Cendrillon Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Frederick, IMO the roundabouts are far more artistic than you would have people believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 School canteen food, university canteen food, hospital food and prison food.I expect to be contradicted on all but the last one [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 [quote user="Cendrillon"]Frederick, IMO the roundabouts are far more artistic than you would have people believe. [/quote] Agreed ....The gardening ones are great and I take my hat off to them ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 South Vendee isn't evidently far enough south for the really good roundabouts! [:D] We don't have old tat on ours, we have custom-made works of art and fantasy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Having Presidents of the Republic with such newsworthy side stories (if that is what you can call their wives, partners, mistresses etc [Www])... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I'll endorse the the eye-level lights, the community meals and the common courtesy of adolescents.I'll add road signs. In France I can set off and follow the signs and they don't peter out in the middle of nowhere the way they seem to do in England. I also like the way you are almost always greeted before you start the real topic of the conversation. At first I used to just launch into whatever was in my mind. My neighbour taught me better, he would shake my hand and say, "Bonjour Madame" before he would begin the conversation. Now I do it as a matter of routine. So much more civilized.Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 They're exceptional, in a sporting context, at being ungracious in defeat and unbearable in victory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkkent Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 They are better at the indiscriminate slaughter of living things (including themselves) in the name of sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Providing a pic-nic table on a bit of grass somewhere in every village So when passing through lunch time you can stop and eat in comfort . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 [quote user="You can call me Betty"]They're exceptional, in a sporting context, at being ungracious in defeat and unbearable in victory.[/quote]OH tells me that is certainly the case in his table tennis club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbie Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I am genuinely surprised that on a forum for francophiles so many of you seem to dislike the french so much. Why live in a country or have a holiday home there if you find so much to be disagreable. Are you masochists? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Oh com e on ! We love them really ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 No, Rabbie, don't be fooled. That's just a kind of affectionate joshing and batting the ball around a bit.You know how you are only rude to people who are your friends or how your sister (brother) is horrible until someone else says something unkind about them and then you are defending them to the hilt?This thread is a bit like that.Certainly, speaking for myself, I just LOVE living here and I shall be devastated should the time ever come when I have to leave France and go and live somewhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Better, is a word I have a bit of a problem with. There are so many differences between both countries and things I like in both and things I don't like in both. One of the 'differences' I love in France is shops being open until 7 in the centre of towns and cities, I miss that. It isn't that I am a shopping fan, but when I have to, I like to shop early evening. In the whole of the Rhone Alpes as far as I was aware, there was only one roundabout when I got to France, it should have been called the rond-point de la mort, it was so dangerous with it's priorité a droite. And then they changed going round them to priorité a gauche and roundabouts sprouted like mushrooms in autumn. Hundreds of them and none decorated with art....... either good or bad, not one, so too many roundabouts and very boring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 [quote user="sweet 17"]Ditto posters that refer to events that have come and gone yonks agoDitto panneaux advertising restaurants, businesses, services where the owners have long retired/died/left town[/quote][:-))][:-))][:-))]................. and SW17 is right. There's nothing negative about any of this Rabbie - just one of those periodic leg-pulls about the French. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 [quote user="Frederick"][quote user="Cendrillon"]Frederick, IMO the roundabouts are far more artistic than you would have people believe. [/quote] Agreed ....The gardening ones are great and I take my hat off to them ... [/quote]http://www.flickr.com/groups/rotondes_rotondas_ronds-points_roundabouts/pool/tags/poitoucharentes/http://deliredelart.20minutes-blogs.fr/archive/2010/03/15/jean-luc-ple-artiste-des-ronds-points-et-pollueur-visuel.htmlwith luck you might be able to see a few of the roundabouts on the links above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiefluvvie Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 [quote user="Rabbie"]I am genuinely surprised that on a forum for francophiles so many of you seem to dislike the french so much. Why live in a country or have a holiday home there if you find so much to be disagreable. Are you masochists?