” 560 miles distant, spending over 4 hours to fly from Pittsburgh to Boston via Detroit looks like a common thing to do, against geography (traveling almost twice the distance) and common sense (standing in hallways half of the time). Not to mention the risk of bad weather conditions, the two poor crackers you’ll get for lunch, and the overweight person overflowing your seat while staring at the half cracker you are sparing for dinner. A long journey indeed.
I understand that private investors alone cannot afford the cost of high-speed network infrastructure and long-term return on investment . And those who can might well be discouraged to do so by Boeing lobbyists. But when you think of the total hours of work lost daily due to deficient air transportation, the productivity loss for the country as a whole is huge! Despite that and an overwhelming 40% unsatisfied airline passengers, America did not invest in efficient ground infrastructure for decades.
Things might change in the close future as Obama unveiled a high-speed rail plan for America today. It might also be a great chance for the French technology to cross the Atlantic. But to succeed, high-speed trains will have to convince the American public that trains can actually move much faster than the existing Acela “high-speed” connection between Boston and Washington (over 6 hours for 440 miles!). As for the French technology to succeed in America, I’m afraid it would cost too much effort to convince the American public that France and Technology are actually compatible … Even though the TGV remains the fastest train in the world today, “world-class technology” (beside US technology of course) is a trademark by Japan and Germany!
Filed under: Culture Shock, Fun stuff, Global culture, Politics | Tags: conservatives, De Gaulle, France, protests, Sarkozy, tea party
I might be wrong but I believe that only De Gaulle in France had managed to get conservatives protesting in the streets (to support his policy against the socialist party in the 60’s). I was not even born at that time. Since then, the conservatives have returned to work, leaving the streets of France to the left-wing protesters.
Protest against Sarkozy’s rigorous economic policy in France – January 28, 2009
So imagine how unusual it is for a French to witness an actual right-wing protest such as the “Tea Parties” that took place today across the United States! These protests against federal deficits and the prospect of new taxes did not gather a lot of people, but it was worth reporting a few shots for my French fellows. Conservatives in the street! It doesn’t happen a lot in Europe!
Filed under: Culture Shock, Everyday Life, Fun stuff | Tags: Baldwin, Christmas in Pittsburgh, Christmas lights, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Robert Cox
We are celebrating our third Christmas in Pittsburgh this year. With the experience of the past years, we did a much better job decorating the house from the inside out and I can’t think of one thing that we could have done better. Even the kids find it great and are not as embarrassed by our “minimalist design” as they were last year (Dad, why don’t we have as much fairy lights as the neighbors?). Sure, we are still one step behind our neighbors’ impressive light display, but the patio string lights are looking “ok” now. At least it’s enough to bring some Christmas spirit to our house, while complying with our neighborhood’s lightening standards.
However, looking at some of the Christmas extravaganza around, I realize how lucky I am to live in a neighborhood that is quite below standards regarding outdoor lightening. The Post-Gazette today reports the story of Robert Cox from Baldwin – a borough near Pittsburgh – who put 75,000 flashing lights in his yard along with 68 giant candy canes and 13 inflatables to get a “wow whee” from his daughter. And of course, there’s also a sound system to bring the show live each evening!
Watch the result and you’ll understand why I love MY neighbors so much (and you may love yours even more 
Filed under: Culture Shock, Everyday Life | Tags: American traditions, deer hunting, hunting season opening day, PA hunters, PA state population, Pennsylvania
The deer hunting season opened today in Pennsylvania. Between 850,000 and 900,000 men, women and children ages 12 years and older were expected to take part in the first day of the two-week firearms deer season. That’s about 7% the State population. Not a good day for the remaining 93% to take a safe walk outside…
About 350,000 deers are projected to be taken by hunters. I finally understand what all these trucks are for!
Filed under: Culture Shock, France 0 - America 1 | Tags: American presidential election 2008, French presidential election 2006, McCain concession speech, Royal concession speech
I admire the unique ability of the American people to always move on, whatever the circumstances. And I admire John McCain’s concession speech. After a year of mostly negative campaign, I was amazed hearing the defeated candidate – in an heartfelt speech – urge all Americans to support the new president of the United States – once called an “un-American, terrorist-tied socialist”. Alakazam! Forget about the bad words. It’s not a game anymore, let’s move on! Seriously my friends: we have a country to put back on track!
By contrast I can’t remember a French defeated candidate not seeking revenge, from the very minute he realizes that he lost an election. “The fight continues!”, “I’ll be back!” and “Stay tuned on my political show!” are the underlying messages of any concession speech in my country.
Bottom line, guess which president gets the wider consensus to keep the country moving? The French or the American? “Status quo” is the French word for “compromise” and “consensus” in politics.
I wish the French politicians could one day also put their “country first” and “concede” an election, for the sake of democracy. Unfortunately, the French well-accepted concession rhetoric does not help. Have a look at the video below: a French concession speech sounds very much like a French victory speech!
Filed under: Culture Shock | Tags: Bastille Day, flag flying, French flag, patriotism
I once shocked some French friends by publishing a picture of my daughter flying an American flag for Memorial Day on my blog and explaining how proud she was to pledge allegiance to the flag at school each morning (well, at least she was proud to know the words!). “She’s being brainwashed” they said. Flag flying is not a French thing. We usually leave it to athletes, soccer fans and, of course, to the troops. Other than that, only fascists, racists and politicians – all people you don’t want to look like – may outrageously show themselves with a flag.
Well, I’m glad I could watch my kids fly a French flag today without being regarded as such an extremist, as we were celebrating Bastille Day – the French national day – in America!
But don’t make any mistake: whatever the flag, kids just love flying it. And that’s the beauty of being a kid!
