A Few Thoughts on Dijon So Far

Hello all,

First of all, I must apologize for taking so long to update my blog. Whenever I travel I always struggle to balance experiencing new places and taking time to record and reflect on what I have seen. But when technology malfunctions (like computer batteries and internet connections), it’s harder to maintain this balance. Anyway, time to get to the good stuff:

While en route to Provence on Thursday morning I took some time to think about elements of the culture in Dijon which have surprised me or stuck out to me since I arrived a little over a week ago. Keep in mind that certain things stand out in contrast to my recent experience in Morocco. So things I notice are different from (or the same as) elements of culture in the U.S. or in Morocco. I came up with the following:

Young people: I have read many statistics about how (population-wise) Europe is dying and the Muslim world is exploding. But now I have seen it firsthand. Walking around Fez in the evenings I was shocked by how many young people I saw: young children, adolescents, and tons of teenagers. Here I have definitely noticed a lack of children. I have yet to see a mother with more than one child, and there appear to be a lot of mature adults. Both statistically and within my own experience, the U.S. is somewhere between these two extremes.

Dogs: It seems like a lot of Dijon’s residents own dogs. I’ve seen many “French” breeds (especially lots of Brittany and Cocker spaniels), but also golden retrievers, bulldogs, and every other kind. Plenty of people in the U.S. own dogs, but it seems like I have seen a lot of people walking them in the centre ville (the center of the Dijon city). It seems unusual to see so many people walking their pets in the downtown of a city. And this is very different from Morocco. Since the Koran stipulates that dogs cannot be kept inside the house, the only dogs I saw in Morocco were either junk yard-esque dogs being walked by swaggering males or a foreigner’s pet.

Portion size: The panini I had for dinner on Wednesday night was pretty skimpy, but besides that the dishes at cafes and restaurants have been in larger portions than I expected.

Friendliness: The people I have observed and encountered in Dijon have been less outwardly friendly compared to people in the U.S. or in Morocco. Once I have a conversation with someone they seem to warm up, but most people don’t walk around smiling (of course I am generalizing, but there are the trends I have noticed)

Stores close early: I have not yet ascertained whether this is specific to smaller cities like Dijon or it reflects a more general trend in France. Last night Kara, Carolyn, Carleigh, and I went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Le Prince de Sange-Melee). The film was entirely in French and without subtitles, but I was able to understand all of it. Our movie didn’t start until 9pm, so after eating our panini on the square, we walked around to look for a place to get dessert. We couldn’t find anything open. We ended up buying snacks at Monoprix (similar to Target, but physically more compact). I bought a bag of miniature “d’épices” cookies. Pain d’épices (gingerbread) is one of Dijon’s specialties (along with crème de cassis and mustard). Pain d’épices can be sold in various forms: loafs (like banana bread) or wedges or slabs or even as small bar-like cookies the shape and size of Fig Newtons.

Kebabs: When I hear the word kebab in America I think of pieces of grilled meat and vegetables served on skewers. Here they call that dish brochettes and kebabs are more like gyros. I have yet to try one, but everyone else raves about them, especially the boys. I had no idea that French people ate them, but they must because in Dijon the kebab shops are almost as numerous as the patisseries.