Dining in France: Culture Shock
On my first weekend abroad, I attended a dinner party with my host family to celebrate the New Year. It was everything I had imagined a French dinner party would be --- multiple courses, a variety of cheeses, bottles of champagne, and slices of fresh bread. Then, at the end of the meal, the host called out. “Okay, everyone, get under the table!”
What? An earthquake broke out? I watched as the children came running into the dining room and hid under the table. As it turns out, in the days after the New Year, the French celebrate with the galette des rois, or the “king cake”, a special cake with its own set of traditions. There is a small toy hidden inside the cake, and whoever finds it in their serving is the winner. Before it is sliced, all the children hide under the table so that they cannot see who will get the slice with the toy.
I’ve learned that many French traditions focus on food, and often they’ve taken me by surprise! From time to time, I’ve experienced a sense of culture shock, the feeling of confusion in a new country when you’re adjusting to things that maybe unfamiliar to you. Thankfully, I haven’t run into anything too difficult to manage. Before leaving for France, I learned strategies from the International Programs Office, a facility which helps prepare students to deal with these kinds of ups and downs.
They explained the phenomenon with a line graph to illustrate the highs and lows of the experience. You may experience a “honeymoon” phase, where you find everything new and exciting or even better than your home country. You may also experience low points, where all these little differences may seem frustrating and overwhelming.
I encountered a new fun, food-related culture differences while in France. For example, the French eat with both wrists resting on the table, while many Americans tend to keep their left hands in their laps. I hadn’t even noticed the difference until my five-year-old host brother pointed it out! Moreover, on formal occasions, people tend to straighten their back. And it is also common to use bread as a utensil, holding it in your hand like a knife, or using it to clean up the plate at the end of the meal. Finally, I love hearing “Bon Appétit!” (Good appetite!”) before eating, whether I am seated at the table with my host family, or just grabbing a coffee at a nearby café!
【小题1】The reason why the host asked children to get under the table was that she wanted to ______ .| A．hide something in the cake |
| B．protect children from the earthquake |
| C．give the author, the guest, a big surprise |
| D．prevent children from slicing the cake |
| A．He wants to help students get prepared to deal with emotional changes. |
| B．He wants to tell readers how thrilling it is when we encounter novel things. |
| C．He uses it to help with the explanation of ups and downs in face of a new culture. |
| D．He uses it to prove that we may come across something disappointing abroad. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
