Little Difference #40

Little Difference #40 - Deodorant

If I were forced to guess, I'd say 80% of American women using solid, stick type deodorant. Yes, I may have the deodorant preference of my fellow American women totally wrong. But based on advertisements and what is available in the shops, I'm sticking with my guess. Here in Luxembourg, however, the vast majority of deodorant is of the roll on or spray variety. In fact I've only seen 2 brands that offer a solid. I think this may be the case all over Europe. A friend who lived in Denmark said that solid deodorant wasn't even available there.

It is a funny little difference. I wonder how one area comes to favor one type and another something different. Interesting.

Naturally I must ask what type of deodorant is used (if any!) where you live?

Read all the Little Differences here.

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Friends, this concludes my series of Little Differences. I hope you've enjoyed reading them as much as I've enjoyed discovering them.

Little Difference #39

Little Difference #39 - Pizza

You can get some delicious pizzas here in Luxembourg. The interesting thing is that they don't come sliced. What you'll get is a pizza on a plate, a fork and a large steak knife. Pizzas are eaten with knife and fork, one bite at a time. Talk about labor intensive. As my friend Jennifer said, I don't eat pizzas here they are too much work!

I do eat pizzas here and, yes, they are a lot of work. But I like that I'm slowed down. My meal lasts longer and I enjoy it much more. Honestly, I end up eating some bites with a fork and knife and some with my hands. Now that I feel more comfortable here I'm not so worried about following the rules.

Not only are pizzas served whole they are always served individually. Each person gets their own pizza; there isn't one large pizza for everyone to eat from. In the US pizzas are ordered in small, medium or large. A large pizza would feed a family of 4. If a pizza is meant for one person it would be listed as a "personal" pizza. A Dutch friend was vacationing in Florida and ordered a large pizza for herself as she was very hungry. You can imagine how surprised she was when the ginormous, meant for 4, pizza arrived.

BTW, my favorite pizzas here are Pizza Diavola (comes with spicy salami) and Pizza Rucola (comes with fresh arugula and Parmesan shavings.)

What about you? Pizza with a fork & knife or is pizza a finger food?

Read all the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #38

Little Difference #38 - Houses

You know how we often don't see the things right in front of our eyes? That is definitely the case with this difference - houses! The houses (and buildings) here in Luxembourg are different from those in Seattle in 2 important ways - building material and paint color.

Houses here are built from cement blocks - cinder blocks. In Seattle houses are mainly constructed from wood. Brick is also not uncommon. And, yes, a few are made from cinder blocks.

More interesting than the building material, though is the paint colors. The majority of houses and building here are painted pink, yellow,orange or white. Yes, you'll see the odd light blue or light green house. But colors of the sunset is the norm. Pinks range from pale, barely there pink to Pepto Bismol. The same gradation applies to yellow and orange. Take a look:

You may have noticed from the pictures that attached and semi-attached houses are very common here. Not the case in Seattle. Most houses are stand-alone.

Please tell me about houses in your area. I'm dying to know!

Read all the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #37

Little Difference #37 - Coins

A funny little detail to attend to before moving back to the States - rolling loose change. We've collected quite a bit. As I watched the girls counting and rolling I realized why we have so much. There are twice as many coins in Europe as in America.

In the States we have the penny (1), nickel (5), dime (10) and quarter(25) - 4 different coins. The Euro coin denominations are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 1 euro, 2 euros - 8 coins. The 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 cent coins collect very quickly in the change bowl.Even after nearly 3 years here I still fumble around for coins in my coin purse. There are too many of them. The 1, 2, 5 are the same color; a dark copper color. The 10, 20, and 50 are gold. It is impossible to find the proper coin in a dark coin purse. The 1 cent coins are tiny! Smaller than a dime (for you Americans.)

I also think that having 1 euro and 2 euros as a coin, mentally diminishes its value. It doesn't seem like what it is (especially if I think of it in dollars.) Bills seem like "real" money or something substantial. But the coins here can add up very fast into something "real." The first bill in the Euro is a 5 euro bill.

