Well, from my understanding, the term "french kissing" was coined by American soldiers in WWI who experienced it from young French ladies who did things the young American ladies never did. At first the term was meant to refer to oral sex, but when the boys came back home, it was transferred to the more modern day meaning.
So maybe it is only the young ladies that "french kiss" properly, not the men.
If what I experienced was typical french date behavior I can see why the french ladies liked American GI's so well.