Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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I heard there's gonna be another strike next week. Is this true? If it is, [censored].

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True I'm afraid. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

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How do you feel about Nicolas Sarkozy?

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I didn't vote for him because I dislike his ideas on a certain number of subjects, like crime & immigration. However I think he's a brilliant man, a great orator, and probably a good president for the times we are living.

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What do the French think of Italian high culture?

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Tough question. I'd say mostly admiration and awe. Lots of french tourists flock to Florence, Venice, Rome and other Italian cities famous for their culture. The Louvre has a huge number of italian paintings and sculptures. Italian classical music is revered (Vivaldi mostly). Machiavel is widely read in political science schools. Overall we have no reason to dislike italian arts & culture and all the reasons to admire them.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

This is PERFECT. I posted in french BBV but no one respnded. There is a saying in french that goes something along the lines of "You can only lean on things which provide resistance" or something to that effect. What is the exact saying in the french language for the quote?

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

[ QUOTE ]
This is PERFECT. I posted in french BBV but no one respnded. There is a saying in french that goes something along the lines of "You can only lean on things which provide resistance" or something to that effect. What is the exact saying in the french language for the quote?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hello there, I'd love to help but the french version didn't jump immediatly to my mind. It's probably not widely used. I then went through a few databases, but nothing of the sort emerged. Maybe you can help me by being a little more precise ? Do you remember any words from the saying ? What context did you hear it in ?

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

The quote was from a french ambassador he was talking about how even though he didnt agree with sarkozy on all issues he believed he could count on him. He said the quote in english.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

After I send my ImagineR app., in how long should I expect it to come?
How hard is it for a student to get a part time job?

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

[ QUOTE ]
The quote was from a french ambassador he was talking about how even though he didnt agree with sarkozy on all issues he believed he could count on him. He said the quote in english.

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"That which does not kill us makes us stronger" ???

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

[ QUOTE ]
After I send my ImagineR app., in how long should I expect it to come?
How hard is it for a student to get a part time job?

[/ QUOTE ]

2 weeks at most.

I don't think there are a lot of good part time job but im sure there are a lot of student looking for them so be prepared to do some hunting.

Best choice imo is to give lessons to high school / middle school student. It pay well and its not hard.

Teach English for example, or whatever language you speak.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The quote was from a french ambassador he was talking about how even though he didnt agree with sarkozy on all issues he believed he could count on him. He said the quote in english.

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"That which does not kill us makes us stronger" ???

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No it has more to do with the idea that if there is a person in your life that you really depend on they are only truly helpful if they disagree with you from time to time and keep you in check. If they just agree all the time (provide no resistance) you cant really depend on them because all they will ever do is agree with what you say.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

Est-ce que c'est vrai que les femmes francaise aiment beaucoup des hommes americains qui parlent mal francais? Nous sommes exotiques et differents, non?

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

What are some of the main reasons that French voters rejected the EU Constitution? Aren't the French generally pro-EU?

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

Do you or other French people you know feel guilty or embarrassed about French collaboration during WWII? I know when I lived in Germany, lingering embarrassment about the Nazis played a complex and interesting role in the cultural psyche.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

I'd assume you're from Paris. Where are you living?

Have you spent a significant amount of time living in the United States? Which things do you like about France, and which things do you like about the U.S.?

Were you ever a university student? What is your opinion of student work ethic in France?

Where is your favorite boulangerie?

What is your opinion about the homeless? What are you thinking when a sans-abri comes onto the Metro and starts to rant?

Parisians are known for being very fashionable in the United States. Do you think that Parisians are fashionable, or is this a myth?

What's your favorite place to visit in Paris?

I might think of more questions later.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

I saw an ad on eBay for a WW2 French Rifle. Ad said it was only dropped once. Should I bid on it?

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

[ QUOTE ]
No it has more to do with the idea that if there is a person in your life that you really depend on they are only truly helpful if they disagree with you from time to time and keep you in check. If they just agree all the time (provide no resistance) you cant really depend on them because all they will ever do is agree with what you say.

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I get the idea, but I'm not sure it's really a "saying" with an exact translation, more like a figure of speech or expression. I'll keep looking though.

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Est-ce que c'est vrai que les femmes francaise aiment beaucoup des hommes americains qui parlent mal francais? Nous sommes exotiques et differents, non?

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(Translated: is it true that french women love american men who speak bad french? We are exotic and different, aren't we?)

