Culture
How the French and the Americans live, argue, eat, and misunderstand each other — lovingly.
Nine Days Out: The Salon du Chocolat Returns to Paris
The 31st Salon du Chocolat et de la Pâtisserie opens October 28 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles — 240 exhibitors, a chocolate fashion show, and a French institution that treats cocoa as craft, not candy.
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Le Large Opens Its Doors on Île Seguin
A brand-new contemporary art center opens its free opening weekend today on the island where Renault built the 4CV — 120 works, 55 artists, and a long-awaited second act for one of France's most storied industrial sites.
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French Filmmakers Are Writing to Save Their Cinema
An open letter from France's biggest directors warns the 2027 budget could cut the support that keeps French cinema alive — and raises an old question about what America and France each choose to pay for.
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The Week the Clocks Stop Agreeing
France falls back on October 25, America a week later. For seven days the Atlantic gets one hour wider — and every family call becomes a math problem.
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The Movie Theater
In France you go to the cinéma; in America you go to the movies. Same screen, different religion — reserved seats, popcorn buckets, subtitles, and the great debate over talking during the film.
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Halloween and Toussaint
In America, October ends with candy and costumes. In France, it ends with chrysanthemums and a quiet trip to the cemetery. Claire Donovan on two holidays that share one weekend — and the country learning to love them both.
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The Café Gourmand
In France, dessert doesn't have to be a decision. The café gourmand gives you the espresso and a little parade of sweets — the whole menu's greatest hits, in miniature. Hélène Marchand on the art of not choosing.
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The Goûter
At four o'clock, France stops for a snack. Not a sad desk-drawer granola bar — a real one. June Calloway on the goûter, and what America lost when it killed the afternoon.
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The Pharmacy
In France, the pharmacy is where you go when you feel sick. In America, it's where you go when you need batteries. Marion Ellis on the green cross and the long aisle.
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The Bise and the Handshake
In France you kiss people hello. In America you shake their hand and keep your distance. Betsy Callahan on learning the math of the bise.
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Service Included
In France the tip is already in the bill — by law. In America the tip is the wages. An expat on the strange relief of never doing math at the table, and the strange guilt of it.
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The Lunch Hour
In France, lunch is a sit-down meal with a beginning, a middle, and no apology; in America, it is fuel consumed between obligations. Both cultures eat at noon — they simply disagree about whether noon is a pause or a checkpoint.
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