Top 10 reasons why I think I lived in France in a past life....

So when people ask how I'm settling into French culture, I usually answer "Great, swimmingly, doing really well, thanks for asking." But secretly inside I'm thinking this has actually been really easy, am I doing something wrong?

Sure, there are parts I disagree (helloooo beaureaucracy) but the more I learn about the culture, the more I think it's more like me. Technically, I'm like 40% French (maybe more like 20, but who's counting) so maybe subconsciously these things have been passed down to me through previous generations (thanks grandpa! No really, I'm related to him (do you see the resmblance?) but I'm going to save that for another post). Anywho, here are the top 10 reasons why I'm liking French culture so far.

1. I love bread and carbs. This may seem like a duh moment (who doesn't like bread?), but seriously I could just eat bread and be super happy. And the french feel the same way.
2. I like to eat lunch at the same time everyday (there is a pattern here, many of these revolve around food). This is something I didn't even know was French, but my boss told me that she's impressed with how regimented I am about lunch and how "it's very French." Yippeee
3. I eat a lot of yogurt. I know exactly where this comes from -- my dad used to give me Yoplait (SHH!) Custard Style (strawberry only) when I was a kid and I loved it.This definitely set the tone for how much yogurt I eat. Like most meals in France, yogurt is a very ritualistic thing - they eat it after Lunch & dinner as a close to the meal. Some call it a healthy dessert, but I've definitely seen people eat both yogurt AND dessert. There's an emotional connection there to which I can relate.

4. They prefer red wine. I've talked a lot about the French loving wine, but in general they prefer red and so do I. As the wine maker of Chateau Monlot told me when I asked why he makes only red wine he said "Because that is what the French like to drink." Simply, supply and demand :-)
5.Confession: IWear an outfit more than 1 day in a row. Okay, so I don't normally wear it one after the other unless I won't see the same people (the french will do this, however), but I do this and I love it. Outfits take a lot of time and energy to me and I like saying "Oh I just wore this to work and now I'll wear it out." So efficient.
6. I like scarves. So an easy way to hide the fact that you are wearing the same sweater you wore two days ago is to put on a new fancy scarf. This is a new accessory in my life which I've taken to like a moth to a light. So easy! So Pretty! So warm! So cheap! Can't believe I waited until France to use these.
7. I hate salad. No, really, I do and so do the French (hear me out). There are a lot of famous french salads (Niçoise, par example), but to me, these aren't salads. A. They normally have potatoes in them. POTATOES.IN.SALAD. and B) they don't have lettuce. I love both of those statements (yay potatoes, boo lettuce) and thus French 'salads' are things I can get behind.

8. I hate washing my hair.  See that guy's hair to the left? That's where I get my hair. It's unruly, thick, wavy and only needs to be washed every 3 days. Which I used to fight (I'd begrudgingly wash it every other), but now I just embrace it whilst knowing my neighbor has similar grooming habits.
9. I love sitting on a patio. This is probably another thing I get from my mother (it'll be snowing and my mom will ask if we'd like to grab a blanket and sit on the patio with the heater), but in a similar fashion the French are suckers for sitting outside. Even in winter. When I was here last Jan, the heaters were in full swing and everyone was eating/drinking/smoking at cafes outside. Love it.
10. I believe rules are made to be broken. Not sure where I get this from, but I've always said "I ask forgiveness, not permission." (Andrew, on the other hand is the opposite). I've learned from my French boss that the best way to manage bureaucracy is to ignore it completely and just do what you need to do. It's very effective. As my intercultural trainer said, "France is a country of exceptions. They have billions of laws, but most people don't follow them.' Excellent, my favorite kind.

I'm sure I'll be updating this list as I go along (and perhaps will even have a top 10 reasons why I'm not French), but those what I've noticed for now :-)