Yes, definitely, from my experience, french with an american accent is a big turn-on for most of our women.

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What are some of the main reasons that French voters rejected the EU Constitution? Aren't the French generally pro-EU?

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This is a complicated matter. I suggest you read this analysis for a better understanding : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_...rendum%2C_2005

I'll add this: the constitution itself was a big mess, hardly readable or understandable by a common citizen. French people are naturally cautious before signing something they aren't really certain to understand. Also the politicians were divided on the matter inside their own political parties, and that led some to think "they can't even agree between themselves, maybe we shouldn't vote for this thing".

As a general rule the French are very pro-EU, except in the countryside.

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Do you or other French people you know feel guilty or embarrassed about French collaboration during WWII? I know when I lived in Germany, lingering embarrassment about the Nazis played a complex and interesting role in the cultural psyche.

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Excellent question, and the answer is yes: there is still a strong element of guilt and shame about the collaboration. Although it's probably not as big a trauma as what the german population is going through. We are still tracking down and putting to trial french criminals from that era ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pursuit...rators#France. ). That period is often covered in movies or on TV by artists who do not want the memory of this shame to go away.

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I'd assume you're from Paris. Where are you living?

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I live in the 19th precinct (19eme arrondissement), near the Parc des Buttes Chaumont. (north-east of Paris)


My neighborhood:
http://butteschaumont.free.fr/images/VChaumont/plan.gif

The park:
http://parispassion.canalblog.com/im...CHaumont_4.JPG

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Have you spent a significant amount of time living in the United States? Which things do you like about France, and which things do you like about the U.S.?

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I have never lived in the USA but I've been to the country many times, probably around 15-20, for work and pleasure, sometimes for up to a month. What I like most about the USA is the people: I find americans much more friendly and easy-going. I like the way americans work too: professional, practical, to the point. France is simply home so it's hard to tell what I really like about it, but I'd say the architectural coherence is something the U.S. doesn't have that I miss when I go there. Our cities are very ancient and built around a long history, while american cities sometimes seem like they just sprung out of the ground.

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Were you ever a university student? What is your opinion of student work ethic in France?

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Yes I studied history and political science. The university system is very individualistic: students are mostly on their own, there are much fewer fraternities or clubs that in the US. About the work ethic: I've always felt that it was pretty poor. But then again I was a pretty lazy student myself, so...

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Where is your favorite boulangerie?

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Rue de crimée. A small family one with delicious baguette, unbelievable bread variants and cakes. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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What is your opinion about the homeless? What are you thinking when a sans-abri comes onto the Metro and starts to rant?

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You mean those who ask the crowd for money? Also as a general principle I don't give to beggars, and not many french people openly do. This is part of my education: I was taught that these people don't need the extra change, that will just keep them in their beggar state, they need more advanced help finding a job and a place to live. But overall I feel bad and embarassed for them.

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Parisians are known for being very fashionable in the United States. Do you think that Parisians are fashionable, or is this a myth?

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No, it's not a myth, especially for girls. Guys mostly try to stay invisible and all wear pretty much the same jeans/shirt combinations. Unlike in London where you can meet people with a variety of clothing styles, parisians look very much alike. But they wear good branded clothes most of the time.

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What's your favorite place to visit in Paris?

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Strolling down the Champs-Elysées all the way down to the Louvre and then visiting the museum. The Louvre is the most amazing place.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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saw an ad on eBay for a WW2 French Rifle. Ad said it was only dropped once. Should I bid on it?

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Give me the link and I'll tell you if I think the ad looks legit. (I know nothing about rifles, though).

EDIT: oh wait, was that a joke/level?

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
saw an ad on eBay for a WW2 French Rifle. Ad said it was only dropped once. Should I bid on it?

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Give me the link and I'll tell you if I think the ad looks legit. (I know nothing about rifles, though).

EDIT: oh wait, was that a joke/level?

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Pretty sure it was a joke [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
saw an ad on eBay for a WW2 French Rifle. Ad said it was only dropped once. Should I bid on it?

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Give me the link and I'll tell you if I think the ad looks legit. (I know nothing about rifles, though).

EDIT: oh wait, was that a joke/level?

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Pretty sure it was a joke [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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Yeah but I first assumed "dropped" was some kind of slang for firing a gun that I had never heard of. I get it now. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

What are your thoughts (if any) on Quebecers?

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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What are your thoughts (if any) on Quebecers?

