Do the French like the British ?

[alittlebitfrench]

Something that has always bugged me, do the French really like the British ?

Historically, we don't have a great track record with France. Thinking Jean d'arc !!! and even today we are still colonialising certain regions of France. I am thinking Dordogne , Limousin, Creuse, St Amand Montrond, SW France ...and ski resorts.

Do you think they are beginning to get fed up with us ?

Discuss.

[betise]

Why not ask you wife?

Are you a bit short of things to do at the moment?

[EuroTrash]

LOL @ betise

[EuroTrash]

albf, since you know everything French I'm sure you know why Neufchatel cheese is heart-shaped.

During the 100 years' war, the local lasses in and around Neufchatel were all madly in love with the English soldiers who were barracked there but the soldiers weren't taking any notice of them. The girls were too shy to say "j'ai envie de toi, viens, viens" so what they did was wait for Valentine's day and give the boys cheeses that they'd made into hearts. Subtle eh?

It's exactly the same today - the French all love us to bits, they just find it hard to tell us ;-)

[alittlebitfrench]

I am no forum expert betise, but I reckon you are up to betise.

There is nothing short about my bit btw.

This is a serious debate, no more betise please.

Please lets continue this debate like adults.

[dave21478]

I always make it abundantly clear that I am Scottish and not English, which seems to get me a better reception in most situations.

Anyway, I predict three pages of bickering for this one.

[Judith]

And never forget that we English owned most of France for many years ... especially in the SW due to Eleanor of Aquitance, perhaps no wonder so many return there.

My suspicion is that it is like anywhere else, some will like us, some won't, but certainly they all like to pull our legs about being "anglo-saxon".

[Chancer]

Suis-je bovvered?

[Cendrillon]

mdr!??

[Lehaut]

Don't think they know that Britain exists, they always say "oh you are english". We correct them and say he is English and she is Scottish - which always pleases them. We then tell them we are "British", to which they reply, "well thats the same thing.

So we ask if the Corsicans are French, then it kicks off....

Did anyone else notice that no immigrants were rehoused in Corsica,

[Pierre ZFP]

When you said you correct them when they say "oh your english"

I thought you were going to say "you mean 'Oh you're English'" [6]

Grammar police rooole [geek]

[woolybanana]

Most French would like to be English, like to have a decent Parliament, a constitutional Monarchy as well as eggs and bacon, fish and chips and decent beer!

[Judith]

Indeed they might, but they don't understand the relationship between Parliament and the monarchy, and that the Queen basically has no power, unlike the President of France.  Had to explain how it works several times!

[alittlebitfrench]

The average French person has not got a clue about UK geography so I guess their interest in the UK is pretty minimal. I gave up years ago trying to explain where I was from so now I just say London....which for them tends to cover 99 % of the UK.

Actually they are quite happy when I say London. They like London. But then again it is their 6th largest city.

Apart from London they know Dover and Edinbourg. The rest of the country is of no consequence what so ever. But then again, the average British person only knows Paris and the Dordogne. So I guess it works both ways.

[Chancer]

Douvres!

si j'etais bovvered [;-)]

I wanted to say si je serais bovvered but I see the grammar police are active!

 

English, British, United Kingdom, Great Britain I dont care where they think I hail from, they can call me Scottish, Welsh or Irish I dont mind.

 

A tenant saw one of my old passports and asked me why it said "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" so I tried my best to explain realising that I was probabmy making it up as I went along, he then asked what does that make Southern Ireland then? and I had to admit well you have me there!

 

I dont really know, - mais suis-je bovvered?

[Lehaut]

Droole wiped up ;)

[EuroTrash]

They also seem to know the Lake District, and Canterbury. Why do they know Canterbury? It's a mystery to me, I don't know Canterbury, but they do. And sometimes they can come up with Oxford and Cambridge.

[alittlebitfrench]

I have never met anyone who knows the Lake District.

Funny, my little girl did a presentation about the UK to her class mates at school and so I got her a big map and I printed pictures of various parts of the UK. I insisted she had a picture of the lake District. I love the lake district but I could never live there.

