Bonjour les amis,
I have been working on my memoir of late and completely forgot to write this week’s post. In the meantime I stumbled across this video – one of a series that spoofs the experiences of French tourists in the good ole U.S. of A. It’s called ‘Les Amerlocs’ which is a French slang term (not of endearment) for Americans.
I must admit it made me giggle. The couple try to behave in a way that is natural for the French but immediately run into American-style rules that are completely foreign to them. I experienced similar feelings when I first arrived in France and now as a sort of reverse culture shock when I go back to Canada.
If you don’t speak French you will probably get the gist of it from the gestures – and the American beach cop’s lines are in English. The ending is silly but probably reflects what a lot of tourists feel like doing in a foreign place.
Et toi? When was the last time you felt like a stranger in a strange land?
FranceSays 
I am dying to see this but it stops at 21 seconds, just as I see the fat guy enter the frame and you just know he’s going to throw a fit over the beers. I can’t figure it out–I tried five times and it stops at 21 seconds each time. Is it my Internet? I am in France! But in the middle of nowhere. We have one step up from dial-up. They haven’t yet gotten modern lines here.
Ha, ha…it is definitely worth it! No idea why it doesn’t work for you – could indeed be an internet problem. Much of rural France is still back in the ice ages internet-wise, methinks.
Ha, very funny. Gave me a much needed wee giggle Mel.
We could all use a giggle at the moment. Glad you enjoyed it, Lisa! 🙂
Seems like Canada rather than the US ,more dumbass rules here than in the States
You, Dad, are a rule unto yourself!
believe it or not: je n’ai JAMAIS regardé “ça”, donc je ne connais pas… c’est grave Dr Mel?!… 😉
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@”When was the last time you felt like a stranger in a strange land?” – every time I go to Japan, but… I feel more and more “Japanese”! 🙂
Citizen of the world, Ms. Mél@nie? 🙂
yes, Ma’am, just back from Costa Brava! btw, being here is also being away from elsewhere… 🙂
Loved this, really made me giggle. Especially as we have just had American friends visiting us here in France, so like you, kind of a reversal, and they found so many of our customs so strange!
It’s a funny thing, eh? Seeing how other people react makes you realize how far you’ve come (or not…). Glad you laughed!
Feeling like a stranger in a strange land…how prophetic given today’s news.
Oh, yes! So very sad to see Europe lose the UK. I fear people have been sadly misguided to believe this is the way forward.
Hilarious!
🙂
Trop rigolo. And so true. When I watch things like this, it reminds me why I’m so happy to have left the US so many years ago. Land of the free my @$$.
Ironic, isn’t it? And yet it is just one of so many examples where the identity of a nation can seem ridiculous when viewed through the eyes of outsiders.
Hilarious and strikes VERY close to home as you might imagine!! By the way I have been meaning to tell you I watched Lolo on the plane from Boston …. that you SO much for the steer a while ago … we literally made exhibitions of ourselves as we snorted and howled our way through that work of genius!
So glad you found it! Julie Delpy is like a female French Woody Allen.
I’ve since been obsessively ordering anything of hers I can lay my hands on – when I get back to the US she will prove a very effective antidote to any distant France blues
I think that the problem here is that they were drinking Bud Light. Seriously, who drinks Bud Light?? Frankly, a call to 911 is definitely in order for people who drink Bud Light in public!
I soooo agree! But the French are not the world’s biggest beer drinkers so perhaps they can be forgiven this cultural lapse?