Do You Like Parisiens ?

[alittlebitfrench]

I have noticed on many threads that Expats/immigrants that have moved to France jump on the 'rural' French bandwagon of disliking Parisiens. It is like they are joining in but not knowing why.

So. Do you like Parisiens in your corner of France ?

[vette]

A little story for you.

When we first bought our place here in the Mayenne, we also bought a French registered Volvo from a dealer in London. It was on a 75 Paris plate before we re-registered it.

When we moved in, the word soon went around the village that Parisiens had bought the Chateau.

When they found that we were English, they were really pleased. They genuinely don't seem to like them.

For our part, we've had lots of folk from Paris stay with us in the B&B this year. We find them quite charming and also that they always want to speak English rather than French.

Why some locals don't like them is a mystery, although I believe that they think of them as arrogant.

Then again, we have a French friend who refuses to sell fire wood to a German lady here.

[betise]

No

[alittlebitfrench]

Any particular reason why Betise ?

I bet Parisiens are loved in the UK !!!!

[Gardengirl]

I've only met Parisiens who have retired and moved to our lovely little town in the Gard; all are charming, one in particular is a delight.

[Chancer]

I love them but could not eat a whole one!

 

Most of your target group who you are asking the question of may not come into contact with many Parisiens so if they dont like them then they are probably adopting/following the préjudices of their new community no different to us as children before we hopefully form our own views based on our new wider life expériences.

 

I have come into contact with quite a few over the years, a couple of interviews in Paris, many iImet while travelling and many in recent years as customers, they have all without exception been in my view infinitely preferable to the locals here who hate them. but then I can say that of practically all of my customers from other régions of France and would not put the Parisiens ahead or behind them.

 

They have been educated and open minded, not phased by someone speaking with a strange syntax and accent, they "get me" and dont wear the bemused look like they have enocountered an alien life form.

 

My favorites to date have been those from Normandy, to a man (and woman) to date all thoroughly nice warm people.

 

[Alan Zoff]

On one of our early visits to France we stayed in a gite in Brittany. When I asked the French owners if I could park our car in the space between the gite and the neighbouring property, they told us that that land belonged to the neighbours. However, our hosts encouraged us to park there and to be as much of a nuisance as we liked as the neighbouring owners were Parisians whom they seemed to despise.

It might be a superiority/inferiority thing between the big city and smaller towns/ countryside. Same might be said for south east England versus the north.

The only problem I can recall in Paris was when I was determined to try out my French on the chap in the rail station information kiosk. He was equally determined that we would both speak English and he punished me for my perseverance by giving me completely false directions which cost me a lot of inconvenience. Connard! Not that it still bothers me, of course.

[alittlebitfrench]

If you imagine that (I guess) 3/4 of Parisiens (those living in Paris) and those living in the suburbs are living on the same wage and possibly living in worse conditions than their rural counterparts, why such the hatred ?

[Denisbin]

Yes!