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Nice people.
Funny accent.

That's about it [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

Despite being French and not Canadian, do you have any specific feelings on the Quebec separatists?

I remember we had a thread a while ago where one guy was a separatist and basically laid out his feelings on everything. He seemed insane.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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Despite being French and not Canadian, do you have any specific feelings on the Quebec separatists?

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I don't really get the whole separatist thing and I'm guessing a lot of french people either don't care or don't really understand. I don't know much about the issue, but I don't feel like the people of Quebec is being repressed, ostracized or anything like that. It also seems lilely that it would be a pretty bad move economically speaking. However since I don't know exactly what I'm talking about, I'll say no more on that topic.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

Do the French in general dislike Americans? Do they find U.S. tourists to be loud, obnoxious, fat, etc.?

Also, my wife wants to go to Paris next year. When is the best time of year to go? She found a hotel called the Metropole Opera. . Is this hotel in a good location as a base for walking/sightseeing in Paris? Any other good hotel recommendations for a visitor to your city?

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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Est-ce que c'est vrai que les femmes francaise aiment beaucoup des hommes americains qui parlent mal francais? Nous sommes exotiques et differents, non?

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Dude, you wanna go to France and chase tail? I am totally down and not joking.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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Do the French in general dislike Americans? Do they find U.S. tourists to be loud, obnoxious, fat, etc.?

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Just like there a american clichés about the French, there are french clichés about Americans.

According to those, Americans are:
- fat and eating junk food every day
- loud
- self-centered polluters
- have no taste
- hegemonic warmongers
- uneducated
- shallow, materialistic, obsessed about money

I wouldn't say we dislike Americans, actually I think our people have a lot in common and friendship is easy between us. What the French really dislike is the americain government and its warmongering, and the american culture being imported massively into the country through movies, junk food, TV shows etc. We feel both fascinated and threatened by that.

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Also, my wife wants to go to Paris next year. When is the best time of year to go?

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Definitely late spring/early summer, I'd say may/june are the best months. Best weather, not too many tourists yet.

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She found a hotel called the Metropole Opera. . Is this hotel in a good location as a base for walking/sightseeing in Paris?

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Ahah, no wonder your wife picked that area, it's great for shopping. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] You've got all the big department stores with luxury clothing & accessories down Boulevard Haussman. That hotel is well located, not too far from all the main attractions, you can easily walk/bike your way throuhg Paris.

Hotel recommandations... Well, it depends a lot of your budget and wishes. Since I live here I don't know many hotels. I tend to think that unless you want a palace, the hotel isn't that important and the location is what matters most.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

Could you give me some ideas of French cuisine dishes that isn't haute cuisine? For example, what kind of food would I expect if I went to the South part from France? Which region's food do you like the most?

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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Could you give me some ideas of French cuisine dishes that isn't haute cuisine? For example, what kind of food would I expect if I went to the South part from France?

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The most famous example of that would be "ratatouille", the dish that inspired the pixar animated movie.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratatouille

Another one is "Bouillabaisse", a famous provençal dish.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouillabaisse

Another one: Tomates à la Provençales
http://www.plat-du-jour.net/tomates-provencales.html

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Which region's food do you like the most?

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Probably Savoie. I'm very fond of Raclette ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raclette ) and Tartiflette ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartiflette ).

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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I agree with much of what you said concerning the French women, i.e. the grass is always greener. I liked the elegance alot, and found a high proportion of the women there attractive. (Like 6/10 or 7/10 at least mildly attractive) However, I couldn't help but notice how badly they age. Why no MILFs in France?

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This has to be a side effect of damn near universal smoking.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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This has to be a side effect of damn near universal smoking.

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Not for long, smoking is to be banned from all public places in 2008.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

[ QUOTE ]
Just like there a american clichés about the French, there are french clichés about Americans.

According to those, Americans are:
- fat and eating junk food every day
- loud
- self-centered polluters
- have no taste
- hegemonic warmongers
- uneducated
- shallow, materialistic, obsessed about money


[/ QUOTE ]

*sigh* I'm afraid there is a lot of truth to all that. Not all Americans, mind you, but most. Except for maybe the loud part. That's a regional thing. New Yorkers...ugh.

Especially the education part. Americans are stupid. This puts me on life tilt on a daily basis. But hey, since I'm an American I can say that.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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[ QUOTE ]
This has to be a side effect of damn near universal smoking.

