Years ago we were second in line at a car rental agency here in Carcassonne directly behind another customer with whom the transaction was conducted in French. As we approached the counter, the agent immediately said to us, in English, “Hello, may I help you?” We had not yet said a word out loud, not even an accented Bonjour, yet we were clearly identifiable as English speakers and maybe even as Americans. But how did he know? An article from the Huffpost might provide some clues. It’s entitled, “23 Telltale Signs Someone Is American, According To Europeans”.

If you travel, you are probably familiar with the phrase “ugly American” as a stereotype that depicts tourists from the US as loud, arrogant, ignorant, and insensitive. According to the National Archives, the term was popularized by a 1958 novel of the same name that tells of blunders by diplomats from Washington who were ignorant of local customs and culture, and for being haughty and pretentious. While those unfavorable traits can help reveal someone’s identity, it’s not all bad news. Here’s a breakdown of the positive and negative remarks regarding American tourists, divided into 4 categories:

Communication & Demeanor

• Loud and Confident: speaking at a volume above local norms. On the upside, we’ve had several French people tell us that they admire the confidence and the can-do attitude.
• Warmth and Friendliness: willingness to talk to anyone. We might know someone like that 😉
• Genuine enthusiasm: expressive and quick to show their delight, “OMG, awesome!”
• Full of compliments: giving spontaneous, specific and thoughtful praise to strangers.
• Overusing the word “like”: as a filler. For the French it might be “du coup”.

Habits & Preferences

• Asking for iced coffee: or lots of ice in general.
• Cappuccino with dinner: or coffee with dessert rather than afterwards.
• Different portion sizes: disappointment with normal (smaller) European servings.
• Customization instinct: asking for menu substitutions, salad dressing on the side, almond milk.
• Seeking air conditioning: we do this, especially in noisy city centers where the machine sound can mask the traffic.
• Big spending habits: buying in bulk where locals shop daily. If we take the bus to a suburban shopping center we do indeed buy more than one of an item to avoid a quick return.
• Generous tippers: leaving considerably more than a few euros.
• Paying by credit card: even for very small purchases.

Appearance & Travel Style

• Comfort-first fashion: sportswear, sneakers, baseball caps, and hoodies.
• Stanley-style cups: or other large reusable water bottles.
• Wide smiles and perfect teeth: often due to great dental care. Sally told us her new dentist identified her as American based on this, without even needing to ask.
• Rick Steves guidebooks: guilty as charged but we just carry a page or two at a time rather than the entire book so it’s not so apparent…we like to think.
• Fast-moving itinerary: visiting multiple major cities in a short amount of time. That used to be us when vacationing from the US but now that we have retired here we are advocates of “slow travel”.
• Large engagement rings: the flashier, the more obvious.

Cultural & Social Tendencies

• Jumping straight into English: it’s amazing how far you can get speaking English in France if you start every encounter with, “Bonjour”.
• Talking about their heritage: sharing their “old country” ancestry early in the conversation.
• Intangible American vibe: hard to articulate but easy to recognize the way Americans walk and even hold themselves in a confident manner.

Well, that wasn’t so bad after all. In restaurants we do sometimes hear loud conversations, but they’re not always in English, just as those casual clothes aren’t always on tourists from the USA. Happily, from the list above we also see warmth, friendliness, smiles, and enthusiasm, no matter what language is being spoken. Maybe, as people, we’re not all that different.

Photo notes: The featured photo across the top of today’s post is a gargoyle on St. Vincent’s church here in Carcassonne. In the first paragraph is part of the “Felicitations” kit that Sally and Larry gave me when I became a naturalized French citizen this time last year.