Filed under: Culture Shock, Everyday Life | Tags: doggy bag, Everyday Life, food, French culture
I’ve already discussed that matter and won’t add to it: what we eat and how we prepare food is one of the most obvious cultural difference between French and Americans (and forget about the cliche: I’m not saying that the difference is always in favor of French food!). However, here’s a weird American tradition about food that I did not bring up yet: doggy bags.
It looks like a tradition in this country to take back home the food you did not finish eating at the restaurant. You bought the food: the food is yours! Not only is it well accepted, but in some places you may even offend the chef not to ask for your leftovers and suggest that you did not like what you had. Plus, you must be stupid not to take full advantage of the price you paid!
I know that since my first day in the US but despite the fact, I’ve never been able to ask for my doggy bag. The words just don’t come out. On the other side of the pond, asking for a doggy bag would be regarded as a lack of “savoir-vivre” even in the most crappy restaurant. Going out to the restaurant, you’re not buying food but an “experience” and – even when it ends up being an excellent one – an “experience” may not be carried back home. You may own the food, but the experience remains the restaurant’s most precious asset! Don’t you dare take it away! Plus, in the rare places where it would not be a problem, you don’t want to bring back juicy, smelly meals in your car!
As we were eating at a fancy restaurant this week, I told a friend about my stupid physical incapacity to ask for my leftovers. So he did it for me. Believe it or not, for no explainable reason, I felt even more embarrassed for him.
After all that time living here, my conclusion is that along with a terrible French accent, food habits are one of the last-remaining genetically encrypted evidence of French origin. Scary no?
Filed under: Culture Shock, Everyday Life | Tags: cars, Ford F-Series, gas mileage, Peugeot 207
A French friend recently asked me why Americans are getting so upset with gas prices, as $4 per gallon remains about half the gas prices in France and Europe (mainly because of the very high tax level on gas). Well, I made some research and here’s a clue:
On my right, the best selling car in America is the Ford F-150. A “car” (not sure that truck fits into that category) that is 211 inches long (5.35m), powered by a 4.2-litre V6 engine for the smallest model. The average gas mileage of a Ford F-Series is 14 mpg (16.8 l/100). 588,952 vehicles have been sold in 2007.
On my left, the best selling car in Europe is the Peugeot 207. A car (well, at least it has 4 wheels) that is 155 inches long (4m), powered by a 1.4-litre engine and featuring an average gas mileage of 37 mpg (6.3l/100). 437,505 units have been sold in 2007.
No doubt that filling the 38 gallon tank of an F-150 truck would hurt most of the French too!
Next question is: what do American drivers need to carry around in such a truck that Europeans don’t?
Filed under: Culture Shock, Paradox | Tags: firearms, terrorism, USA, Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart and the bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns announced in April that Wal-Mart, the largest seller of firearms in the nation, has adopted the new Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership, a code that should help ensure that guns do not fall into the wrong hands. The news irritated Kevin Miller this afternoon. The chronicler of my favorite pro-republican radio station – KDKA Newsradio Pittsburgh – was shocked by the intention of Wal-Mart to videotape and file all firearm buyers in its stores. According to Miller, this would be a severe restriction to the Second Amendment and to the individual rights that America stands for.
According to the National Rifle Association for Legislative Action, 30.364 private American citizens were killed by guns in 2005.
The Patriot Act and all the security bills passed by the Bush Administration allow, among other things, the introduction of biometric records on everyone entering the American soil, phone-taping of any private conversation by secret services and, more recently, drug use and practices generally regarded as acts of torture for interrogation of persons suspected of terrorism. But for the sake of National Security, these restrictions to individual rights and freedom have been quite welcomed.
According to the Department of State, terrorism killed 19 private American citizens in 2007 (2 in Afghanistan and 17 Iraq, none on US soil).
To make America safer, all presidential candidates have a plan to fight terrorism. None will question the Second Amendment of the Constitution adopted in 1787 because “a well regulated militia” was then “necessary to the security of a free State” (and especially a State surrounded by a well organized British army!)
Times change! Priorities don’t?
Filed under: Culture Shock, Everyday Life | Tags: life in america, neighborhood
I live in a “pedestrian-friendly community”. Those two words are enough to explain one of the largest cultural gap between French and Americans. Tell a French that you’re living in a “community”, and he’ll stare at you thinking that you’re a follower of some kind of sect living in a lost region of Utah. Tell him that your community is “pedestrian-friendly”, and he’ll think that your under the influence of a guru lauding hard daily exercise to save your soul. But no one would understand that you’re simply living in a neighborhood that maintains wide and clean sidewalks keeping pedestrians safe from cars.
For the sake of “social diversity”, the French banned the word “community” from their politically-correct vocabulary because of its reference to racial grouping and ghettos. Communities would be called neighborhoods – a way of referring to geographical proximity rather than social closeness – although everyone is aware of what it means to live in Paris’ 7th Arrondissement rather than in the 20th, socially.
But more surprising for the French is the concept of pedestrian friendliness. You really need to live in a city like Pittsburgh that rarely offers a chance to survive for more than 15 minutes outside your car to fully understand the concept. As a matter of fact, sidewalks are luxury in most parts of the city. But even more surprising, the happy few who are living in sidewalk-equipped areas rarely use them to walk around. Moving from Paris to my pedestrian-friendly area of Pittsburgh, my first impression was to enter a Spielberg movie where the kids would cycle around, throwing newspapers into yards. But after two years, all I could see were iPod joggers and a few dog walkers. Having no dog nor any inclination for jogging, I find myself quite lost wandering around in regular jeans and without a pet!
Lately, as I was walking down the street to the hairdresser, one of my neighbors stopped his car next to me to tell me “how brave (I was) to go shopping by foot”. He must be thinking that I am an ecological activist, follower of some kind of guru lauding the renunciation of modern life
