[Closed] Things the French excel at

Shaking hands - it takes half an hour to start work because you need to shake hands with all your colleagues that you haven't seen since yesterday

Spending the whole work day talking so you have to stay late to finish your work.

Talking very quietly on mobile phones on trains.

Engrenages

Going on holiday , Close your shutters to let the local neds know you are away on holiday and now would be a good time to break in

Hmmm. This used to worry me when I holidayed here. But, since living here, I really don't think most Brits understand shuttering. It is not used for security, well certainly not in SW France, it is used for shade. And it really is needed in Summer and Winter.

Shaking hands - it takes half an hour to start work because you need to shake hands with all your colleagues that you haven't seen since yesterday

Seasons, they have sun in the summer and cold and snow in the winter.

2 hour lunch breaks.
Joking aside, their education and healthcare are both excellent.

Having a health service that delivers the goodS.

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...and some pretty good climbers.

**** it. Let's invade...

I love shutters. They’re brilliant - especially when you’ve forgotten the stick-on-blackout-blind-that-always-falls-off for your youngster’s bedroom. 🙂

They're a right pain to keep in good condition....

...and some pretty good climbers.

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Oh yes.

Bianchi-Boy - Member
The handshake is just part of the respect shown to everyone you know. And yes it takes time, but I would argue that once work is embarked on, the French labourers are every bit as productive as the (for example) Brits.

Productivity in France is actually quite a lot higher than in the UK. 23% to be precise so the handshake thing might event be a catalyst.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/apr/05/weak-productivity-leaves-uk-trailing-other-g7-nations

https://www.ft.com/content/f372cbb8-4a96-11e7-a3f4-c742b9791d43

Ski resorts.
Motorway services, and surfaces.
Calling a shop huit a huit, but I've yet to find one open 8 till 8 without some significant break, or closing before 8!
Amazing scenery that's not been overly touristed, i.e. expensive gift shops and no access unless you buy a ticket.
Champagne.
It's the work life balance I envy the most though.

The handshake is just part of the respect shown to everyone you know.

I don't disagree with that. As a French colleague explained it, how can I work with someone if I don't recognise them as a person?

Supermarkets.

I've always been impressed by the way they get on with engineering projects. Need a new Autoroute complete with massive bridges and tunnels? Done.

POST
molgrips - Member

It's really not them, it's you. You think you're saying it right, but you're really not. Your ears just hear things differently.

Dessus/dessous

I'm very much aware that my French is terrible, but I'm more or less as terrible as lots of other non-french people who try.
If the French want other people to speak their language, then *they* are going to have to get used to hearing it spoken badly.

Or not, it's up to them. I work with lots of people from all over the world. We're used to hearing *really* bad English (and that's from the natives, b'dum tish)

The word Epic is overused, but this is Epic and French.
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And they are not confined to tradition forms of architecture either..
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And my last on this thread..

Appellation d'origine contrôlée

They care about food, where and why it’s grown and protect the individual nature of their products.

Splendid, what a beautiful country.

If the French want other people to speak their language, then *they* are going to have to get used to hearing it spoken badly.

I can make myself understood in French. Because I make the effort to get it right. You can't blurt out nonsense that YOU think is right and expect it to be understood just because you know what you were going for.

Something to do with how their brains learn to focus on certain vowel intonations and sounds that don't even form part of our soundscape.

Building and operating the finest high speed rail network in the world.

Hiding the fact that they have the slowest, most infrequent and most unreliable regional rail network in the world.

Building and successfully operating out-there theme parks such as Puy du Fou and Futuroscope.

Rioting, they are bloody brilliant at rioting.
Having Audrey Fleurot - the most beautiful woman on the planet 😳

Investing in and protecting their national interests, language and culture.

Answering questions by going "Pfft!"

to be fair the Millau viaduc was designed by Norman Foster .

I see it everyday and ride next to it at least 2 or 3 times a week . it is a beauty .

The word Epic is overused, but this is Epic and French.

I think the first 3, designs from Britain, America and Japan. Though all credit to France for commissioning and building them 🙂

I reckon it's the perfect country for cycle touring.

bb got to disagree with you there

Appellation d'origine contrôlée

has some very obvious benefits, but it's also one of the great limiters. It restricts imagination, it conveys on an AOC the power of a brand without matching it with consistency of quality (they regulate the process, but they dont pass judgement on the output).

There's loads wrong with AOC (go and buy a "Sancerre" and tell me you know why you paid so much for it) but its late. Its not unique to Fr though.

Way late to the thread. Not reading back. Has complaining been said yet?

has some very obvious benefits, but it's also one of the great limiters. It restricts imagination, it conveys on an AOC the power of a brand without matching it with consistency of quality (they regulate the process, but they dont pass judgement on the output).

See the Super Tuscans which couldn't originally qualify under the Chianti DOC

Starting meetings late. I worked for Bouygues for 2 years and never had a meeting start on time when the upper management were involved.

Cool footballers

No such thing as that.

Theyr'e good at having eating places that aren't open when I'm ****ing hungry that's for sure. I'm sure that the only sodding place that was open one afternoon around 3pm in Montpellier was bastid Mc****inDonalds.
So I waited.

