Public Displays of Affection
I have known about a cultural traditon known as "bise-bise" (or kiss-kiss) from when I visited France a couple years ago, where when you meet someone (whether you know them or not) you usually lean in and give a kiss on each cheek as a form of salutation. In fact, the number of times that you go back and forth from cheek to cheek varies by region in France. For example, in Lille, a city in the north near Belgium, you give only one kiss on the cheek, whereas in Paris one on each (two total) is customary and the further south and more rural (or so I've heard) the number can get up to four or six. However, I didn't realize children did it too, or that it was done in less formal situations. When I arrived at my host family's house, one of the daughters who is nine, ran up to me, stood on her tip-toes and leaned in expectantly. I was a little confused at first, but my American instinct lead me to give her a hug (a gesture very common for greeting friends in the States but almost never done here unless you are very close to the person) but it was afterwards when she gave me a funny look that I realized she was expecting a "bise." Although I am certainly getting more used to it (as one can imagine it takes a while to greet a group having to kiss everyone in saluatation before an event or dinner can get underway) it is still admittedly a little wierd to kiss people, especially men that I am meeting for the first time.
Also, the French are much more liberal in terms of showing affection. Kissing (...etc.) is acceptable on the metro, in the middle of a crowded sidewalk, or even in line at the boulangerie (bread bakery) if the line is going slow (it seems like people sometimes start kissing to pass time in line). In some ways its sweet to see two people that seem so fallen for one another that they can't help but embrace...etc., etc. in the most public of places as they seem lost in their own world of lust, but at the same time I feel like I am witnessing an aspect of their private life that not only do I not care to know about it, but that should be kept between them in a more private location. The French recognize this cultural difference between them and Americans and they often make fun of how we are relatively much more conservative and uptight.
