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".
Yeh I have to say that When we were in France the food was to die for. It didn’t matter what little hole in the wall you walked into it was fantastic. The food was great in Paris and out in the rural areas we visited. The wine was great too.
One of the best places in Paris is Hediard’s gourmet shop which is a few blocks from the Plaz de Concorde. I went ape in there buying up jars of this and that. Figs from Morroco in barrels and a great wine section. They had everything. But no taco seasoning packets or Johnny Harris barbeque sauce. LOL!
??? Are you just a bit confused?
‘The women are beautiful.’ They are taught to be ‘glamorous, feminine, and sensual’ - I read once. I loved reading that and have embraced it. It goes so much against feminist thinking.
I heard a lot of Arabic being spoken in Paris, especially with the Taxi drivers.
I’m not even that big of wine drinker normally, I’m more of a beer guy.
But I drank wine like water in Paris, and didn’t even get a hangover, Dieu merci!
“If you visit the cemeteries in Normandy and the Muese-Argonne, you will be blown away with the beauty and reverence they have shown for our honored dead.”
____________________________________________________________
The cemeteries are pristine, as they should be to honor our revered dead. However, they are maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission..not the French.
When my ship pulled into Brest in the mid-Seventies, the populace was very rude and unfriendly. But I have heard that is because it was a big port town, and they are that way to everyone. I try to give the benefit of the doubt to the rest of France.
Not to say I don’t enjoy poking fun at them the same way they enjoy poking fun at us!
Jeez, lighten up,Francis. Just jokin’.
>>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?
Just like all the skinny chicks in Asia - they walk EVERYWHERE, miles a day.
They call it a “Royale”, at least at the Micky D’s on the Champs Élysées.
I’ve had a few run ins with the stereotypical “rude” Parisian. I’ve also met some very nice French folks.
You often find what you’re looking for.
Yes, but the people who they employ to do that work are French, n’est-pas?
I also saw bus after bus of French schoolchildren visiting those cemeteries reverently, with tears in their eyes.
As an American serviceman there in ‘95 I couldn’t buy a beer at Ste Mere Eglise.. Couldn’t ask for more hospitality and respect for our service.
(although a lot of American wait staff really push the limit here).
My wife insisted on stopping in a little restaurant near the Louve. We were seated and we ordered. Others came in, the waitress moved us and two other couples.
We had our drinks and waited for our food. Others came in, the waitress moved us and three other couples.
Our food arrived and we began to eat. Others came in, the waitress approached and I said “Non!”
Then what do they put on their nachos?
Went to France for two weeks in the mid 90’s with a buddy. Met a grand total of TWO rude Frenchmen. Well, maybe one and a half.
The half was a guy I beat at pool. He did not like losing to a Serbian (I posed as Serbian in bars to excuse my poor and barely sufficient French).
The other was a cafe owner who was insulted that two Americans asked to eat lunch on his patio. No idea why that offended him. We went across the street, and a very nice cafe owner actually opened up his patio for us. We spent the equivalent of about US$200 there. Great food. Better wine. And the waitress? OHLALA!!!
And what did the rude cafe owner do? Stood on his patio ignoring his customers and staff to glare at us. For well over 2 hours!
Both of those incidents occurred in Paris.
We did have one dinner in Nice with some American business associates. One was a classic Ugly American. The wait staff was very nice to us — except for him. He finally got his salad when the rest of us were finishing desert. It was fully deserved and well played. I insisted on tipping well.
All that said, the nicest people I met in Europe were in Milan. Second nicest were in Nice. Best Italian food I ever ate was also in Nice.
PS If you want to hear English and you are near Nice, go to Antibes. It has a Britt expat enclave. And they buy Americans pints. Lots of pints.
Are they still no-touchy over there?
(Me, 1985): “... You will see a tiny 3 pronged fork with your fries, noobies. YOU WILL USE THIS.”
/pizza
//corn
I have never seen a Ford F1XX ever, in Paris, France.
Well normally I’m a wine drinker and boy did I drink wine in France. I thought it was really cool that you could get a drink at Burger King. :-)
I guess I outed from the deep fryer.
On the other hand, I have seen many happy Harley owners in Paris...
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