As promised a few days ago, here is a post about things France could improve on. My cold is slowly easing up. I hope I can narrate by the weekend. We’ll see.
So France does some things better than the United States does them. My 157 mph average speed trip from Paris to Poitiers this morning was one of those things. But, France also needs improvement in a few areas. (Not manners. See my last post for details.)
One thing that bugs me is that you need to go to a pharmacie even if all you want is some aspirin. If it’s actual medication, only a pharmacie can sell it. (Pharmacie is French for Pharmacy.) I wanted some athlete’s foot treatment, get it in any grocery for cheap, right? Nope, not at all! Had to go to a pharmacy, ask for it at the counter (they do have some things out where you can pick them up and go pay) and pay about three times as much, on a per volume basis, for some creme to treat athlete’s foot. Same with antihistamine, decongestant, cough syrup, eye drops, and of course those obscure medical brands of toothpaste and stuff. I find it outrageous, and expensive. Get a clue, France!
Another thing is showing up when you say you will. Mostly people do, but tradesmen, well, sometimes they’re not maybe all that prompt. I arranged for an electrician to replace a circuit in the kitchen on April 14th. Hasn’t shown up yet. At least the master electrician who diagnosed the problem was timely. Been waiting at least six weeks to have a door put between two upstairs rooms. Probably keep waiting for a while yet. At one parking garage next to the station in Poitiers, the elevator has been out of service for at least a whole month. Why? If you can’t fix it, make the doors look like janitor’s closets or something, right? Or just fix it. Seriously, now, France, you can’t just let things go to Hell like that. People will talk!
Pop music in France tends to run to poorly done house music. Partially this is because from 7am to 7pm stations are required to play a large percentage of artists from France only. The other half of the day you hear a lot of American rock and roll hits, which is okay but hardly original. Come on, France, boom-bah-boom, house music, boom-bah-boom, is okay for a while, boom-bah-boom, but all effing day? boom-bah boom!
Overall, I like France a great deal. People are friendly and eager to help, the food is mostly decent (though it could use a bit more heat) and health care is affordable. And I like the United States, even though we really should work on our transportation priorities a bit harder. The two countries are very similar in general zeitgeist and political inclinations. Both look to the same philosophies for their basic ideals. And, in spite of some tense times over the centuries, France and the US have never once gone to war with each other. Not many countries can say that about the US, can they?
I could rant on for both sides of the “who does it better” debate, but why bother. France is slower? Life is easier. The US makes the coolest cars. (True dat.) So, what the heck? Everyone should visit a country where the natives don’t speak their native language at least once. Any country on the European continent will do (except Switzerland,) and, if you’re desperate, heck, try the United Kingdom. Many people there, I’m convinced, don’t actually speak English. 🙂
