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8 things that amaze the French about Belgium

13:06 23/04/2015

Levifweekend.be journalist Aurélie Wehrlin, who emigrated to Belgium three years ago, points out to Knack.be the eight aspects of Belgian culture that continue to surprise her.

Wehrlin is astounded by the way Belgians go about collecting garbage, with the bags placed out on the curb or before the doorstep on collection day. This would be unthinkable in France, she says, where it is considered a major eyesore.  

Wehrlin revealed a bit of her sense of humour by listing ‘the colour yellow’. According to the journalist, yellow is simply all around you in Belgium, from the glowing street lamps along the motorways to the world-famous fries and even mayonnaise.

Belgians have the patience of saints, says Wehrlin, who has seen Belgians sit in waiting rooms for hours without making the slightest complaint. Or in the cloakroom of a concert hall, another place where Belgians excel at contentedly waiting their turn.

In France, cigarettes were banished from supermarkets nearly 25 years ago, so it never fails to surprise Wehrlin when she sees cigarettes for sale in just about every Belgian supermarket.

The journalist goes on to add that requests for social benefits in Belgium are generally met with respect and a positive attitude, parents who drink beer at school parties appear to be the norm, Belgians make overtly racist comments in casual, everyday conversation and children are allowed to be seen and heard in daily life.

Written by Robyn Boyle

Comments

judithheimann

I am American but have lived in both France and Belgium. On smoking, I see more of it going on in public places (such as cafes) in France than in Belgium. And as to racist and anti-semitic slurs, they are most common among the French upper class, and to a lesser degree in the Belgian upper class; this has not changed much in the past 40 or more years. By contrast, younger people in both France and Belgium appear to be freer of race and religious prejudice than their elders were.

Apr 23, 2015 15:29