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I spend about half my year in Europe, an arrangement that’s existed for the last few years mostly due to my partner’s job as an international basketball trainer. The perks are tough to beat, and my work as a journalist means it’s easy to jump on a flight as long as I have my computer with me. My teen son joins us frequently, mostly made possible because he homeschools and agenerally likes to travel.
Despite coming and going to and from Europe frequently, my son is always surprised by a few key differences between life in the US and life in France. And I don’t mean the obvious things, like outlets (we have so, so many adapters) or the ease with which we can jump on a train in Paris and be almost anywhere in the city where we want to go in under 30 minutes; no, I mean the things that really matter to a teenager (or at least to mine).
Coca-Cola is better in France, Dr. Pepper is worse
If there is one thing all three of us agree on, it’s that, for whatever reason, Coca-Cola in France is the best Coca-Cola any of us have had anywhere else in the world (so far). We rarely drink it at home in the States because it always feels too sugary, but in France? We are drinking Coke multiple times a week. There is something so refreshing, so very nearly clean about it.
Don’t get me wrong: I am pretty sure that at the end of the day, Coke in France isn’t any better for us than it is in the US. But I do know that one of the things we talk about before we head over, while we’re on the flight, and again as we are getting on the train or settling into our first Uber after arriving, is sitting down at a café and enjoying a glass of Coke.
Gas stations in France are better than those in the US
This summer is the first one we’ve rented a car and spent significant time driving throughout France. We typically stay in Cannes and Paris and often fly or take the train between the two. This experience has come with a startling experience: Shell gas stations in France are wildly more clean and comfortable than they are in the States; in fact, they’re even borderline beautiful.
I am sure I can’t speak for every Shell station in America, but by and large, the ones I have frequented are small and usually dirty, and you’re lucky if there’s more than one restroom stall. To contrast this, we’ve encountered Shell stations that boast not one, not two, but three separate restaurants or cafés, Starbucks coffee stations, bookstores, the cleanest gas station restrooms with at least 10 stalls, and dining areas that can hold around 30 people.
You can buy one water bottle out of the package (instead of buying the whole thing)
Another favorite fact about France is that when purchasing bottled water (which is super popular in the country even though tap water is totally safe), you can rip open the plastic packaging that encases 12 bottles and just remove one — and you can buy just that one. This never ceases to amaze my kid, who has threatened to attempt the same feat in the US (though I have a feeling the reception would be… less than great).
The roads are tiny — even the interstates
Another difference that always seems to catch my son by surprise is just how narrow the roads in many French cities really are. Driving in France is always a fascinating experience (or, I should say, being a passenger while my partner drives) primarily because it constantly feels like you’re going to slam into the car next to you, or the sharply angled, very thin descent into a parking garage is going to be the last one you’ll ever make. We always wonder what it feels like for the French to drive in the US for the first time, with our massive highway lanes and monster vehicles.
There is no Taco Bell
But there is no greater surprise my son has experienced in France than this: the country is not home to any Taco Bells, or at least none that we’ve ever been able to find. In addition to just flat-out being my favorite fast food, Taco Bell is also a favorite of my son’s because he’s been a vegetarian his entire life, and you can always count on Taco Bell for a few bean burritos (no red sauce, no onions) in a pinch.
The reason for the lack of Taco Bell has never been explained to me, and France clearly has no problem hosting fast food establishments from the US (KFC, McDonald’s, and Burger King are everywhere). To say that the lack of Taco Bell has made some days harder than others is an understatement, and we both remain hopeful that one day someone, somewhere, will franchise it throughout the other red, white, and blue.
