Thursday, Oct. 3, 1963
University Daily Kansan
Page 7
American Living Surprises French Tourists
PARIS—(UPI) — Unfenced yards . . houses with curtains pulled back so passersby can look in . . free matches . . backyard barbecues . . air-conditioned churches.
These are some of the many surprises of the United States to the increasing number of French tourists going across the Atlantic to take a look.
The U.S. Travel Service office in Paris reports that 18 per cent more French tourists, or 15,629, visited the United States during the first half of 1963 than during the same period of 1962.
Recently several recorded their impressions of how they viewed the United States, such as author Maurice Laurent, who wrote a popular book, "The Sea Is Beautiful" that informed the French "My voyage was astonishing, the country is astonishing, the citizens are astonishing."
LAURENT WAS stunned to discover he could rent a car without showing many documents, and then leave it it any city. He discovered free matches and road maps, an air-conditioned Methodist Church in Tifton, Ga., and mink-trimmed pencils.
"Niceness flows. (he noted) the gentleness of individuals in a country noted for feverishness . . . Americans love money, and an American not only says so, he proclaims it . . ."
Laurent advised his readers that
the most important word to know in the United States is "aie" or "haillle." ("hi"), which he described as "the universal salutation applied to all individuals, sexes, ages, status." Also, he said, it is wise for the foreigner to steel himself when someone says "hi"—for he will likely receive a friendly whack on the back.
THE AMERICAN greeting ritual includes an exchange of addresses, a confession of how much money you make and a round of drinks, he said.
Laurent liked American superhighways but was puzzled because "at an intersection, even if the other driver has the right of way, he amiably lets you pass . . . Americans lack that aggression that to us is so cherished."
He also noted sadly that the American pedestrian is not fair game as in Paris, but "sacred."
HE HAD SOME complaints:
Americans waste electricity on animated neon signs. And "America is provincial . . . we vote in France and the Chicago and New Orleans newspapers devote two lines to it. But they take four columns to detail a reception offered by Mrs. Smith on the occasion of her taking over the Dallas Post Office."
As with all tourists, the natives proved the most fascinating to Laurent.
"It is necessary to destroy legends about Americans," he wrote. "Americans are not only British exiles embarked on the Mayflower. They are no more the immigrants of Poland or Denmark."
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"GRAND CANYON: Takes your breath away. Indian souvenirs are curious and interesting I saw cow-boys with big hats.
"Chicago: Contrary to legend, Chicago is a beautiful and interesting city. The slum quarter is being razed. Much commercial activity. The loop cuts the view but the natives like it.
"They are all of that, with the discipline of Germans, the glibness of Italians, the courage of Norwegians, the stubbornness of the Irish . . . The people are so different and yet so similar.
"Lafayette, Ind.: Houses have no fences. Many drive-in restaurants and banks. The normal American home has a refrigerator and freezer. "New York: Like a fairyland at night. Porters want 25 cents for carrying a bag. The lobby of a New York hotel is like a railway station, everyone coming and going. Enormous buildings with thousands of windows, a stream of people. The Bowery quarter is lamentable.
AS FRENCH THINK first, or at least second, of eating. He concluded foreign tourists should go to a cafeteria or charcoal-broil steak house. He was amused by "French dressing" and "French fried onions," neither of which exists in France, but noted he ate better pizzas in Los Angeles than in Italy.
AS FRENCH THINK first, or at least second, of eating.
"The American type does not exist yet, but one can recognize the average American. He is relaxed. Except in big cities, the tempo of life is slow. One waits in line, but without haste or nervousness. Curious!"
"Santa Barbara: Many aged persons and expensive antique shops. Barbecue cuisine. Americans love picnics and outdoor life. Maids make $3.20 an hour and come to work in sumptuous automobiles. A rodeo just like the Westerns on French television.
Another recent tourist, schoolteacher Germaine Goulard, said in an interview that "contrary to what one thinks, one eats well in the United States—if you leave the sauces and colored condiments to one side."
MRS. GOULARD toured the United States with her son and his wife, who now live in Lafayette, Ind. Some of her impressions:
"Los Angeles: Every home is airconditioned, with swimming pools.
"San Francisco: The most beautiful city in America, a city of elegance, beauty of site and serenity of people who live there.
"One can eat at any hour of the day or night, and well. Beef is good. Cola, fruit juice, beer and milk are the American drinks.
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