On the subject of football, we were staying in Gassin where M. Ginola was born.

TGV Atlantique is a beautiful thing.

I worked in Rousset sur Arc in 1990 for SGS Thomson and I loved the handshake /kiss thing.

If the French want other people to speak their language, then *they* are going to have to get used to hearing it spoken badly.

(course, there's nothing sexier than a northern englishman speaking french - that probably helped)

(course, there's nothing [s]sexier[/s]funnier than a northern englishman speaking french - that probably helped)

FTFY

Owning our:
Train Operating Companies
Bus companies
Electricity Companies
Quite a number of our construction companies
Dairy companies

Being the butt of Little Inglander's jokes.

I love how this started off as "I'm not racist but..." then turned into an overwhelming celebration!

Asked my wife and MIL for their list, quite the same as on here with addition of

Variety of their regions and pride in local produce
Geographical and climate diversity of the country

Language, they have given us some words and phrases in common use like

cul-de-sac
deja vu
double entendres
cliché

been meaning to make a list, there must be others

Have we had blockading our beef trucks?

and being very quick to forget that if it wasn't for my grandad they'd all be speaking german by now..

(course, there's nothing sexier than a northern englishman speaking french - that probably helped)

Except possibly a northern englishman taught french bay a northern irish school teacher.

"ooo est la gaaaare?"

tpbiker - Member
and being very quick to forget that if it wasn't for my grandad they'd all be speaking german by now..

No they haven't forgotten - they are not just tedious enough to go on about all the time it after 70 years.

And to be fair my grandad helped too, and he was French - it was a wide ranging European/Global war so he probably help prevent YOU from speaking german too.

He saved a number of British paras in the occupied zone and got his Legion D'Honneur given to him by De Gaule himself as a result, so there. 😉

Suspension.

And the utterly beautiful and sublime original Citroen DS.

No they haven't forgotten - they are not just tedious enough to go on about all the time it after 70 years.

And to be fair my grandad helped too, and he was French - it was a wide ranging European/Global war so he probably help prevent YOU from speaking german too.

He saved a number of British paras in the occupied zone and got his Legion D'Honneur given to him by De Gaule himself as a result, so there.

I jest, my grandad wasn't even in france, he was somewhere in darkest indo china i believe..shooting those pesky japs

French troops were awesome too no doubt...de gaule was a bit of a dick though..i'll stand by that comment

de gaule was a bit of a dick though

Really? You a Pétain man yourself? 😯

scaredypants - Member

If the French want other people to speak their language, then *they* are going to have to get used to hearing it spoken badly.

au contraire - they bloody love it when you have a go, IME. I once got a 25% discount off a pair of ski gloves because I asked for them in French

+1

My French is rubbish but I do make an effort with the pronounciation. You can often see their eyes light up when they know from your accent you are English but at least making an effort to respect their language rather than expecting them to speak English. I've never really had a problem with being understood either.

(me, in france, in a shop, holding a battery in one hand, pointing at it enthusiastically with the other, i can see the batteries on the wall behind the counter)

"bon-jor.... esk-ah, voo-savey, kelker-shows kom-sah?"

to be me with blank indifference.

there are other examples, but really, i am trying.

He was waiting for "S'il vous plait", ahwhiles.

Mmmmm, I've never really noticed the language thing that has been mentioned above all the time I have been here to be honest. Well not outside of Paris. Certainly here in Haute Vienne I've had no issues with the locals at all. My French is not great but I do try, and it is improving daily but has a way to go. I have never asked anyone to speak English, though a few have done so voluntarily once I have tried French.

I've been treated more rudely in a shop in Nth Wales in the 80's than I ever have been in France! And I don't think that the English shopkeepers are against being awkward with visitors who are trying to speak English to them but are perhaps getting words muddled and mispronounced.

Hiya,

Err planning ahead they are a complete success at. In comparison look at UK for the following:

1. Energy
2. Transport
3. Education

It is embarrasing to see how good they have things compared to us. OK national debt is high, but at least they have infrastructure to show for it ;-(

Best Regards
Jerry

He was waiting for "S'il vous plait", ahwhiles.

And possibly "Monsieur".

Without that you might as well have said "Oi! Froggy. Quick sharp.".

I once got complimented on my pronunciation of "Gold Leaf" in a French tobacconist.

English people tend not to realise that bon jaw is not the same as bonjour and urn pan is not the same as un pain.

Writing cheques. Specificallly they are good at waiting until all their items have been scanned at the supermarket checkout before looking in the depths of their bag for their cheque book.

Oh, and finally, the French excel at putting cocoa in their chocolate. Not buttermilk. 85% Noir. Happy days.

I live on the Swiss/ French boarder. I'm in France most days and don't think they really excel at anything. I can't think of one thing that I've thought, ah, this is better than the UK.

An example of how simple words might not sound as you think. You need some plumbing fittings and want to get off the bus at the nearest stop to Leroy Merlin DIY emporium.

What do you say to the driver? Now check if you made a noise (s)he would understand:

to be fair the Millau viaduc was designed by Norman Foster .

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