BTW, if you're looking to keep your kids occupied have them roll coins. My kids loved this. After the first day they asked to do it the next. They even asked about it in the car on the way home from school.

What are the coin denominations where you live?

Read all the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #36

Little Difference #36 - Speedo Swimsuits

I know, I know this should be a post about Venice, but we ran into this difference on Sunday and I just had to share it with you. We heard it was true. And as Bryce found out on Sunday it definitely is true - at public swimming pools here in Luxembourg men must wear Speedo style swim suits!

We've never taken the kids swimming here despite the fact that swimming seems to be very popular. There are many swimming pools and people always talk about going swimming. Once Bryce heard Speedos were required there was no possibility of him going. And since wearing a bathing suit in public is really not my favorite thing I never offered to take the girls either. But, they begged and begged so Bryce volunteered. Hey, we managed to put them off for over 2 years, not bad.

He brought his trunks, put them on and then was stopped from getting into the pool. No Speedo, no swim, Monsieur. Luckily there was a shallow kiddie pool and the girls could splash around with Bryce on the sidelines.

I've been told the reason for the Speedos is hygiene, meaning the trunks would bring more dirt, grime, unhygienic stuff into the pool. Could someone please explain this reasoning to me?

In the little corner of America I'm familiar with men wear swim trunks. With the exception of athletes, Speedos are not worn by the average guy. In fact, we secretly point and giggle when we do see a man in such swim attire. Point and giggle, my friends. And that is why Speedos at the swimming pool is a Little (big) Difference.

FUNNY READ - an expat in Paris recounts his horror at the Speedo rule.

Tell me about swim attire in your neck of the woods.

Read all the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #35

Little Difference #35 - Yellow Chicken

The first time I bought it I thought it was spoiled. I didn't notice the package which clearly states - Jaune. Sometime later I realized that there were actually 2 different colors of chicken for sale in the grocery store - jaune (yellow) and blanc (white.) Blanc must be the default color. Packages are not labeled blanc like the yellow meat is. As you can see by the pictures the meat is not glaringly yellow. It is darker than the white and has a yellow tinge.

I tried to find out a bit about this yellow chicken, unfortunately I didn't turn up much. One note I read said the variations in color are due to the skin color of the chicken. I also read that poulet jaune get their yellow tinge from being fed maize. I read that there is black (noir) chicken also. Haven't run into that in the store! The poulet jaune is more expensive than the standard. The breast meat seems firmer. I can't tell a difference in taste.

Do you know more about yellow chicken? Please tell!

Read all the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #34

Little Difference #34 - Costumes in March

The shops in Luxembourg sell costumes two times a year. In October for Halloween as it is becoming more and more popular here and in March. In March (and the end of February) costumes are sold for Carnival. To be honest, Carnival is a holiday that I'm completely unfamiliar with and only came into contact with here in Luxembourg. Before I explain how the costumes relate to Carnival, let me briefly explain what Carnival is.

This is my general understanding about Carnival after doing a bit of research online: Carnival, a primarily Catholic celebration, is the period of time before lent. It is a celebration and indulgence before meat (or whatever else) is given up for lent. The word carnival is thought to be derived from the Italian word for meat- carne - and means something like, to remove meat
The last day of Carnival is the day before Ash Wednesday. The last day of Carnival is, in some places, called Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras.

Carnival celebrations vary greatly from city to city. Some of the largest celebrations are in Brazil, Italy, Trinidad & Tobago and New Orleans, Louisiana. Although Luxembourg is a Catholic country the Carnival celebrations do not seem very big. There are a few parades found in some of the smaller villages. Most of the communes host a costume party for children, which would explain why costumes are sold. Beignets are sold in the bakeries during the Carnival season.

Is Carnival celebrated where you live? Do tell!

It is quite possible I'm unaware of all the Carnival festivities here in Luxembourg. If you are a local, please fill me in. Thanks!

