Last year in my German class, I met a girl named Nicole from Bolivia. Throughout the course we became friends and study buddies. She sparked my interest in meeting and befriending other international students as well through the OU Cousins Program, which matches American students with international students.
At the first event, I met three girls – Maureen, Sarah, and Clara. They are all from Paris, France, and are studying abroad at OU for the 2018 spring semester. Sarah, definitely the most enthusiastic to embrace American culture, shared with me her high interest in fast food. Apparently, the best France has to offer in terms of fast food is McDonald’s, so I saw it as my responsibility to show these French women the best America has to offer!
Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash
We made a stop at Taco Bell, Whataburger, and Sonic. Throughout the evening I took note of some of my favorite questions and comments the girls had about America.
1. “Your car is so big!”
Well, that’s because in the South we rarely walk anywhere. All transportation is done by car, and we want to make sure we have plenty of room for our friends.
2. “This is not French toast.”
This was in response to tasting one of Sonic’s French toast sticks, which I’m sure are a disgrace to authentic French toast. More positively, the girls offered to make my friends and I French toast to prove that France does it better. I’ll allow it.
3. “Everything at Taco Bell is so cheap!”
I don’t want to get into details about ingredients, especially regarding the meat, but I think any American can attest to the fact that Taco Bell is worth its low price and nothing more.
4. “Where are you supposed to sit at Sonic? There aren’t any tables or chairs.”
Back to Americans not walking— we don’t even want to get out of our cars and walk to a table. We eliminate the unnecessary steps and eat in our cars. ‘Merica.
5. “Is ‘cowboys’ an offensive stereotype?”
Stereotype of the South? For sure. Offensive? Considering the amount of pride Southerners take in their hats and boots, I’m going to say no.
6. “Do you guys really have roommates here?”
We do! We share a 12×12 foot box of a room with them….and we pay a small fortune for this privilege.
7. “Eggs and bacon are not breakfast foods.”
French are accustomed to eating pastries for breakfast. I told them to lower their voices when they said this. If they give the Americans any ideas, they may take their advice and eliminate one of the only sources of protein they eat a day and replace it with the closest thing we have to French breakfast pastries— donuts.
8. “What kind of machine makes the cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory?”
This sounds like an excuse for me to drive to Oklahoma City for the Cheesecake factory. I’ll take it.
9. “Are Fraternity parties just like the movies? Like American Pie?”
Yes— and so much more.
10. “In American college, you have to read way too much.”
This one interested me. Upon further investigation, I was informed that French colleges have class for 6-8 hours every day, much like high school. The tradeoff is that most of the work is done and all of the information is covered in class, eliminating the need for out-of-class reading. I let the girls know that the majority of college students don’t get to all of the out-of-class readings, and some don’t even read a page. Yikes.
11. “Why do you ruin tea with sugar?”
THAT is because our water tastes like dirt. The sugar masks the taste of dirt.
12. “The McDonald’s here gives you so much food!”
Get this: a chicken nugget meal in France is the same as an American kids’ meal – 6 nuggets! They said 10 nuggets was absolutely too many and they could never dream of eating all 10. Speak for yourself LOL.
13. “If you guys get unlimited refills, why don’t you always get the smallest drink and then refill it a bunch of times?”
Because when you leave, you’ll need a big drink to last you until the next meal. #hydrateordiedrate
All in all, this adventure was very fun for everyone involved! Sharing your culture with those who have never experienced it before made a trip to a fast food restaurants fun and exciting!