French Lifestyle Habits I Will Not Be Adopting

Every country and culture has its own way of doing things. When I moved to France, I knew I’d have to accept the way many things are done in this country, even when they seem a bit odd. Things like doors that take two hands to lock, frequent train strikes, and stores that close between 12:30 pm and 2 pm. There is no point in wasting energy fighting these things or even asking why. It’s France. And while it’s a good thing to accept what you cannot change, it doesn’t mean you have to conform to the way everything is done in France.

Here are six common French customs I won’t be making a part of my daily routine.

Buying baguettes and pastries every day

Everywhere you look in France you’ll see folks walking and biking with a baguette in hand. A daily stop at the boulangerie for bread and pastries is a central part of the French culture. As much as I love a good baguette sandwich and a “chaussons aux pommes,” a French apple turnover, these are only an occasional treat.

Although the flour in France has less gluten than bread in the US, and contains less preservatives, additives, and sugars, most of the bread sold is made with white flour, a refined carbohydrate. I know several people in my area who are gluten free. And others who only eat the whole grain, sourdough and/or ancient-grain breads that contains less gluten.

I’ve never been a big bread eater, and this month I decided to cut all wheat from my diet, and I feel so much better. I also choose not to eat gluten-free bakery items, even if I could find them here. It’s not to say I won’t occasionally indulge in a French pastry. After all, I am in France.

Tiny washing machines and no dryer

The house I bought in Brittany, France came with a tiny six kg washing machine and no dryer. Hanging your clothes to dry may sound romantic, but in reality it’s a lot of extra time and work. Instead of soft, fluffy, wrinkle-free clothes from the dryer, I take out a mess of tangled, wet clothes that I have to bring outside, carefully hang each one on the drying rack and fasten with pins so they don’t blow away. And then spend time ironing, which is my least favorite task.

Without a dryer to fluff the bath towels, they soon develop the texture of a Brillo pad. And in the winter, I have to move the dining table into the middle of the room so I can put the drying racks close to the heater, and wait days for my sweaters to dry. This week I’m shopping for a 10 or 11 kg washer and dryer set, which is considered huge by European standards, but is still smaller than the average machine in the US.

Smoking

Although there are far fewer smokers in France than there used to be, according to the latest study by Public Health France published on May 31, 2023, 25 percent of French adults smoke cigarettes daily. Smoking is not allowed in public buildings, restaurants and bars, but you’ll still see people smoking right outside of buildings and restaurants. It’s especially annoying if you are downwind of a smoker while dining al fresco. I find nothing glamorous about smoking, and it’s definitely a habit I won’t be starting.

Two-hour lunches

Lunch is often a two-hour affair especially if you are having the full four-course meal at a restaurant. The French like to take time to really enjoy their meal, the company of good friends and a good glass of wine.

I recently joined a friend for lunch at a very good, traditional French country restaurant where the working class have their “déjeuner.” We helped ourselves to the “entree” (what Americans would call the appetizer), a buffet offering a variety of cold cuts and salads. We were then served the main course or “plat,” which for me was a tender slice of turkey breast smothered in creamy, buttery Normandy sauce, buttered broccoli and perfectly fried potatoes or “frites,” along with a baguette and a bottle of smooth red wine. The main course was followed by the cheese course and then dessert. All this for 15 euros!

We didn’t finish the whole bottle of wine, thank goodness. Normally if I drank that much at lunch, I’d be ready for a two-and-a-half-hour nap. Surprisingly, I spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. I think this was because we were eating and drinking for over two and a half hours.

While I enjoy a relaxing meal with a friend, spending this long at lunch isn’t something I’d do every day, but more as an occasional indulgence. I’d rather take 20 minutes to eat a normal sized lunch, and spend the rest of my lunch break taking a long walk.

Stopping for an aperitif

Speaking of drinking, in the afternoon between five and seven, you’ll see people in France gathered in restaurants and sidewalk cafes enjoying an aperitif of either wine, beer, cocktail or soft drink. I rarely see someone eating anything, although restaurants usually have a charcuterie plate. If I went out drinking between five and seven thirty in the evening on an empty stomach it would only take one glass of wine to put me over the strict drunk-driving limit. Besides, I usually eat dinner early and go back to work for a couple hours.

If I’m on vacation and not driving, I love to partake in an aperitif just to rest my weary bones, relax and do some people watching. In the US, we’d call this “happy hour.” It’s where we get together with friends for a glass of wine or beer at a discounted price. But it always includes lower-priced happy-hour food like small burgers, salads and tater tots, and sometimes smaller sized portions of the restaurant’s main dishes. I wish there were happy-hour type food in France, so you don’t have to wait until restaurants open at seven or seven thirty to have dinner, which gets me to my next French habit.

Eating late

The most popular dinner time in France is eight o'clock. Dinner will typically last a couple of hours or more. This doesn’t work for me for two reasons. One, I’m usually starving by five thirty. And secondly, if I eat after eight, I don’t sleep well. On special occasions I’ll have dinner out, but my preference is to dine out at lunchtime and have dinner at home.

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Just because you move to another country doesn’t mean you have to change your normal lifestyle and habits. No one is going to force you to eat dinner at eight. And if you don’t like cheese, you can skip the cheese course. My advice is to partake in the French traditions you enjoy and the leave the rest for others to enjoy.

Check out this post for the many French Lifestyle Habits I AM Slowly Embracing.