Sites I used to research Carnival:
Wiki - Carnival
Wiki - Mardi Gras
History of Carnival in Brazil
Venice Carnival

Read all the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #33

Mirabelle plums are olive size, yellow plums common to the Lorraine region of France (on the right.)

Little Difference #33 - Ice Cream Flavors

And what a tasty difference it is! No Rocky Road, Neapolitan, Cookie Dough, or Chocolate Chip Mint here in Lux. But look what they do have. We're not suffering. No, not at all!

Stracciatella (on the left) is found in every gelateria. It is vanilla with little chocolate pieces in it. It happens to be Eva's favorite.

Dame Blanche, on the right, is a Belgian (and parts of France) dessert. It is vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce (sometimes heated) and Chantilly cream on top. In the U.S. we would call it a hot fudge sundae or chocolate sundae.

Marron is the French word for chestnut (although, technically Marrons are slightly different from Chestnuts.) Marrons glacés (on the right) are candied chestnuts; a confection from the south of France.

Quetsche plums are common in this region. The Questche we get in Luxembourg are from Germany. They look like, what we in the U.S., would call Italian Prunes. Speculoos (on the right) are Belgian cookies that are traditionally eaten during St. Nicholas Day.

Cannelle is the French word for cinnamon(on the left.) On the right we have Orange Blossom Honey (Miel.)

Pink Grapefruit (pamplemousse) on the right.

Light ice cream, so common in the U.S., is nearly non existent here. Ben & Jerry's ice cream is sold here . . . for about 5,00 euros a pint! It's funny too, that for as popular as ice cream is, there aren't any ice cream shops here - only Gelaterias. I'm not complaining, just sayin'!

Tell me about ice cream in your neck of the woods!

Read all the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #32

photo credit

Little Difference #32 - Dogs in Restaurants

Two Little Difference posts in a row?!? There is a first for everything. I ran into this difference this weekend. I've been aware of it for sometime but Saturday's experience was just begging to be written up.

On Saturday we went to the center to run some errands and poke around the farmers' market. We ended up going out for lunch at a pizzeria. In the restaurant I counted NO FEWER than 7 dogs under tables at the feet of their owners. I've seen dogs in restaurants here before but hadn't thought much about it until then. The dogs were not ill behaved or a nuisance. They just sat there waiting for their people. All were little dogs, the kind that would fall into the category of a pampered pet.

I don't think this is legal in America. Isn't it a health code violation? I would imagine you'd see this kind of thing in LA or New York City so maybe it isn't a violation. In Seattle? I don't think so. But maybe? As a non dog person I have no idea. I've read about this dog phenomena in Paris, many of the Paris culture shock books discuss this. I guess it is here in Luxembourg too although on a much smaller scale.

It's not that I mind the dogs in the restaurants (or salons. Seen that here too) it is that I just don't understand that kind of dog/person relationship (for lack of a better phrase.) All the fuss, attention, human privileges; I don't get it. Do you?

Have you dined with any canines recently? Details please.

Read all the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #31

Little Difference #31 - Persimmons and Lychee

In mid November persimmons (Kaki, aka Japanese persimmon variety) start showing up in the grocery stores here in Luxembourg. They are sold in bulk and in flats. And people buy them! By the bag full. In Seattle you would likely find a few persimmons placed in the exotic produce area and that is it. Never have I tasted one or been offered one, seen one in the menu of a restaurant or have friends who eat them. Persimmons are just not a popular fruit (technically, a berry) in Seattle. Because of this I've been fascinated by the quantity that people seem to buy here in Luxembourg. How are they eaten? Raw? Cooked? Dried? I have no idea. David Lebovitz recently posted a recipe for chocolate persimmon muffins but I doubt this is what becomes of all the permissions sold here.

photo credit here

Lychee appear a little later than persimmons in the grocery store. For me, they fall into the same category as persimmons, I know they exist, have seen a few of them from time to time in the exotic produce section of the grocery store, but they are not regularly consumed in Seattle. Not even irregularly. Again I wonder how they are eaten. Raw? Cooked? What becomes of those big bags of lychee that I see in grocery carts here? Lychee are a tropical fruit, one that I saw at the local market in Hawaii. Lychee makes sense in Hawaii, but in Luxembourg?

