Ask a frenchman

[manub]

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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.

[revots33]

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?

[Anacardo]

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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.

[manub]

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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.

[garcia1000]

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?

[manub]

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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 ).

[One Outer]

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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.

[manub]

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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.

[One Outer]

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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


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*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.

[One Outer]

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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.

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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...