Posted on 07/27/2014 12:12:01 PM PDT by not2be4gotten.com
So, as an American, after 3 months living in France, for the first time, let us review what we have found and possibly blow away some myths and untruths you have been hearing all of your life, shall we? lol
1) The French are rude/unhelpful/disdainful.
This is the biggest bunch of bull stereotype on the planet. Americans are the strange ones here, as we have to always put on a false face and smile all the time, for various cultural reasons. Look at our current President, who became powerful, almost entirely by his toothy smile. The French are normal and don't "fake smile" all of the time. Many Americans take this as rude. The French people, in general are wonderful, helpful, outgoing and gregarious. Many Americans say this to feel culturally superior. This is just cultural liberalism.
2) Paris is safe and crime free.
Mostly true. You will not worry about walking down that dark alley at 2 AM.
3) French people are smelly.
Untrue. This comes from the fact that French men tend to pee on the sidewalks and that does smell.
4) French cuisine is the world's best.
UNTRUE (and this is my own opinion, so take it for what it is worth). The French are blessed with some of the best fruits and vegetables in the world. The Tomatoes, cherries, cantaloupes, peppers, onions, nectarines and even seedless watermelon! The problem with all of this, is when these ingredients end up in a French kitchen, that's where it all goes wrong. They mix in snails, frog legs, livers and various other stuff. It is all very unappetizing.
I walk by café restaurants every day and look at the food that people are eating and it is not for me.
And if you come over here and expect to make that wonderful lasagna, pork and sauerkraut, enchiladas or macaroni and cheese, you have your work cut out for you. Just finding Cheddar cheese, a packet of taco seasoning or a decent jar of spaghetti sauce, this going to be a real problem for you. Example, you cannot find Italian sausage, sour cream, summer sausage, pepperoni, (decent) sauerkraut or chili powder, anywhere. I could make a long list of these things, but I just don't have time. The Indian restaurants in North East Paris are fantastic (again, this is a personal preference).
5) The wine in France is wonderful.
True. At any grocery store you can invariably find a $3 bottle of wine and it will be great.
6) The French are a bunch of lazy socialists.
I don't know, I see a lot of very hard working people here. I was surprised by this. And there is so much wealth here, the transportation systems are almost unbelievable.
7) There are wonderful cheese shops in France.
True. Every cheese shop I have been too has "Blue Stilton" cheese. And it is always relatively inexpensive and delicious.
8) The French smoke a lot.
This is true. Especially young women 20 to 30 years old. Nobody really knows why.
9) French woman are beautiful.
True. And they all seem to get all made up every day. It is like an unwritten rule for the woman of France to look as good in public as possible, all of the time.
10) French women are not fat.
True. Walking the streets of Paris for a few weeks, this is very apparent. Again, the question is why?
11) The French drive all of these small cars.
This is true and false. There are a lot of scooters, motorcycles and small cars running around Paris. There are a lot of big Mercedes, Land Rovers and trucks, also. There are a lot of European cars here, which I wasn't expecting, in that I had just assumed that every (most) cars in the (western) world were made in America, which is not true.
A couple of points about France and motor vehicles:
A) I don't recall seeing an American style, what we Americans, would call, a "pickup truck". Like a Ford F150, Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram anywhere in Europe.
B) I don't see any Toyota Camrys or Corollas, the best selling cars in the world.
C) I see all of these "motorcycles" with 2 front wheels here, which I don't see in the states. And I don't understand why.
D) When you rent a car in France, unless you want to pay a premium, you end up with a manual transmission (a stick shift car). Whys is this?
Anyway, just some observations from the "old world".
How long have men in Paris been doing this? I'm curious if this "convenience" got started in WWII. There seem to be plenty of pictures showing Paris being bombed, latrines possibly rare at that time.
I heard this version:
HEAVEN
The food is French
The mechanics are German
The administrators are Swiss
The police are British
The lovers are Italian.
HELL
The food is British
The mechanics are French
The administrators are Italian
The police are German
The lovers are Swiss.
I told one Dutch bartender that my wife and I were just in Germany, but that the beer was better in Holland-- he just beamed at that and we got a whole evening of free beer in return :-)
B) I don't see any Toyota Camrys or Corollas, the best selling cars in the world
France, not surprisingly, has crushing taxes and fees on larger, heavier vehicles. Ordinary folk couldn't afford a pickup. No status attaches to a pickup, so people with wealth go for luxe sedans.
The Toyota Yaris is popular in France, and is manufactured there. Nissan Qashqais and Jukes are also popular there. Corollas are probably considered a little too big.
French brands are - SURPRISE! - the most popular models in France
The Netherlands were probably my favorite county out of the countries we visited last year.
I loved Amsterdam (and no, I did not partake in the ‘Coffee Shops’)
I saw a Doner Kebap stand in Salt Lake City of all places.
I started liking the Mayo and french fries and a little curry powder.
Can-Am Spyder is made in North America and you do see them here.
I am overwhelmed by your response to my post.
I guess that was the whole point.
Your response is very good, probably one of the best in history of FR, and I appreciate that, more than you know.
I will try to respond in kind. When I can.
The two-wheel scooters I had forgotten about. Look retarded to me.
I have done several extended trips all over France, not just Paris. They are wonderful people. Try starting a conversation in French and they usually pick it up in English. The non-French immigrants from mainly North Africa are the ones I found to need hygene lessons. The French women are indeed, ooohlala. I would love to have a vacation home there.
You are in Pennsylvania and probably don't see that much. I encounter it constantly in the western U.S. I agree with the OP's comments on the matter.
Heaven
Were the cooks are French
The mechanics are Swiss
The lovers are Italian
The British run everything
Ah, the western US. I don’t see it too much anywhere on the east coast in general.
I never had any particular hankering for French food. I don’t get the appeal. Frankly, I even rate British food higher. When I was in Ireland and went to Paris on a school trip (stayed at a hostel), the most exotic thing to eat was ground horsemeat.
Royale avec fromage......OH. YEAHH? Up yours, too!!
Were in the vicinity of the recent anti-Israel demonstrations? Not asking for details, just did you see any of that?
We spent a week in Paris, last summer.
The people were, for the most part, very friendly. They would walk up and help with directions, if we were looking (squinting) at our maps.
The food was wonderful and we couldn’t find a bad bottle of red wine ;)
The women are skinny (men, too, for the most part) because they walk everywhere. We lost a few pounds while we were there, from all of the walking we did.
When we return we will visit the southern part of France. But, there is nothing quite like enjoying a glass of wine, at sunset, while watching the Eiffel Tower light up.
Really the only hankering I have for food for the entire continent and British Isles is classic British fish&chips. But I’m weird. Plain baked potatoes, too. Starved in Greece even though I had to endure that place for only one afternoon.
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