What makes the French French and the Germans German

In this post, I’d like to attempt a humble comparison between what I know about French culture and what I observed on a summer trip to Germany this summer (Munich in particular).

grounds of the Schloss Nymphenburg

Some of the highlights of our trip were a tour of the Munich city center, a visit to the Neuschwanstein castle and surrounding area, and a visit to the Dachau concentration camp. We also ate a lot of great food, and of course, drank a lot of beer. Although I realize we really ate at quite a few tourist spots, the food was always hearty and filling. We also had a Bavarian breakfast one morning, including sausage, pretzels and beer. For me, the simple goodness and heartiness of the food felt like the mentality around us, people were open, direct and generally friendly. In France, food is such a complex affair, still regulated by traditions that date back to Louis XIV. That’s one of the things I love about France, but I think it also reflects the mentality of the French in general: life is complex, should be based on tradition, and requires thinking.

Whenever people ask me about French culture in general, I’ve come to the following conclusion: based on just a little travelling in surrounding European countries, I find that France is in an interesting position between what I would consider both ‘Latin’ culture and ‘Anglo-Saxon’ culture. Germany, however, felt ‘Anglo-Saxon’ to me. When I speak about an Anglo-Saxon influence or culture, I simply mean that there were certain social behaviors that you could observe, that you don’t see in France. For instance, the subway worked on the ‘honor’ system, meaning there was no barrier to keep you from entering the subway or getting into a subway car. If you got caught, however, without a validated ticket, you paid a hefty fine. That kind of system wouldn’t work in France because people would take advantage of it. Here there are barriers to get into the subway (like in the US), and it’s common to see people jump over them, or try to follow closely behind you to get into the subway. 

I also noticed that people (strangers) seemed to smile more in Germany than in France. I can’t really speak to the reason why they smiled more, but if it’s anything like American culture, it seems like people smiled out of friendliness or when they were enthusiastic about explaining something. Here in France, one of the first things I was told was to not smile at strangers, especially at men (or else they’ll think you’re trying to hit on them). People who smile too much look foolish in France.

view on the hike up to the Schloss Neuschwanstein

Germany was very organized and strict about recycling, and recycling centers were very well divided into different materials. France definitely promotes recycling, but there is usually only a division between glass and all other materials. And most public spaces in cities have just a normal garbage can and not necessarily recycling.

One other anecdote in particular: there was a night we were waiting for a late tram. We saw a couple of girls riding a bike, and then get off the bike and chain it hastily to a lamppost. If this were to happen in France, there would be a strong likelyhood that the bike would be stolen. Our German informant (A., who’s been living in Germany for a while) told us that the bike would definitely be there the next morning, and very likely even a couple weeks after that.

The Augustiner brewery, in Munich

So what’s the point of all of this comparison? As an American, it’s really interesting to have a certain insight to a culture like France, and be able to travel and witness other cultures in Europe. It’s fascinating to see such diversity in such a small amount of space. I think there’s often a general feeling in the US that Europe is somewhat cohesive in a way: it’s a big landmass that, although it has different countries, all have rich and long histories, share a common monetary unit, and are currently trying to work together in the face of an economic crisis. It’s easy to forget how individual they all are, in their mentalities and cultures. This is what struck me about Germany. Just as I learn more and more about France and its subtleties in daily life, I realize that there is just as much to learn in all other countries in Europe. So I guess my trip to Germany showed me how little I actually know about Germany, it’s culture, daily life and overall mentality.  

The nice thing about traveling to other European countries is also feeling 'at home' when I come back to France. Even though I spend a lot of my time dealing with my foreign status, it's nice to come back to a culture and way of life that I recognize and appreciate.