As a kid who's family moved from France to the United States, there were some aspects of French culture that we hung onto which most Americans were and often remain unfamiliar with. Some European trends have caught on a bit, like little coffee shops with character, and perhaps especially sidewalk cafes, although they are a bit different here nonetheless than they tend to be in Europe. But my father continued to listen to his favorite French music, which basically meant that the entire family listened to his French music. Which was, in fact, a good thing. It got us familiar with some good music and musicians while also reinforcing that Anglo-American culture was not the only culture in the world.
Of course, there were other things that we brought along with us. A lot of Americans who know or knew me could not understand why I felt an attachment to France or French culture (not to the exclusion of American culture, although often, this was and is how it is interpreted). "You're American!" they would say, and would point to how much more of my life was spent here on this side of the Atlantic.
But growing up with French culture being a significant influence, regardless of which side of the Atlantic you are on, changed my perspective. Possibly, the French culture that I grew familiar with here, which included certain foods as well as music, movies, and some certain other aspects, also had a considerable influence on me, and made me feel a bit different than most Americans. This did not always feel like such a good thing, particularly when younger, and everything that made me different felt like it made me stand out for the wrong reasons in school among my almost exclusively American peers. My own appreciation for the influence of another culture - and it could have been almost any other culture, not specifically French - grew really as I got older and began to be mature enough to appreciate the different perspective that it offered.
So in that spirit, it seemed like a good idea to share this. Google recently honored one small aspect of French culture recently when it had a link celebrating Pétanque. We actually knew it more by another name, as we called it "boules." In fact, we still do. Regardless, it is a cool game with some close similarities to Italian Bacci ball. In fact, it is not radically different from horseshoes, either. But in any case, it was a fun game, although my father, when he was in good health, was the master. Only occasionally did I win a game against him, and those usually felt more fluky than anything.
Now this is not exactly how boules/pétanque feels like or is played. However, it does give you a good idea. Also, it is fun. So again, I thought it would be nice to share it here, in case anyone wants to see what this game is all about and get a little more familiar with it. The link to the online Google version of the game is down below.
Enjoy!
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