I discovered that the fastest way to make a European dance in excitement is to show then a 500 euro Bill. The use of plastic is so prevalent in the France (esp. in the small non tourist towns) that most people carry a total of 10-15 euro in their wallets and so many of them have never seen high value bills. What is worse that recently my school’s account department refused to accept 500 euro bills for a payment of 800 euro that I was supposed to make.
While on the other hand there is India where people just love dealing with cash. Almost all the shops will prefer cash over credit card or cheques. I have known people who have bought property and paid 1million INR or more in cash. To introduce a paper trail of the transactions and accountability government of India is trying to tax and discourage cash transactions.
The life here in France is so different, that its hard to believe that I am only a few hours away from my home in India.