The thing about the UK is that people are very 'regionalistic'. I am from the North I am from the South. I am a Yorkshireman, I am from South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire. I am Cornish or I am this that and the other. We don't like outsiders blah blah blah. The Welsh are the worst (no disrespect if you are Welsh). When you have lived abroad for a long time this 'British' type of attitude is tiresome. I personally hate it.

But the funny thing is that these types think they can move to France and 'slot in' yet are happy to throw their toys out the pram when others move to 'their' region of the UK.

I think this is one of the reasons I would not move back to the UK. Narrow-mindedness.

[suein56]

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]The thing about the UK is that people are very 'regionalistic'. [/quote]

My goodness do you believe the French aren't the same ? We live in Brittany and, by gum, they aren't half proud of being Breton. To them Brittany is the top of the heap, no question about it.

This doesn't mean that they aren't polite to foreigners from other regions but Bretons really do believe that their region is best.

I would be most surprised if people from other regions didn't feel the same about their own region.

Sue

[EuroTrash]

Are you saying the French aren't like that? A Ch'ti is a Ch'ti, a Breton is a Breton, a Parisian is a Parisian etc. You can spot them a mile off (or a km off) by their accent. And they're proud of it.

I was always a bit rootless in the UK and wherever I was I tended to pal up with other people who moved around a lot too, so depending where I was I gave and got a lot of teasing about accents. Bath or barth, grass or grarse, bootter or batter, mi ant or my arnt (aunt), but it was all good natured fun. Maybe there are still people in parts of the UK who are still stuck in the days when you were born lived and died in the same village but Idon't think it's generally the case.

[alittlebitfrench]

I don't think there is the same pettiness in France as the Uk when it comes to regions and being from and not from that region.

In terms of Bretagne, it is bigger than ALL of Yorkshire (where they squabble between themselves), Lake District, Tyne and Wear, Manchester and Liverpool.

It is hardly the same.

[Chancer]

I am gradually forming a view of the régions from my intérimaire clients and to date all the Bretons have been very open, friendly and communicative people, I have felt relaxed in the company of all of them, its a very polarised view because I am only seeing the educated ones and worldly wise ones that have got on their bike, I do not meet Picards like that because they have all departed on their bikes [:D] However when they return I get on well with them, they understand me because they too are treated as an outsider and enemy, worse than me because they are percieved as turncoats.

 

I get the UK regional thing that ALBF talks about, funny thing is I was never ever aware of it in the UK, I dont think that I have ever heard someone correct someone else be they foreigner or native by saying I am not British/English I am Scottish, Welsh, Irish etc, neither in my home locality or when I have worked in the other régions, or should I call them countries, like I say the distinction is lost on me, we are all human beings, we share the same language and in a world sense the same geographical location, I dont understand why moving a few hundred kms suddenly awakens peoples sense of citizenship.

[Chancer]

[quote user="EuroTrash"]They also seem to know the Lake District, and Canterbury. Why do they know Canterbury? It's a mystery to me, I don't know Canterbury, but they do. And sometimes they can come up with Oxford and Cambridge.[/quote]

 

Canterbury is the only decent  city with historical interest within reach of day trip visitors, most probably came on coach trips, I guess Lille would be the equivalent in France.

 

London and Paris require a longer more committed visit.

 

Yes, lots of people have also visted Oxford, maybe Cambridge as well although cannot recall it, a good historical and touristic destination? No idea, I have only worked there.

[Gardengirl]

In the Gard there is definitely a 'them and us' attitude about people from other parts of France, foreigners to them. Of course, their accents mark them out; several French friends from the Paris area find it difficult to believe that they can't communicate with shops etc over the phone or locals in the markets.

That doesn't seem to apply to all real foreigners, as some of us have found. If you're known to be 'gentil', speak French reasonably well, give a 'coup de main' and play pétanque with them you're accepted as one of them.

Through the English classes we give at our local AVF we have an exchange scheme, so many members know about a small village in the Lake District, where a friend's brother organises villagers to accommodate the French visitors. Through this they have discovered the beauty of the LD, real pubs, warm British beer etc. They may not have visited London or other well-known places, but that village and others nearby and certain lakes are often referred to in conversation.

[Hoddy]

Some French friends of mine (dare I mention that they are real French people ?) from the Dordogne went to visit the English Lakes after they had seen the film Miss Potter. They loved it.