French are rudest, most boring people on earth: British poll

AFP/Yahoo ^ | Sat May 20, 3:17 AM ET

[martin_fierro]

French are rudest, most boring people on earth: British poll

Sat May 20, 3:17 AM ET

LONDON (AFP) - The French have been voted the world's most unfriendly nation by a landslide in a new British poll published. They were also voted the most boring and most ungenerous.

A decisive 46 percent of the 6,000 people surveyed by travellers' website Where Are You Now (WAYN) said the French were the most unfriendly nation people on the planet, British newspapers reported.

The Germans have no to reason to celebrate the damning verdict. They came second on all three counts.

WAYN's French founder, Jerome Touze, told the papers he had been stunned by the thumping condemnation of his compatriots and sought to blame it on Gallic love-struck sulking.

"I had no idea that the French would emerge as such an unfriendly country," he said.

"I think our romantic 'moodiness' is misunderstood and I will be sure to pass on the message to my family and friends back in France to be a bit more cheerful to tourists in the future."

Italy was voted the world's most cultured nation with the best cuisine, while the United States was named the most unstylish with the worst food.

The British did not feature in the top 10 of any of the categories.

"The British fit in nowhere -- good or bad. It appears that we are so completely average that the voters did not include us in any category," the tabloid Daily Express commented.

"And to our shame, four percent of respondents -- all British of course -- said they would only talk to other Britons when they are abroad."

This unwillingness to talk to the locals appears to go hand in hand with respondents' perceptions of foreigners.

While most said Spain was the foreign country where they would most like to live, they said the Spaniards were nearly as unfriendly and ungenerous as the French.

To add insult to injury, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph put the boot in on Saturday by saying in an editorial that the French stank.

"The French may like to think that Chanel No 5 is their scent but we all know that garlic and stale Gitanes are much more representative."

[operation clinton cleanup]

Talk to almost any American who has spent significant time in France. They almost all have a horror story.

I only spent 48 hours in Paris and have several!

[I'm ALL Right!]

CLICK

[Marie]

If you ever serve them to me, please don't let me know.

I'll have the blindfold ready. Cross my heart and hope you don't die.

(*snicker*)

[NZerFromHK]

I agree, this is why I don't completely trust any Anglo opinions of the French. They have their own beefs with the nation across the Channel such that their own judgements are not entirely neutral. The British have their own arrogance and biases that I find pelicular.

But biased as they may, a large part of British assessments areproven to be true.

[NZerFromHK]

Much of very traditional American cooking at home or restaurants are not out of place in Britain.

[NZerFromHK]

If you try some traditional American home cooking or pick up a restaurant menu, you would have thought you are at home. You know, McDonald's are just to trick foreigners into thinking that's all there for American cooking.

Let's see, we have

1. Fish chowder - not particularly foreign, isn't it?

2. Corned beef boiled dinner - hey that's British!

3. Boston baked beans - what's the difference with the baked beans back home?

4. Baked ham - how you start to wonder if you are at home?

5. Fried chicken - now that's something not very traditionally British/English. But the Scots do fry wahtever their food.

6. Breakfast of fried eggs, bacons, toasts - you sure it is American?

7. pork roast - now tell me whether it is American or British

8. Mom's apple pie - are we back home?

9. roast beef - it is equally American.

10. seafood cocktail - you sure it is American?

[BluH2o]

Sophie has fire behind her eyes . . .

Cleavage ain't bad either ...

[NZerFromHK]

"I'm just amazed by the number of English food restaurants thoruhout the world (outside of Britain). Must be at least a dozen."

In fact they do appear under the guise of traditional/old-fashioned American, (English-)Canadian, Australian, or New Zealand cooking. British cooking is a common heritage for these disposra countries, and dare I say the food is really awful if not prepared with good ingradients. (If it is prepared properly nothing beats good roast beef or mince pies)

[BluH2o]

... this is why I don't completely trust any Anglo opinions of the French.

As one well known Brit put it ...

The Almighty in His infinite wisdom did not see fit to create Frenchmen in the image of Englishmen.
-- Winston Churchill, 1942

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

The only thing I have against them is the way they treat their poor veggies.There is no need to boil the defenseless things into submission.

Of course they do that here as well.

[Uncle Meat]

I was in Switzerland years ago,and I went to this restaraunt way up on this mountain.You had to take a trainride up the mountain to get there.The train conductor had a nasty attitude towards me,the waitress in the restaraunt was a total bitch,and when I had breakfast at some guesthouse,my eggs had flies in them.They have a lot of gall saying our food is the worst.

[epow]

The Brits say the US has terrible food? That's a hoot. No place to get boiled mutton and blood pudding.

You can get all the authentic British grub you want, which in my case would be very, very little, in and around the Tampa Bay area. Many Brits have settled in that general area, and for some reason quite a few of them seem to have felt it necessary to open British type pubs and restaurants.

So yes, you can get authentic British food over here. Which of course begs the question, why would you want to?

How about a dish of some nice bubble and squeak sir? No thanks, I'll just stop by the 7-11 on the way home and pick up a hot dog which has been rolling on those hot, shiny metal tubes since the store opened in 1991.

[johnboy]

baked beans on toast?!?

you gotta be kidding?!? that's, that's ... (thud.)

[the scotsman]

Actually,Scotland has some of the finest food in the world...

Dont be put off by haggis(which is wonderful if done properly) or deep fried Mars Bars*which god help me I have tried and they ARE lovely--imagine warm caramel and choc in a soft batter)....

Scotland has:

A wide variety of sea food including mussels, scalops, shrimp

Some of the World's finest lobster and crabs, and varieties of fish too numerous to mention

Soft fruit from the Carse of Gowrie, including raspberries, strawberries, Tayberries and brambles (blackberries).

Succulent Lamb from the Hill Pastures

A host of locally produced cheeses, including Cheddars from Galloway.

Venison from the great Highland Estates, and increasingly from specialist farms

Game Birds such as grouse, pheasant, partridge and wood pidgeon

p.s....and we know how to NOT boil our veg to death and cook our meat all the way through....unlike the English.

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/fooddrink.html

http://www.rampantscotland.com/recipes/blrecipe_index.htm

[the scotsman]

No to mention some of the world's finest salmon and beef....

[img]http://www.wildedibles.com/Store/cw2/Assets/product_full/scottish_salmon.gif[/img]

[img]http://www.scottish-highland-beef-cattle.co.uk/images/steak.jpg[/img]

[the scotsman]

No to mention some of the world's finest salmon and beef....

http://www.wildedibles.com/Store/cw2/Assets/product_full/scottish_salmon.gif

http://www.scottish-highland-beef-cattle.co.uk/images/steak.jpg

[NZerFromHK]

But what's the difference between British and "traditional" American fares? America shares a majority of the culinary heritage with Britain, esp in the New England region. When a Briton criticizes American fares, he doesn't realize he is criticizing his own country's traditional cooking as well.

Ping to Wallace T. for cuisine, culture, and heritage.

[Tribune7]

But what's the difference between British and "traditional" American fares?

Pizza, bratwurst and burritos are now traditional American fares :-)

(and french fries)

[NZerFromHK]

Yep that's one important difference. These are out-and-out foreign food in Britain or the overseas former colonies that are still closest to it, such as New Zealand. I have never seen a gingerbread on sale here apart from ethnic German/Dutch groceries.

And they don't taste too bad either. ;-)

[Dale 1]

British are rudest, most boring people on earth: French poll

Depends on which poll you read.