For those of us interested in international travel, it is commonplace to have an understanding of culture – what culture is, how it influences people, and how it is experienced. For those of you readers who have not traveled internationally you may not have a full grasp or understanding on just how broad culture is, or even what it is or how to experience it. The simplest way to define culture is by giving examples of what makes up a culture. A culture is made up of a set of morals, ideals, food, architecture, and language (among several other key components). Cultures can be defined by location, ethnicity, religion, and a variety of other factors. While the most obvious way to experience and learn about a culture is through full immersion by way of trip to the country of origin of the culture, this is often not realistic for a variety of reasons from finance to time constraints. For those of you in the Salt Lake City area looking to experience and learn more about the French culture, here are some tips and starting places.
The first component of culture that can easily be learned about in Salt Lake City is food. Finding a French restaurant that serves authentic French cuisine can be challenging, but not impossible. Indulging in French cuisine puts you one delicious step closer to understanding the French culture.
One more way to learn more about the French culture is through the French language. One of the love languages, French can be difficult for anyone to learn because just like any other foreign language, you must learn to not only speak it, but listen and comprehend, and read and write in order to master the language. The nuances of the language and how it is structured will allow you to further understand the French culture by using the language as a means to further interpret and understand French works of literature and movies. The best way to learn French is through use of an instructor. For those of you looking for a French teacher in Salt Lake City, I highly recommend studying under French instructor Inlingua Utah (more information can be found at https://www.inlinguautah.com).
One more way to learn more about the French culture in Salt Lake City is to visit a French-owned local business. This will not only give you an insight into the morals and ideals of the owners professionally but can also lead to a further understanding of their values personally.
The last way I recommend learning more about French culture is through French movies and television shows. While these may start out as unbearable with the emphasis placed on subtitles, eventually you will come to appreciate the general idea of the movies and television shows and the nuances that are present. You may even learn a little French.