Cest la Vie America vs. French Lifestyles Essay

Cest la Vie America vs. French Lifestyles - Essay Example If one even questions America’s natural superiority, he is seen with disdain, and is labeled a â€Å"commie† or â€Å"America-hater.† Often, the phrase â€Å"American Exceptionalism† is thrown around like it’s a birthright. Beyond the political and historical aspects of her inherent greatness, Americans also see their superiority in American lifestyle, culture, the families and her great cities. It is time that someone stood up for that other great culture in the world: France! Just saying the name France or French makes many Americans cringe. Americans have called the French â€Å"cheese-eating surrender-monkeys,† have been derided as weak capitulators to terrorists with loose morals and an eye toward lechery, have had the† french† fry relabeled â€Å"freedom† fry. Certainly, anything French is not very popular in some circles in America today. Thus, it is only with conviction and certainty that one can assert that on the points of daily life, food and culture, the pace of life, and its great cities, one can only conclude that the French lifestyle is superior to the American lifestyle. Tres courageux! In France, one’s daily life is taken at a much slower pace and has a greater focus on leisure time and enjoying what life has to offer. It is not uncommon for business people to eat three or four-hour lunches in France, enjoying conversation and a good bottle of wine along the way. Certain French workers are given subsidies for lunch expenses and bars/restaurants that honor those subsidies are ubiquitous (Chrisafis 1). There is a focus on enjoying eating times, and although there are fast food restaurants in France, they are not iconic as in America and eating food on-the-go in France is still a cultural faux-pas, and will engender stares and snorts. There are less malls and more of a focus on local specialty shops, like grocers, meat markets, cheese stores, chocolatiers, butchers, cobblers, and similarly specialized shops. Indeed, the cafe life--sitting out at a cafe, sipping a coffee or a drink, looking at the world pass by, is one of life’s great pleasures. In America, the outside cafe is a rarity, and even if one finds one, usually one has one drink and must leave (turnover is king!). The French lifestyle is much more condusive to a leisurely and introspective approach to life. It also encourages neighborhood shopping and more interaction with one’s neighbors and a more connected way of life. Americans focus on the â€Å"Protestant work ethic† of hard work and sacrifice, and have less of a focus on enjoying life on a daily basis. Americans over-value hard work-- the â€Å"working vacation† is not uncommon but even expected in many professions. Fast food, eating on the go, quick meals, drive-thru lunches, coffee to-go, 70 hour work weeks, 2 weeks vacation a year, and shopping at the local cookie-cutter-anonymous mall are standard American life -style choices. In fact, America sees those as a point of pride in her citizens’ lives. Enjoying life less and refusing to slow down are typical American badges of honor. What do those French do with their extra time? With more free and leisure time, the French culture naturally has developed a major focus on French achievements and artistic accomplishments while America tends to remove itself from anything cultural if it interferes with her work-ethic. France takes pride in its centuries of contributions to the arts, humanities, literature, architecture, and music. This French obsession with culture cannot only be found in many great world-class museums, but on the streets and parks of her cities and towns. France shows off her great history and artists with public adornments of art and architecture that