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15 February 2022
We previously highlighted the difference between French and Australian cinema. Let’s now compare Paris and Melbourne, or more widely the nuances between French and Aussie lifestyle! If both cities are destinations for culture, cuisine, and events, however there are many differences between them (other than being on opposite sides of the world).
The customary greeting in France is to ‘air kiss’ both cheeks of the person you are saying hello to. However, rather than planting your lips
directly on their cheek, it is more of a cheek press where you make a kissing noise. This is obviously not the norm in Australia, where we
instead opt for a handshake unless we are close to someone in which case a hug is more socially acceptable.
In Australia, nature wakes up very early in the day, even more so in the summertime! During the longest days of the year, the sunrise appears around 5 AM. Here, when the sun rises, the Australians rise too, because many believe the early bird catches the worm. On the contrary, French people are known for being night owls, functioning off fewer hours of sleep than us Melbournians. Whether you are escaping the heat or squeezing in some morning exercise, you will find Melbourne is a lot more awake than Paris on the weekends.
In Melbourne, you will easily find a variety of native birds and flowers. You also don’t need to travel far from the CBD to find other Australian creatures such as koalas and kangaroos.
In contrast, France hosts a far less unique and diverse array of flora and fauna. You are much more likely to see a pigeon or rat than a
cockatoo or possum roaming the streets of Paris. However, a positive to France’s lack of wildlife is that there are far fewer animals that
could potentially harm you, unlike Australia's seemingly endless list of hazardous native species.
Although Paris is historically known for being an epicenter for arts and culture, boasting the largest art museum in the world (aka the Louvre), Australia's First Nations people’s art is among the most enduring in human history, extending for roughly 60-80,000 years. Although 66% of the artworks in the Louvre are made by French artists, the NGV hosts more than 70,000 pieces of Australian art in their collection. Therefore, while Australian art isn’t as recognised in global art history, it is just as diverse and rich as European artistry.
While in Australia we struggle to define what our national dish is (yes, we are still fighting over the rights to the pavlova with New Zealand), France has a vast cuisine with countless iconic dishes and flavours like coq-au-vin, escargot, crêpes, quiche lorraine, fondue, foie gras… we will stop here as the list is never ending. However, while Melbourne doesn’t have a definitive cuisine, our multicultural society still brings a host of amazing food to our table. So, while the French have mastered their own cuisine, Melbourne is a jack of all trades - or should we say cuisines!
Love all things French?