Last year the girls and I bought a few lychee to try. We simply peeled them and ate them raw. The taste reminded me of a mild green grape. Not bad but nothing spectacular. I must purchase a persimmon to try. Any suggestions on how to eat it?

If you are a local here, please, please tell me how permissions and lychee are eaten! I'm so curious.

Are persimmons and lychee commonly eaten in your neck of the woods? Do tell!

Read all the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #30

image credit

Little Difference #30 - Champagne

Now, first off let me just acknowledge that I'm not going to use the term champagne correctly in this post. I'm going to use champagne to refer to any sparkling wine - cremant, prosecco, and yes, even champagne. As we all know only sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France is truly champagne as it has PDO status.

With New Year's Eve only days away I imagine many of you are buying some champagne to help bring in the New Year; to celebrate;toast to good health. Am I right? In America champagne is purchased and consumed for celebratory reasons - the new year, big promotion, wedding anniversary. Here in Luxembourg champagne (cremant) is not only a special occasion drink it is an any-given-Tuesday drink. Perhaps it is because Luxembourg produces its own cremant in the Moselle Valley. Maybe cremant is a source of national pride. I really don't know why it is consumed so regularly.
Girls night out? We start with cremant and often end with cremant. Dinner party? Cremant aperitif. Visit with the neighbors? Sure, an afternoon cremant sounds great! All markets, festivals, outside (and inside) events have a cremant booth. Kid birthday parties? It is not uncommon for the host and hostess to provide parents with a glass. You can even get cremant (beer or wine too, of course) at indoor play areas for kids.

My point is champagne is more than just a special occasion drink here. I don't want to say it flows like water, but it flows like water here. My friends and I realized this one night out when we ordered a bottle of cremant one random evening out. Someone said, "Would you drink this at home?" Both English and American, we all agreed "No." But then we're not home so we drink champagne like it ain't no thing.

Enjoy your champagne this weekend. We will do the same here in Luxembourg. Of course we'll enjoy it again next Thursday or Monday or maybe both days.

What's the champagne culture where you live?

Read about all the Little Difference here.

Little Difference #29

Little Difference #29 - Christmas Dessert

The Bûche de Noël is the official dessert of Christmas over here in Luxembourg. They start invading the bakeries about a week or so before Christmas. Yum, right? Seeing all these Bûches de Noël got me thinking. In America we don't have *one* dessert that everyone eats at Christmas. The English have their Christmas Pudding. The French and Luxembourgish (and a few others) have their Bûche de Noël. I can't think of anything comparable in American Christmas culture. We do Christmas cookies but that is really not a dessert you'd serve after a meal. For Thanksgiving we have pumpkin pie but nothing standard for Christmas. Friends, am I missing something?

This year I've seen loads of these little cute Bûche de Noël called buchette. They are exactly the same as their larger counter parts, just smaller and perhaps cuter. Essentially they are individual size Bûches de Noël. They seem to be all over this year. I had to buy some. See? Aren't they cute. Like the little axes?

The traditional Bûche de Noël takes another form besides miniature - ice cream! Oh, yes, the freezer cases are stuffed with bûche glacées this time of year. Same idea only made of ice cream. I even saw some ice cream buchettes (squeal!)

Now, I know you're busy. I realize it is the day before Christmas Eve, BUT, please take a moment to chime in. I'm interested in:

A) What dessert is consumed at Christmas time where you live?
B) To you Americans, I'm curious if your family has a traditional Christmas dessert.

I know you are out there and reading this. It just takes a sec.

