There was one incident when we were in a bakery for breakfast, and my brother and I ordered milk to go with our croissants. The French don’t drink milk as much as Americans do, and when they do it’s usually warm. So when the waitress brought us warm milk my mom shook her head and said, “Non, non. Froit! ” (“No, no. Cold! ”) “Ah, oui,” responded the server, “pardon. ” (“Ah yes, excuse me. ”) We waited a few minutes and soon she was back with our milk, but it was now steaming hot!
We could hardly contain our laughter; she thought we were complaining that the milk was too cold! Mom muddled a few more phrases in French until the woman understood, and she too began to laugh. With more effort than thought necessary, we finally got our cold milk. French people are advertised as hostile and rude towards Americans, and trust me; everything you’ve heard is true. When we visited the Eiffel Tower, I wanted to buy a couple of postcards. So my mom, not having any change, handed me 10 Euros.
When it was my turn in line, the cashier took one look at the 10 Euros and said, “No change, sorry. NEXT! ” She snatched the postcards out of my hands and pushed me out of the way! I was so angry. French cashiers never seemed to have any change and no stranger had ever been so rude to me! I went over to my dad and asked him if he had any change. Luckily he did, so I marched back up to the front of the line and showed her the money. “I have change; can I have my postcards back now? ”
She glanced up at me, took the money from my hands, and silently handed me back my postcards. Of course not everyone we encountered had the same attitude, but quite a few of them did. It was frustrating, but we were always able to cope with it. Getting to experience another country’s culture is an incredible opportunity I was glad to have. There’s good and there’s bad, but in the end, hopefully it’s all something one can look back on and laugh at. I’ll never forget my trip to Paris, and I look forward the next one.
The Essay on Mother’s Milk Or A Synthetic Substitute
Mother’s Milk or a Synthetic Substitute One of the best days of a mother’s life is when she finds out that she is pregnant. She thinks of, what will my child look like? Or, will this baby be a boy or a girl? What shall we call him? There are so many decisions she will have to make over the coming months. Many mothers have debated about what is the best way to provide nutrition to their new ...