Consumption

Among the first questions I always receive is, “What surprised you most about moving to France?” or “What do you not miss about living in the United States?” My answer to both of these questions is “consumption.” It is difficult to explain to Americans how different daily life is when norms for consumption are completely different. As an American living in the States (with strong values of conservation and moderation) I thought I knew the meaning of “doing without” and “living simply” but at the end of the day it was a choice I made. Because, really, if there was anything I wanted, it would be available immediately and at an affordable price. I have found that in France this is NEVER the case, with the exception of a few things like cheese, yogurt, chocolate and wine.

Case in point :-) One of the first items I set out to purchase in France were paper towels. I searched and searched the store, not finding any. Then finally, I found them, but there was only 1 choice (I was expecting an entire aisle), and this one option cost the equivalent of $6 USD for a roll of 6. I made up my mind right then that I would use these carefully. I got home and placed one of the rolls in my American sized paper towel holder (images below). Back home a roll would have filled this completely and stood 4 inches higher, but you can see the results for yourself. I resolved myself to using these carefully.

Fast forward 10 months: there is a mess in the microwave that needs to be cleaned, and the holder is empty. I find that I do have 1 roll stashed at the top of a closet, and it is the last roll of the original package of 6.