Quite true, and a visitor to France will also discover that a toilet quite commonly consists of a slab of concrete with two footprints on either side of a hole.
When I was there it appeared that steam-cleaning equipment was unknown, as evidenced by the disgusting level of dirt and filth all over famous buildings in Paris. The foul stench of the famous Paris sewers nearly overwhelmed the senses.
I suppose that if being 'civilized' means living like pigs, then the French are quite civilized indeed.
The foul stench of the famous Paris sewers nearly overwhelmed the senses.