My experience of France is from the late sixties. The people did smell then because no one wore deodorant, indoor plumbing was spotty, and women did not shave under their arms. I understand that all these conditions have improved.
Everyone in France smoked a lot. The favorite cigarette was the Gauloise. It stunk incredibly.
The food was wonderful; but then again, I was looking forward to French food and love omelettes, fruits and vegetables, especially potatoes, so I was not disappointed. Nor was I staying long-term; so I didn’t miss the Americanized ethnic foods (German saurkraut, Italian cuisine, etc) you described.
The people in the countryside were indeed warm, friendly and helpful, including when our car broke down. The people who worked in Paris were rude and snobbish, pretending not to understand my French (which was understood every other place in Europe, including outside of Paris) and generally behaving churlishly. One bakery woman would not even sell me a dozen croissants after I said it serveral different ways, lastly pointed to them and held fingers up, or even when I wrote it down. She laughed, shrugged and sneered the whole time. So I cussed her out in French, and judging by her red face and screams, she understood my French perfectly.