Foods Americans Eat That Seem Strange to the French

There are many foods I ate in the U.S that seemed normal to me that are totally bizarre to people here in France. When suggesting a snack or meal, I would receive a look of confusion in response. Here are some foods that seem normal to Americans, and strange to the French!

Popcorn

Yes, popcorn exists in France. Still, it is not as cherished as it is in the U.S. I remember being shocked to find that most French people don’t even put butter on their popcorn while suggesting it to a group of my French friends. I love popcorn. Maybe it’s because I’m from Illinois, but it has always been a favorite snack of mine! One night while watching a movie with my French fiance, I said I wanted popcorn. We paused the movie to go to what we thought would be a short trip to the grocery store. We ended up visiting five grocery stores, all of which didn’t have popcorn. We walked back both sad to be empty-handed. Looking back, it’s funny! At the time, however, I remember not being able to hide my disappointment. It took so much time to come back without any popcorn! My fiance turned to me and said “I guess Popcorn is just not as appreciated in France as it is in the U.S.” We look back and laugh about the night we were so determined to try and find popcorn in any grocery store we could in Paris.

Peanut Butter

Another food that is bewildering to the French is the infamous… peanut butter! It is expensive in the grocery stores in France, and you won’t find it in many dishes either. Americans love peanut butter. Peanut butter in desserts, in cookies, in ice cream! We can’t get enough of it. I never realized this until moving abroad. The French don’t understand peanut butter at all. I actually know some who can’t even stomach it. To them, we put it everywhere, and sometimes on some seemingly random things. I remember once telling my fiance about “ants on a log”. For those who don’t know — ants on a log is a celery stick with peanut butter and raisins on top that we give to children as a nice treat. After explaining this delicacy to him, he stared at me blank-faced and then started laughing. “You’re kidding right? There’s no way that’s a real thing people do.” And yet, it is! We really do love our peanut butter here in the U.S.

After all of these funny debates about foods that at one point seemed so normal to me, I’ve realized there is no such thing as normal. Whether it comes to food, clothing, or social norms… everyone’s definition of normal is different! Therefore, normalcy is a made-up concept. In any case, it’s fun to see what is normal for some is not for us. I’ve also learned that being open to other ideas is the best mindset to have. It makes everything much more fun.