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".
Our last meal tonight, as I leave France, tomorrow, was a triple Whopper with cheese, extra pickle, at the only Burger King in France at the Saint-Lazare train station, Paris.
We cut it in half, for my girl and me.
It cost us 10 Euros, but it was amazing!
The French tomatoes juice running down my arm.
It was a sloppy mess of goodness!
Our last meal in France.
I would be interested in seeing that post.
Interesting observations. We had a wonderful time in Paris in 1986. The French people we came in contact with we’re charming and helpful although we had to make an attempt at their language.
My observation, not just in France, is that women who smoke use it for weight control which makes it especially hard to quit.
Have seen quite a few of those 'trikes' here, as an old motorcyclist, I wonder why, but to each his own. Do you see many 2-wheel motorcycles during the winter there? I was under the impression many ride all year round out of necessity-their only vehicle.
No cheddar in the cheese shops? I understand Britons do enjoy their local cheddar--chunnel coach run, maybe?
Having been there over 60 times, I would say your opinions will change in several of these categories.
Unless you are a Jew, or a female in a Muslim area.
It's not much of a cheese shop, is it?
I spent some time in Germany last year. The little 2 wheel scooters were catching on, but when you have BMW’s why bother
There were a few Toyota’s and so on, but when you have BMW’s why bother.
French fries are good, sausage and kraut are good, the beer is probably like the French wine. Good, cheap and plentiful, it is what makes it livable.
The big junk food there is Doner Kebap which is just a Gyro.
Transportation: Population density is the key here-- Germany has about 80 million people, two-thirds of whom live in a 300 mile wide corridor stretching from Munich to Hamburg. Ditto for France if you take a 200 mile wide circumference around Paris. It's a lot easier (and makes sense) to have top-notch public transportation than to have that many people try to drive every day. It's also the case that European capitals are viewed as showcases for public spaces, so the state spends lavishly. You won't find transportation or public spaces like Paris in the poorer provincial cities off the tourist routes (like Verdun).
Working Hard: remember, those who work in private enterprise in France have to work very hard-- they're paying for the +50% of GDP consumed by those on the dole and the hordes of government employees who can retire at 55.
I was wonderin’ that myself. Perhaps the French have no use for cheddar? [Blasphemy!] ;)
With regard to why most cars in Europe are stick-shift, it’s simply the way it is. The most common thing I’ve heard as to why is better control in inclement weather conditions, particularly during the winter months.
Surprised to hear there’s an absence of Toyota and Honda autos; they’re quite common here in the Czech Republic, though not as common as the domestic automaker, Škoda. Ford is quite popular here too.
I enjoyed your comments. And would be very interested in a future post about Muslems in France.
My experience of France is from the late sixties. The people did smell then because no one wore deodorant, indoor plumbing was spotty, and women did not shave under their arms. I understand that all these conditions have improved.
Everyone in France smoked a lot. The favorite cigarette was the Gauloise. It stunk incredibly.
The food was wonderful; but then again, I was looking forward to French food and love omelettes, fruits and vegetables, especially potatoes, so I was not disappointed. Nor was I staying long-term; so I didn’t miss the Americanized ethnic foods (German saurkraut, Italian cuisine, etc) you described.
The people in the countryside were indeed warm, friendly and helpful, including when our car broke down. The people who worked in Paris were rude and snobbish, pretending not to understand my French (which was understood every other place in Europe, including outside of Paris) and generally behaving churlishly. One bakery woman would not even sell me a dozen croissants after I said it serveral different ways, lastly pointed to them and held fingers up, or even when I wrote it down. She laughed, shrugged and sneered the whole time. So I cussed her out in French, and judging by her red face and screams, she understood my French perfectly.
I wonder what kind of vehicle they use for the sorts of things we would use a pickup truck for?
I’ve never been to France but I’ve been to Denmark, and I was very aware of how much slimmer the people were. Portions in restaurants were smaller than here and food was generally more expensive.
You are surprised to see European cars in Europe?
Ever hear of Volkswagen,Mercedes, Renault,Pegeuot,Citroen,Fiat,BMW, Audi, Skoda, or SEAT?
Probably the only American player on the continent is Ford, with a huge factory dedicated by Henry and Adolph in the 1930s.
“French women are not fat.”
Probably has to do with 8.
Hell....
Where the food is British
The cars are French
The police are German
The lovers are Swiss
...and the whole thing is run by Italians.
I will be establishing a remote office in Dresden in the next two months. I plan to travel as much as possible when I am there. Your observations are helpful. I have never been to France but definitely plan to make several trips out there.Most of my time in Europe has always been in Poland, Czech Republic, and (former east) Germany. I have rarely met anyone who begrudged me as an American. For the most part everyone was cheery and friendly even with the language barrier. The only people I had a problem with are the occutard progressive types that LOVE telling everyone what they SHOULD do while crying about America telling the world what to do... Go figure.
I shall report.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.