Read all the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #28

Little Difference #28 - Orchids in the Window

Such an interesting phenomena. Why orchids? They are not suited to the climate here in Luxembourg. How did this trend come to be? But there they are, sitting in windows all over this country. 1, 2, 3 even 4 orchids a window. Its very pretty. One more picture here.

The windows here are built with a generously sized marble sills underneath them, perfect for setting plants or nic nacs. Radiators are then placed under the windows. Seems to me the orchids would get fried with all that dry heat. But clearly I'm missing something. I don't know the first thing about taking care of orchids.

There is nothing commonly seen on windowsills in Seattle. The windowsills tend to be too narrow to permanently set anything on them.

Orchids are available in grocery stores, florist shops and even in Ikea. I even have one (thank you Christina!) It's not on the windowsill, though. I'm too afraid that would kill it.

Any orchid experts out there? Please chime in.

Read about the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #27

Little Difference #27 - Metal Blinds

99.9% of all houses, apartments, and commercial buildings have metal blinds. And I have to say that I think they are brilliant. When closed completely they let absolutely no light though. Which did lead to a few problems when we first arrived. Remember the day we woke up at 2:00 in the afternoon? But for those of us who like to sleep in a room as dark as possible, well, you couldn't ask for anything better.

In the evening or early morning, with the blinds shut tight, the houses all look deserted or closed for the season. No peeping into windows here in Luxembourg.

The blinds are located on the outside of the windows. Blinds can be operated 3 different ways. We have a long wand on the right side of the blinds that is turned to open and close. Other blinds have a wide strap that is pulled. Some houses have switches that open and close the blinds. Fancy, huh?

Are their metal blinds where you live? If not, is something else common?

Read all the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #26

Little Difference #26 - Windows

My realization of this little difference came about in an unfortunate way. Unfortunate not for us, but for a friend. And unfortunate for the little critter who happened into her house . . . through a window because it had NO SCREEN. It's true, windows here don't have screens.

Lack of screens isn't the only difference in the windows, though, they also open differently. If you turn the window handle 90 degrees the window opens up completely, like a door (see the top picture on post.) If you turn the handle 180 degrees, the window opens, just a crack, from the top (above.) The windows are very sturdy and extremely sound proof. They are great windows, just be careful to shut them at night to keep the critters out. You can read all about my friend's critter catastrophe here.

Back in Seattle, sash windows (aka double hung windows) are mostly the norm. What are the windows like where you live?

Read all the Little Differences here.

Little Difference #25

Little Difference #25 - School Health Checks

Just when I think I've run out of differences one will stumble right across my path. This time one came home from school with Eva in the form of a letter from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Along with the letter was an empty test tube. I vaguely remembered this from last year, but it corresponded with my trip to Seattle so we basically ignored it.

Instead of trying to explain the letter, I'll just quote the important parts for you.

In accordance with the ruling of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg of November 1993 outlining the manner and frequency of school healthcare arrangements and examinations, a physical examination of the children is carried out during the course of the pre-school year and during Primary Education.

A fresh urine sample must be brought in the sample pot provided.

So many questions, right? What does the physical examination consist of? Just height, weight, hearing, vision? Or is it more like an exam a child would receive in a Dr.'s office - ears, breathing/heartbeat with a stethoscope, feeling the tummy? And the urine. The urine. By sample pot, they must mean test tube. What are they testing the urine for? Sugar? Bacteria? Protein? What can the urine tell them about a child's overall health? What if something is irregular, will they come back and tell us?

In Washington we test children's vision and hearing. It is always done by the school nurse and conducted when kids are in primary, maybe Kindergarten? When students are older, about 6th grade, the school nurse looks for spinal curvatures. Maybe this is just for girls. But urine? NO! That type of testing is left for the Dr.'s office.

Not only was bringing pee to school different, the test tube was as well. Um, for a girl it is a bit more difficult to pee into a tube instead of a cup. I found the thought of all the golden viles tucked into school bags, making their way to school pretty humorous - kids taking them out, handing them to the teacher. So much could go wrong. Am I right?

