When I first moved to Paris, I noticed that on some métro lines, the doors unlocked a few seconds before the train stopped. In New York, where I'd lived previously, they stayed firmly closed until the train was still. This small difference delighted me. It was fun to leap from a slow-moving carriage. And it suggested that France treats its inhabitants like capable adults, and isn't organized around an American-style fear of litigation.

I became alert to these "oh, really?" moments of cultural difference. They would happen while I was being examined by a gynecologist – the French state will pay to "reeducate" my perineum after I give birth? Or meeting a friend's puppy, Reuben – all pure-bred dogs born in 2020 must have names that start with R? Or merely buying a roast chicken – when you eat one on Sunday, it's called le poulet du dimanche, the Sunday chicken.

I wasn't always sure my observations were culturally significant. Some could be anecdotal, antiquated or based on a misunderstanding. I envisioned eventually turning my inventory of small facts into a portrait of modern Paris.

Or not. Nearly two decades on, I've realized that this catalog mostly shows what it's like for me to be a foreigner here. In any case, more or less in the order I discovered them, here are some things I've learned about France.

My Parisian neighbor who claims to be "from Burgundy" has never actually lived there.

That more than half of French people are eating lunch at 12:30pm, the highest rate of dining synchronicity in Europe.

You can silence a shopkeeper about why you're returning a dress by saying: "My husband didn't like it."

You can describe a wine as "consensual" – this means that the wine and the dish won't overpower each other.

When a French architect designs your apartment he will continuously mention "vos invités" (your guests), but fail to include a broom closet.

There are enormous competitive examinations, called concours, to enter most professions – from doctor to midwife, makeup artist to prison guard.

The owner of a grand château may try to put local shopkeepers at ease by explaining that the aristocratic "de" in her last name is spelled like "pomme de terre" – potato.

French children use their Playmobil figures to play manif – street protest.

If you tell a French nurse that Scandinavians retire later than the French, she will reply: "You can always find someone in some country that works more."

If you interview Parisians about infidelity, most will reply by asking, what is fidelity, really? Is it to be true to yourself?

You have 71.92% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.