Who Are the French, and are they Rude?

 

Living in France

 

A few days ago I asked you if you had any amusing questions about the French that you could entertain me with, as I needed a diversion. Well, you really over did yourself! I was diverted. Take Janet's question:

"Do French decorate their bathrooms with Eiffel Towers like I do?"

I nearly peed my pants with that one! Seriously, that was a good question! It so beats are the French rude. Seriously, why would I marry a French Man, and raise our children in France if that were true?

Back to Janet's more entertaining question…

"Do French decorate their bathrooms with Eiffel Towers like I do?"

I have never seen a French bathroom decorated with Eiffel towers. Never. Most French toilets are in a separate "closet" and the "bath or shower" is in the bathroom. Most "toilets" closets, are not decorated at all. Instead they have a stack of magazines, rolls of PINK toilet paper, maybe a broom, a mop and some cleaning products in them. When you need to use the toilet you need to ask for the toilet, not the bathroom. 

 

Fork & Knife

 

Ycha asked, "Do "French" real men eat quiche? Before or after they kiss?" I asked my French Husband what he thought, though I knew his answer, he replied, "I kiss anytime, anywhere, with my mouth full or empty… so yes I kiss while eating quiche. Don't most men prefer kissing anytime? Quiche or no quiche?"

 

 

 

CancanGirls-24
Photo source Ebay

"Is there really a place in France where the women wear no pants? And the hole in the wall part? That true, too?" asked Frank Purrkins. Well, um, err… At first I thought this had to do with the "Can-Can" girls… instead I found this article: Sol Bloom.

Click on the highlighted link above to find out more, Frank.

 

Clasp-key

 

"Does anyone (the French) say oh la la?" asked Claudia.

My daughter answered this one, "In France oh la la is said out of surprise, disgust, or frustration, and not for something risque or sexy. And it is not ooh la la, but Oh la la."

O key dough key!

 

Thumbnail

Learn French in One Word….1,157,797 views on YOU TUBE

The French language can be boiled down to one simple word.

 

Which in my opinion, Oh la la is the old fashion-French-my generation's way of saying what the younger French generation says now…

Forget oh la la, they say Putain.

 

 

Summer fun 

A few of you turned red, for more reason than embarrassment, when my dear Canadian friend Denise wrote:

"Are Frenchman as good lovers as they are made out to be?

Alternate question:

Do they like their weenises rubbed?"

Well Denise, you big tease you! 

 
Weenis Rub is not as bad as you would think. A weenis is the extra skin found on your elbow. Rubbing a weenis is not as entertaining as it sounds.

Disappointed French Husband agreed, "Oh la la."

As for the lover part of Denise's question. French Husband's American wife responded, "Ooh la la!!"

 

 

 

French-restaurant

Diogenes, bad bad boy! You must tell me the rest of your story. You cannot leave me hanging with, 

"Several years ago we went to a Michelin rated restaurant in Paris for Danny's birthday. We splurged. We orderd soup, pate, terrine, some sort of appetizer and a main course, followed by dessert.

I told the waiter the order I wanted things to come. Soup first, then the pate, terrine and appetizer together, followed by main. I know this is wrong in some way, because it caused them a lot of consternation and disbelief. Almost as much as when we accidentally set the tablecloth on fire in a Munich restaurant. But that's another story."

 

 


Baby-poodle

For those of you who asked about dogs in France.

Dogs are allowed everywhere in France.

Or at least so it seems, by the poo that can be traced from the Eiffel Tower to the Mediterranean sea.

 

 

Beret-Paris

 

I will answer manyy more of your questions in the days to come…

Please Denise, Claudia, Ycha, Frank, and Janet please send me your address so that I can send you a gift.

 

Thank you!

 



Comments

30 responses to “Who Are the French, and are they Rude?”

  1. Love your answers!! more please….

  2. O.k. I get the PINK toilet paper but is it soft, scratchy, waxy?

  3. Ah, the tablecloth flambé story…
    Well on our first visit to Munich, our first day there, we walked around the center of the city. We noticed a lot of locals going into a restaurant, down a flight of stairs, and we were starved, so we thought: let’s try it.
    Turned out to be kind of upscale with starched white tablecloths, lots of people in suits. There were a couple large votive candles on each table and the space between tables was quite small. The waitress brought out a fabulous basket of different breads, kept warm in a nice, starched white napkin. I flipped back the cloth in the basket (apparently directly onto a votive candle) and started eating. Within a few seconds the thing was good and well on fire. Like with flames. As it rested on the tablecloth, that too started to smolder.
    I just sat there speechless and watched the whole thing, as if it were a movie, unable to move. Who knew starch was so flammable??? Suddenly the waitress came over; she screamed (so everyone in the place turned around), than threw a pitcher water on it.
    They changed the tablecloth. We tried to lay low… They even let us order and eat our food, and we did leave a very generous tip. They did not charge us for the table cloth….Les Americains…

  4. Smiling at your answers.
    Now where to find pink toilet paper.

  5. Your comment about dogs being allowed everywhere in France reminds me of a solo trip I took to Aiguille du Midi years ago. I was eating lunch in a “restaurant” (not fancy) on top, sitting alone. Soon a French couple with a poodle asked if they could sit at my table for 4, and I said “oui”. Next thing, the dog had his paws on the table, and I was insulted. So I said “pas de chien sur la table, s’il vous plait”. Looking surprised, they withdrew the dog. I ate as quickly as possible, got up, said “bon appetit”, and left.
    Whether this was proper in France, I do not know, but I did not enjoy the dog.

