À la defénse du Français

After dinner yesterday evening, we were given a free plate full of fresh cherries by the waitress when we asked how much they cost. This got me thinking about the popular view that the French are unfriendly, arrogant and rude.

In our experience, this has simply been completely untrue.

Since we have been in France, we've received more unsolicited help from locals than anywhere else. When we've stopped people to ask for directions or something else, we've always been met with a smile. Everyone has welcomed and appreciated our attempts to speak French (and have also helped us learn as we go). Where people have been able to speak English (which has been the case in many places), they have done so easily and without complaint of any kind. In addition to the cherry episode, another restaurant gave us free wine as a welcome gift (in my opinion, as reward for our French being so good). And even the drivers are polite!

After this experience, I think it is time that the English (and their 'colonials') did away with the misconception (fueled by jealousy, perhaps?) of French rudeness and arrogance and embraced a more balanced view of this hospitable and friendly people.