I asked Eva about the exam after school. She said the nurse measured her feet and how tall she was. Instead of pressing and asking for clarification, I just let it go. Feet and height. And urine. Alright, then.

Tell me about health checks in your school system!

Read all the Little Differences here.
And read about an interesting one seen in Italy here.

Little Difference #24

Little Difference #24 - Colored Pencils

I thought kids' week would be a good time to share a kid related Little Difference. This difference involves art supplies, namely the absence of crayons. Around here colored pencils seem to be the coloring device of choice for young people. For example, at restaurants children are given colored pencils to use instead of crayons. Some coloring books are sold with small packs of colored pencils. But the dominance of colored pencils is most obvious at stores in the school supply section. Today I counted 44 different types of coloring utensils for sale. Only 3 of them were crayons. The rest were colored pencils and markers. Different for us Americans, no?

Using crayons seems like a developmental milestone for children in the U.S. First toddlers start with the thick jumbo crayons, move to the regular sized ones and at some point dream of owning a 64 pack (with a built in sharpener.) Speaking of 64 colors, check out the color chronology chart from Crayola. I totally remember Maize!

What's available where you live? What do beginning artists use?

Read all the Little Difference here.

p.s. Check out the little difference spotted in Italian Baby Foods here. Interesting!!

Little Difference #23

**another break into real time. Must share this experience while it is still fresh in my mind.**

Little Difference #23 - Controle Technique

This difference is fresh in my mind as I've just returned from it and thankfully, live to tell. For you Americans out there, Controle Technique is basically the Luxembourgish version of emissions testing. It is a test your car must pass once a year. Actually in Seattle I was only requred to have emissions testing every other year. Not sure if that was due to the age of our car or a change to State regulations. But here in Luxembourg it is once a year.

We had heard about Controle Technique from a colleague of Bryce's. He told horror stories of long lines, paper work and hassle. So when we received our letter, indicating that our car was due we heaved a collective groan. Funny enough, we were dreading it so much we forgot about it. Yup, just popped the letter into my pile of papers and went about my merry business. Last evening I remembered the letter, the summons, the impending dread. I fished out the letter and sure enough, we missed the date, our Controle Technique certificate had expired.

Today I marched myself into Controle Technique, expecting hassle, lots of disapproving looks for our lapse, tears, and to be told, it is not possible - those words that expats in this part of the world dread. I am pleased to report my experience was the complete opposite of that. The man at the reception desk couldn't care less that we were a few days late, he told me to get my car and get in the line. So I did. Tout de suite!

You're probably wondering about the little difference part, well, it involves the thoroughness of the tests and checks the car must pass. In Seattle, emissions testing consisted of a technician sticking a wand into the exhaust pipe to measure how much bad stuff the car gave off. Here in Luxembourg, it was much more involved.

2008 - Fashion King, Karl Lagerfeld advertising the (then) new law in France requiring yellow vests and orange triangles. In English it says, It's yellow, it's ugly, it doesn't go with anything but it can save your life.

There were 4 different stations that the car passed through. The whole experience could be thought of as an obstacle course for cars. Our indicators, break lights and high beams were checked. I had to show the florescent yellow safety vest and orange triangle that must be kept in the car for road side emergencies. The engine was checked as was the under side of the car. No joke, I drove the car over a pit that a technician stood in with a flash light to examine the belly of the car. At one point I had to get out of the car so the technician could drive it over an area designed to test the tires. Quite a work out for a car, no?

I'm thrilled to report that our car passed. I'm even more thrilled that we don't have do this again until next year. Maybe we'll even do it on time next year, just for kicks. Honestly, I think it is a good thing that cars must pass these basic safety tests. It makes the roads safer for all of us. What do you think the chances are the U.S. would adopt such strict standards for all cars?

As always, I'd love to hear about how things are done in your neck of the woods.

All the Little Differences here.

Footnote: I think Controle Technique is an EU regulation. Does anyone know?