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Not for long, smoking is to be banned from all public places in 2008.

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right, but what i'm talking about is the high rate of smoking. Most people smoke, which makes you age faster...

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

[ QUOTE ]
Especially the education part. Americans are stupid. This puts me on life tilt on a daily basis. But hey, since I'm an American I can say that.

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Think the phrase "think about how stupid the average person is, and then think that 50% of the people are stupider than that" goes for most countries. But if you are American you arent exposed to all the stupid people of other nations, but through the export of American tv-series, shows, movies and celebrities the rest of the world are exposed to stupid Americans.

Americans tend to joke about several of the steroetypes about the lack of education and the supposed stupidity of the people, and several TV-shows like to show Amricans getting the simplest "common knowledge" questions wrong. The US are also good at conducting studies that shows the percentage of its population and especially students that lack the knowledge of geography, history, politics and history that we assume all people should have. In other countries the stupid people are more hidden and protected from themselves, Americans dont watch French Tv-shows where stupid people are exposed and European countries have less studies published that reveals the lack of education among a fair share of the population.

Sorry for the rant, now back to asking the Frenchie more questions.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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Americans dont watch French Tv-shows where stupid people are exposed

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Trust me, you don't want to see those. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

Sebastien Chabal, man or god? Expound.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

[ QUOTE ]
Sebastien Chabal, man or god? Expound.

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Beast.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

[ QUOTE ]
Sebastien Chabal, man or god? Expound.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hijack - he plays for the club side I support. God. Not close.

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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Sebastien Chabal, man or god? Expound.

[/ QUOTE ]

Beast.

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Caveman !

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

Manub-
Great thread! I was just in France for the first time and stayed in a villa in Flurie. I had a few Questions for you...
1) What region is best for cuisine in you opionion?
We found Lyon to be fantastic

2) Do you feel americans are treated better/worse in certain regions? I felt we were welcomed with open arms in the country side of the Beaujolais region but when we travelled to Marseille(sp?) i really felt looked down on. Actually felt really uncomfortable and treated poorly everywhere we went in that city.

3) Whats your favorite French meal?

4) Favorite wine and any recommendations?

Thanks in advance. I truly enjoyed France as a whole and cannot wait to go back. Im still FULL from all the food and wine [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
fish

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

Generally speaking, do the French disdain or admire the US? Same question, but for Germany?

Has the French perception of the US changed significantly from the pre-Bush years to the present?

I have found French restaurants to be hit or miss. But when good, a restaurant can have amazing food. How can a foreigner determine which restaurants are good in Paris? (American travel books are pretty bad at this.)

Why is service so poor in Paris?

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

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Generally speaking, do the French disdain or admire the US?

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Both, depending on the mattern.

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Same question, but for Germany?

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None

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Has the French perception of the US changed significantly from the pre-Bush years to the present?


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It got worse, because French don't like Bush, and because of the whole French bashing stuff.

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I have found French restaurants to be hit or miss. But when good, a restaurant can have amazing food. How can a foreigner determine which restaurants are good in Paris? (American travel books are pretty bad at this.)


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The best way would be to look on Internet forums speaking about travel and food or even here (i remember i suggested a restaurant to a member here and he seemed to liked it).

If you are looking for really expensive restaurant the reference is the guide Michelin http://www.amazon.com/Michelin-Red-G.../dp/2067122371



[ QUOTE ]
Why is service so poor in France

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I regret it but the 'Customer is king' is not part of our culture. But still there are lot of place where service is great, you have to be lucky/search/heard about the place by friends...

Re: Ask a frenchman
 

Awesome thread, have a few questions.

I'm planning to study abroad in France next fall. I could probably get into most schools, maybe not the very top. Do you have any recommendations? I have taken most of my classes in my major in the US, I just have to take a couple humanities/general classes while I'm in France so a liberal arts school would be good. Do you have any idea of a school I would enjoy? A place with good weather, social/nightlife, and good looking girls would be perfect, doesn't necessarily have to be in Paris.

Also, do you think I will have trouble interacting with the other students? I have taken 5 years of French and am pretty confident in the grammar and vocab but my speaking skills and understanding rapid speech is a work in progress. Do you think I will pick these up quickly, and will I be able to interact? I'm a pretty outgoing guy, basically wondering if I'll be able to make friends with some French girls or if language will be an issue.

Any other tips/customs I should be aware of? Do many people smoke weed?