This is neither telling nor profound. Perhaps it is just a cultural difference, like how my French friends cringe at the thought of anything but sugar, a cigarette, sugar, a simple carb, and a side of sugar for breakfast, but I don’t think I have ever seen anyone in the States use an umbrella in the snow. Yet here in Paris, when the snow comes, it is common practice to have a portable roof.
Does this stem from a desperate need to accessorize? Is it logical?
Was I simply blinded to this common practice in New York and Chicago?
What do you guys think?
Advertisement
She giggled as she pulled the metal chair out to sit down at my table just outside of the cafe. Giggling was always her way saying ‘bonjour.’
“Aren’t you eating anything this morning?” she said.
“I don’t feel well,” I said. “I think I ate too much uncooked frozen pizza last night. I don’t think it was room temperature yet.”
She giggled again.
The metal cafe chairs were cold. It was starting to snow.
“Did you bring an umbrella?” she asked, half giggling, half shivering.
“No, I don’t understand why anyone would need an umbrella in the snow,” pulling up the collar on my overcoat, with a home-made lining sown from my mother’s pajamas.
“It helps keep the snow off the croissant. Don’t you americains know anything?
She giggled, for no apparent reason.
I finally understood.
Hungarians do it too.
I live in the US, Portland OR. We had a big snow storm and I carried an umbrella but no one else I saw had one. Most people here have coats with hoods and they don’t see the point. Lovely photo by the way!
In Chicago, using an umbrella in the snow is like wearing ear muffs. It’s blasphemy. Ohhh you’re pretty little ears are cold? Go stick your head in the oven. It’s like wearing a shirt to a Chicago Bears game and refusing to paint letters on your chest to spell out “End Zone” with your keg-stand buddies. Sure you’ll catch pneumonia but you won’t notice because of the awful hangover you’ll have. Umbrella? C’mon. Tough it out Tinkerbell.
I thought I’d never seen anyone with an umbrella in the snow, and it seemed like such a good idea, that on Friday when it snowed I took my umbrella. And I passed every third person carrying an umbrella too. I wonder why I had never noticed? (And it was great, because it kept the snow off my glasses).