Parisians do not walk around in gym clothes or sweatpants unless they are actually exercising. After a few days in Paris, you will notice a far higher percentage of Parisians, male and female, who rock a nice scarf, a smart blazer, pressed pants, and formal shoes than you see in New York. Parisians find Americans who “hang out” in their sweats, even to run an errand, a little disgusting....
Parisian bobo (yuppie) parents have no problem lecturing, yelling at, or even occasionally smacking their kids in public. Though a free-to-be-you-and-me Montessori vibe has been creeping in in recent years, the traditional French teaching style — didactic, scolding, and "color the sky blue and the grass green or be publicly shamed" — has deeply influenced French parenting, even among the younger generation. A Parisian bobo mother has no issue with humiliating her bratty kid on a crowded sidewalk...
Parisians do not talk to strangers. This can be profoundly disconcerting to a New Yorker who’s used to freely bitching about life’s daily indignities with whoever happens to be in line with them at Duane Reade. If you comment to a Parisian in the métro that the un-air-conditioned car is particularly smelly today, they will give you a frightened look like you are a crazy person and turn away...
New Yorkers carry around their coffee. In Paris, the very point of coffee is that you sit down and take a break. You don’t walk around with a giant vat, fueling yourself throughout the day...
New York parents talk to their kids as though they are their peers. “Jonah, did you think last night’s Arcade Fire show was as good as last year’s?” is not something you will ever hear a Parisian parent say to his or her 6-year-old.
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