The French

[TimSmith]

I spent a year in Strasbourg as part of my degree and numerous years' holidays with my penfriend before that. I went there believing all the stereotypes were pure prejudice and then found out that there is obviously no smoke without fire!

Arrogance and preoccupation with bureaucracy are definitely there. Retail experience was certainly interesting, as others have commented- back in 1992 almost no shops open on Sunday AND MONDAY MORNING TOO(!!!!!) And the rat b*****d landlords never give you your deposit back Generally, I did not experience the unwillingness to help that others mention.

However, obligatory handshakes on meeting friends is very civilised and I love the bombastic debates about almost any topic, where you can be completely unrestrained and even pseudo-insulting. I made some damn good friends out there (one was my best man). If any of them should be reading this, I have just got to remind them that this year is the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar

 

[fuindordm]

Almost everyone is proud of their own culture--does that make them arrogant? The French have lots of things to be proud of: the quality of their food, which still comes mostly from small farms and businesses; the quality of their schools; their diplomacy; their family values... (heavily subsidized day care rocks!). They also have things that they're not so proud of: their impenetrable beauracracy, their slowness to adapt to change, areas of their economy that are still in deep trouble, etc. They will extol their virtues and decry their faults in the same breath, and I haven't yet met one who wasn't willing to explore any issue in all its nuances and shades of grey.

(I'm married to one, by the way.)

The willingness to talk about anything, and debate everything, without taking things personally and getting defensive is really fantastic. I wonder if it used to be like that in the US. By the time I became politically aware, politics were already taboo. I think it's because people in the US care *too* much--we feel almost hurt when someone doesn't agree with us. In France they care deeply as well, but somehow they manage not to take it quite as seriously.

When the European constitution was up for a vote here, I saw lots of people on the metro reading it on their way to work. Reading the whole damn constitution, not just a summary of it.

Ben

 

[Spell]

YES, we tend to swear a lot but you have to agree it, our swearing are imaginative and sound nice.

imaginative? with all due respect, have you ever heard an italian swearing?

 

[Spell]

A lot of this can actually apply to Europe in general. You could substitute French for Italian in the posts above, and most of them would still be correct. They don't contradict my experiences in other continental European countries, as well.

only, we italians tend to be overcritical about anything we don't like, AND the government (even if we kind of like it), and tend to think that we personally are the best person on earth since jesus christ or what has you...

i don't think the average european (non-french) citisen is really that similar to that description. very loosely, maybe. but you do get national (and regional!!!) flavours a lot!

 

[Zappo]

only, we italians tend to be overcritical about anything we don't like, AND the government (even if we kind of like it), and tend to think that we personally are the best person on earth since jesus christ or what has you...

Well, I am the best person on Earth after all. And if I were First Minister, things would get better quickly.

 

[Turanil]

I still probably wouldn't eat tripe, though, even if it was fine French tripe.

LOL! How could I blame you? Me too I never ate tripe... (By the way, 14 years ago I visited San Diego and loved it!)

 

[fuindordm]

LOL! How could I blame you? Me too I never ate tripe... (By the way, 14 years ago I visited San Diego and loved it!)

A friend of my wife's brought us back a jar of global gold-medal winning tripes from Caen... we haven't opened them yet. It's definitely more her thing than mine.

Kidneys, however--yum!

Ben