[/quote]Rabbie - Two things for me - and I have dual nationality. 1. my rose-tinted glasses fell off and 2. the socialists came to power - so I'm off elsewhere, life's too short.Just a word for those who love the 'bonjour monsieur / madame' preambles in shops and when meeting etc - such 'acknowledgements' are about as sincere as the USA's 'have a nice day!' - they're cultural, habitual and essentially superficial. Nice how 'foreigners' find them endearing though - :-)Chiefluvvie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Wow! Who knew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 "Just a word for those who love the 'bonjour monsieur / madame' preambles in shops and when meeting etc - such 'acknowledgements' are about as sincere as the USA's 'have a nice day!' - they're cultural, habitual and essentially superficial. Nice how 'foreigners' find them endearing though - :-)"How astonishing patronizing of you Chiefluvvie.It is perfectly possible to know all of that and still like it.And I do.Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbie Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 [quote user="Gardian"][quote user="sweet 17"] Ditto posters that refer to events that have come and gone yonks agoDitto panneaux advertising restaurants, businesses, services where the owners have long retired/died/left town[/quote][:-))][:-))][:-))]................. and SW17 is right. There's nothing negative about any of this Rabbie - just one of those periodic leg-pulls about the French.[/quote] Wow if that's positive I might be tempted to top myself when the negative posts appear [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiefluvvie Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 [quote user="Hoddy"]"Just a word for those who love the 'bonjour monsieur / madame' preambles in shops and when meeting etc - such 'acknowledgements' are about as sincere as the USA's 'have a nice day!' - they're cultural, habitual and essentially superficial. Nice how 'foreigners' find them endearing though - :-)"How astonishing patronizing of you Chiefluvvie.It is perfectly possible to know all of that and still like it.And I do.Hoddy[/quote]Jolly good for you Hoddy - no pulling the wool over your eyes then? Do try and restrict personal attacks though - goes against the forum code of conduct - especially as you are a Moderator.BTW Is everyone on here a Moderator - and can I apply?Bonne journée ! :-)Chiefluvvie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbie Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 [quote user="Chiefluvvie"][quote user="Rabbie"]I am genuinely surprised that on a forum for francophiles so many of you seem to dislike the french so much. Why live in a country or have a holiday home there if you find so much to be disagreable. Are you masochists?[/quote] Rabbie - Two things for me - and I have dual nationality. 1. my rose-tinted glasses fell off and 2. the socialists came to power - so I'm off elsewhere, life's too short. Just a word for those who love the 'bonjour monsieur / madame' preambles in shops and when meeting etc - such 'acknowledgements' are about as sincere as the USA's 'have a nice day!' - they're cultural, habitual and essentially superficial. Nice how 'foreigners' find them endearing though - :-) Chiefluvvie[/quote]I have never said France is perfect. If I thought it was I would have moved there years ago[:)]I was mislead by the OP who I thought was enquiring after the the subset of things that France does better than the UK and not "a lets take the p*ss out of France". I am cursed with a touch of "Aspergers Syndrome" syndrome which means I tend to take things very much at face value. This may explain why I posted earlier as I did. Apologies to anyone I may have inadvertently offended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Nidea Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I am in awe of their picnics, of the kind produced at sporting occasions.Groups of mates carry cold boxes stuffed with bottles of wine and cider, whilst the others follow with their boxes containing pate, cheese, cold meats, tomato's and butter. The children carry the loaves.I get out my plastic bag containing my cheese and pickle sarnie then stand back and watch while the women plaster the butter onto the bread and stuff the baguette's with cheese, ham and pass then around the group. The men meanwhile pass the topped up plastic cups of wine to everybody.My picnic is over 10 minutes after 12, whilst the French ones continue until 2pm.Apologies for any mistakes in the text. The cursor seems to object any upward or backward movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Ribbing yes....... and you should hear what french people rib me about, all their comments about les anglais. My friends love nothing better than taquine me, about the EU, my french, english food, english style......... you name it ...........and most of them have never crossed the channel. This thread is perfectly OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprogster Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Chiefluvvie is absolutely correct, in that the acknowledgements used when French people meet strangers are not endearing but a formality they are taught as a child, in the same way Americans say have a good day. So whilst we Brits might find them endearing in fact they a taught way to greet and say goodbye, that the French use automatically without thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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