  6. We need Janice to send photos of this Eiffel Tower decor bathroom. As my maman says “mercy buttercups”

  7. dale sevig (the Trout)

    I recall planning our 1st trip to France with a week in Paris cheap package – our french neighbor told us to “please do not judge all French people by the P—-s of Paris”! well gladly we found the French people extremely hospitable and kind on that trip and 7 more to follow! Many have gone out of their way to help us with all sorts of needs. We cannot recall one bad incident in France that hurt our vacation travels there! Viva La France!!

  8. I just had to laugh !!! My daughters first trip to Casino when she arrived in Marseille
    and bought groceries…. “Mom, my toilet paper is PINK !” she was over the top excited !!

  9. The American in Paris video on DSK explained it all to me. She’s great.
    Hugs. Mardog

  10. I have never seen pink toilet (water closet) paper in the USA…..interesting, love to have some, does it cost more than the massive selections in white stateside? I love pink ~
    oh la la….pass the quiche! ;-)) and ship some Frenchmen stateside ~ oh la la

  11. Ana Maria

    After several visits to France – Paris, Normandy, Brittany and much of the South – I have never encountered any rudeness! Everywhere I’ve visited people have been kind, well-mannered and courteous. I can’t understand where that originated. As for the PINK toilet paper… you made me laugh! It is in fact, everywhere! Why, I wonder?

  12. Ana Maria

    It isn’t too soft, but it isn’t scratchy either. Definitely not waxy. But it is everywhere!

  13. Chico Sue

    One New Years Eve, I spent an inordinate amount of time constructing a Baked Alaska for desert. When the time came, I doused it with alcohol (which left a trail on the table), lit it. Our family was delighted and horrified when he tablecloth was set afire, along with the Baked Alaska! Since the entire house wasn’t actually burned down, we found the experience hilarious, and it has entered our history of family legend.

  14. I hate that pink toilet paper and won’t buy it. I have seen no dogs allowed at butcher shops in Paris. Maybe they go a little crazy?

  15. That’s “no dogs allowed signs”.

  16. When I asked my French husband about eating quiche and kissing question (without prompting what it was about), he immediately responded, “I kiss anytime”! 🙂

  17. jend’isère

    I overheard “oohla” exclaimed by two different middle-aged French people this morning. Your P word reference has a stronger use. Such as an older Englishman would say “bloody” not “awesome!”. When my 8 year old says “zut” and “dis-donc”, I’m pleased he has yet to use the p word in class or at home, then again, much is learned on the school playground.

  18. this is hysterical! What about the pink paper? Like Bev.S say is it soft, scartchy, or waxy? (Can’t wait for that answer.) xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

  19. I can’t wait til my packages of ephemera come! And now….I am planning my first trip to Paris! So excited! My daughter will be at Cannes in May. We have a week to spend in South France, or Switzerland, or Spain…..Would love suggestions if you have the time.

  20. Patti Lloyd

    Oh my, this is so fun..and perfect with my trip to France looming on the horizon like a pink sunset! I have always been a great fan of kissing, I love the Frenchman’s attitude…what is the french word for kiss? ( may have to collect one..hehe)

  21. Christophe

    Corey – do any French men wear berets anymore? I see a lot of black and white photos of men wearing berets, but I can’t recall the times I’ve been there seeing them worn.

  22. So funnny! So fun to get a laugh 🙂

  23. annie vanderven

    Here I am a french woman reading this blog. Thank you for all the chuckles you are giving me!!!
    Annie vanderven

  24. I did encounter a rude waiter in Paris. Very rude. But then again, I have encountered much more rudeness here in South Florida. Mostly I found people in Paris seemed tired of giving tourists directions.

  25. Brenda L. from TN.

    I had to laugh at the Eiffel Tower decorations in the bathroom..Back in the 60’s my in-laws bought a house and my MIL had the big bathroom wallpapered with black and white poodles in berets and Eiffel Towers….she LOVED it. When they moved yrs later a couple we knew bought the house. Years later the couple died and their children had an estate sale. The oldest son knew me and said “I have to show you something” and led me to the bathroom. Lo and behold! the same wallpaper was still there! I said “why didn’t youe parents change it?” He said “my mom loved this wallpaper and would never let dad change it and the realtor who was looking at the house to sell for us told us to leave it up as she just sold another house with almost the same paper and the new owners loved it too”.
    So you see, people with “TASTE” LOL! love all things FRENCH!!

  26. Franca Bollo

    Oh, merci beauNOT! That doesn’t make sense but I don’t care. You introduced us to Michelle at The Observing Participant and now I’ve found yet another reason putain around on the Internet. This one has been especially additctive:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XlxqBIBN7Gg#!
    Putain …

  27. Franca Bollo

    Spending waaaaaaay too much time going through her videos. As if I don’t already waste hours of time …

  28. This was great! A question and answer session about ‘simple’ things in life that can be SO different. I especially liked the Ooh la la q&a. : ) I say, more please! (and thank you)

  29. There are many words for kiss, in French… 🙂

  30. OK, you’re right, I always say “putain”…
    But I removed all my Eiffel Towers of my bathroom! :p

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