27. Experience Real French Cuisine
Many French offices seem to love the idea of présentéisme, and one easy way to do this is to go to Five Guys with your French coworkers
I've worked in two French offices so far, and the differences between the two have been quite stark. But the one thing they share in common? My French coworkers love Five Guys.
I started working at my previous job right when COVID hit, and when we finally returned to the office, the first thing my colleagues did was risk it all for a burger and small mountain of fries from Five Guys. Yes, they also enjoyed eating lunch en terrace at every brasserie within a 5-block radius, but at least once a week, they would hit up Five Guys.
It feels a little like an anthropological expedition each time I go to Five Guys in Paris with my coworkers. In the US, each Five Guys is decorated with framed newspapers from local press, fawning over their burgers. In France, they do this, too, but they feature local newspapers from the most random, small American cities. I was floored to see a framed cover of the Galveston County Daily News at the Five Guys near Opéra.
Then you have to order your meal. The menu is in French, but they retain certain words in English. My coworkers all order by pronouncing the English words with a heavy French accent, and because I don't want to stand out, I do this, too. I order the "lee-tle chez-boor-ger" avec des frites, and if I'm being naughty, I'll also get a "meelk-shake" au chocolat.
To really sell the part, you have to act like pronouncing these English words is such a novel, complicated act for you. I know I've turned in an Oscar-worthy performance when the person behind the counter doesn't switch to English to finish my order -- which is inevitably what happens if I pronounce the English words with my American accent.
Many French offices seem to love the idea of présentéisme, and one easy way to do this is to go to Five Guys with your French coworkers. Not only will this kill 90 minutes, but it will also give you a chance to commune with hyper-local American journalism and flex your acting chops, all while consuming enough sodium to leave you feeling like a gout-ridden Tudor-era monarch.