[Closed] Things the French excel at

pastries.

Having spent time living in Normandy my view of France is that it's a great place. For every irritant of some rules there are just some many things (often small) that make such a civilised place to be. In the rural areas mainly, cities are as crap as here in many ways. One thing I did notice was a racist under current but given that in rural Calvados anyone from Deippe was a stranger let alone a Parisian, I suspect unknown stranger was really the problem. I was school by our village Maire on why the Front National were evil, but then the Gastapo had cut his brother throat and smashed his hands with a rifle butt. He liked Americans as well as English, want to keen on Germans though.
France it's a great country, in the same way (but different) that ours is. Sorry to be a bore.

What's not to like about a country where some believe that a bowl of coffee and a calvados constituttes a good start to the day?

Not the stabby bit like...

There was a French couple that took over and ran a bakery in Aberdeen, they made amazing butteries, I shed real tears when the sold up and moved on. I think they were appalled by the way we do bread and shit in this country. I used to look forward to going to their shop on a Saturday morning, asking for stuff in my halting French.

Swearing, they are brilliant at it.

And I do love a French accent... 😳

However, if the one I ventured into in fountainbleu is anything to go by, they are criminally shite at Indians....

One thing I did notice was a racist under current but given that in rural Calvados anyone from Deippe was a stranger let alone a Parisian, I suspect unknown stranger was really the problem. I was school by our village Maire on why the Front National were evil, but then the Gastapo had cut his brother throat and smashed his hands with a rifle butt. He liked Americans as well as English, want to keen on Germans though.
France it's a great country, in the same way (but different) that ours is. Sorry to be a bore

Does the racist element correlate with the Vichy France/Resistance and Occupied France divide?

Small toilets by some of the Autoroutes
For the love of god and the baby jesus , a pedastal, 2 footholds and a bottomless pit of turds dropped by hungarian lorry drivers.

Is it part of some national joke ? There is probably a special sign that means these bogs are resvered for Johny foreigner so lets make them as gross as we can , then 6 miles up the road there is a toilet with a seat , and toilet paper and a flush mechanism and hot running water . Not some sort of chemical warfare / breath holding endurance competition.

Puligny Montrachet - no other white wine is ever needed (ok the odd Meursault perhaps)

The Gallic shrug

I always think French society is more considerate of people whilst in England we are just foder for the big corps.

Making stunning looking aeroplanes.

Such a vast choice of wines that there's one you'll like if you try enough. With a few notable exceptions new world wines are so samey that they don't bother with anything more than the cépage on the label. It's a combination of terroir, cépage and vinification that gives a wine its distinctive flavour. There are half a dozen whites I like:

Doux:
Sauternes is the reference, but a Jurançon doux has a slight acidity I prefer.

Medium:
Gewurztraminer as an apéro or Riesling with a meal.

Dry:
I usually drink fizzy so a Crémant brut from Alsace, Bourgogne or Bordeaux.

With climatic change grapes are being grown further and further north. Some of the famous regions are suffering from a lack of water and some vinyards reverting to more rustic vines that are more resistant. In the long term some of the current famous names will be unable to maintain qulaity whilst others will be producing better wines than ever - even Kent.

Speaking French. They're the world leaders at that.

baguettes, or any kind of French bread for that matter. can't be recreated in the UK at all.
Their cheap beers, Pelforth et al.
Charcuterie
poissonaires who open at random times
The Super U jingle
civic pride & random small village fetes dedicated to goat, mussels or guinea fowl.
Rabbit in the supermarket, with the head still on.
farmers who maintain their tracks and leave them open for random mountain bikers on holiday
shutters on windows
making smoking still look cool, damn them

Haven't read the whole thread so apologies if it's been mentioned, but they put on the most excellent local festivals in their town squares; Saturday night, everybody out, sit down meal with the whole community and excellent food at reasonable prices, no trouble or leeriness, quite often free entrance, children and adults and elders socialising together. Usually free, as well.

Bloody marvellous culture if you ask me. Great campsites too.

civic pride