Embarrassing English in France

[Georgina]

I thought I would share my recent experience whilst sitting in MacDonalds in France with my children.  An English couple were having the most horrendous argument in front of their kids, he was swearing very loudly in the playarea which was full of people.  The only think that stopped me telling him to shut up was the fact that he was very angry.  To quote "i hate this f....... life, I don't want to be f.......g poor anymore , you look after the f....... kids. etc etc.   It went on for about ten minutes. I was horrified that I would be grouped in with this horrible man or been his next victim.  If you are reading this, I do hope you feel ashamed at your behaviour, your poor wife, your poor children. But what must the French think of this kind of behaviour, they must have known what you were saying as you were so loud.  But what surprised me was, it was not the type of family you would associate with this kind of behaviour ie. baseball caps and shell suit types.  So if you do read this, shame on you. There is no excuse. 

 

Georgina

[JohnM]

No matter which country, I do wish that people wouldn't air their dirty washing in public!

 

[Esperaza]

That's what you get for going into McD's. Most of their regular clients have become brain damaged.

[SaligoBay]

[quote]That's what you get for going into McD's. Most of their regular clients have become brain damaged.[/quote]

Brilliant, I love McDonalds discussions! 

I still don't know why French people crowd into them in their millions.   For one thing, the service is sooooo  sloooowwwwwwww.   Well, proper restaurants can be extremely slow as well, but at least you get to sit down while you're waiting.

The MacMorning Salé is good value at 3 euros tho, a bacon and egg MacMuffin, orange juice, a big coffee, AND free newspapers.   Ye canny whack it. 

 

[Miki]

.........and if the man was staring a mental breakdown in the face, as everything had got completely "on top of him" and life had not turned out in France as the TV programmes had promised him ?

Life here can often turn in to a complete disaster and not every Englishman can keep a stiff upper lip in times of  severe adversity, wouldn't you feel sorry for him (and the family) perhaps ? or would you still prefer to slaughter him and even hope he is on the forum to be told off ?

Of course one feels extremely sorry for the wife and children but from a mans point of view, I also feel for him as well and I suspect if he could have bottled it all in, I am sure he might just have done so.

As far as embarrassed by a fellow countryman, if it worries anyone, speak French and wear a beret, that should fool people but then you will certainly find yourself being embarrased by "fellow" French.

Oh and as a "second hand expert" on McDo's (Daughter works part time for Ronald), she reckons that the French can be a nightmare and says that there often rows between families at the counter, causing tuts and eyebrow raising in disgust from the people in the queue. She even witnessed a fight this year between French gypsies with Spanish and French folk over a couple of burgers !

Stick to Le Quick perhaps...................

Just another side to the story.

 

 

 

[Tresco]

Yep, you beat me to it with most of your response Miki. While I am not condoning shouting and yelling, thats end of tether stuff. It sounds like it may have been one half of that partnerships dream to come to France, rather than an equally shared one.

At least they won't be arguing about the washing up.

[opas]

He cannot be that f*^%$£" poor.....eating at McD en famille!

Not jealous honest, eating anything but an icecream in there gives me a headache.Though to be fair did indulge in the breakfast in uk ,Bagels and coffee courtesy of the freebie in the sun(my dads paper not mine!)

[Russethouse]

I'm with Miki & Tresco here - its was horrid for everyone, and preferably to be avoided at all costs, but it illustrates a point made before here, changing your life by moving to France can change the dynamics of a relationship, for some people thats wonderful, but not everyone.

I agree with Georgina, nobody wants to be judged by others people poor behaviour, hopefully the other people present will know that sort of thing happens in all nationalities and comes from feeling frustrated, tired and broke, not being British.

[lecabine]

Hello

As a regular user of Mcd's - only for the use of the BT OpenZone wireless broadband facility - i have to agree with all, I've seen some pretty attrocious behaviour in these places in front of children, let alone adults. my local Mcd's has now banned anyone looking like a construction worker from eating in as they had so many complaints from people, sadly this also ended the free use of their broadband facilty :-((

Is it any wonder the majority judge the minority so badly...

Greg

 

 

 

 

 

[Georgina]

"Of course one feels extremely sorry for the wife and children but from a mans point of view, I also feel for him as well and I suspect if he could have bottled it all in, I am sure he might just have done ..." miki

 

Come come, you are not suggesting that it's okay to let rip in front of loads of kids and their families in a play area (which incidentally is separate to the main area in McDonalds in France). He could just have gone out of the door less than one foot away.  No excuses ....please.

Actually (re post above) I must apologise also to baseball capped/shell suited persons, I really did not mean to compartmentalise you. Ha, you did make me laugh.

Georgina

[Miki]

Come come, you are not suggesting that it's okay to let rip in front of loads of kids and their families in a play area (which incidentally is separate to the main area in McDonalds in France). He could just have gone out of the door less than one foot away.  No excuses ....please.

Under the circumstances, that I knew the person and knew he was a nasty git who did that kind of thing,no I would not think it right.

I put across another point, that the chap may have been going through the most awful stress and was perhaps close to having a mental breakdown, in which case normal behaviour flies out of the window and no matter what you or I think, the man would not have the mental ability to have done anything about it but to let off some steam before something much worse happened.

So for one to say "No excuses.... please" is to me, another way of saying too bad, he should have thought about that before he had a breakdown, come on see the other side or do men (or women) not break down and all humans are unable to behave strangely, often terribly and if so, what the heck are all those awful institutes all over the world for ? And never forget ,many of those inmates were once like you and I?

There but for the...............

P.S Thanks for telling me where the play areas  at McDos are in France but I have spent the last 18 months waiting beside of one of those noisy places, waiting to pick up said daughter from her P/T job, between  3-7 times per week !!

 

[Georgina]

Actually, you are wrong in this instance, he was not having a "mental breakdown". After duly finishing his rant, he picked up his child and walked out calmly.

Georgina

[Miki]

 Georgina, you appear not to have actually known someone going through or entering a breakdown in their life, it is not stamped on their forehead, nor noticeable often until too late. This man would not have lost his maternal love or habits, just like that, so unfortunately perhaps, the other point of view is still quite valid.

 

[Tresco]

Georgina, you have quoted Miki but I happen to be online. You are right that there is no excuse, people should not shout and swear in front of children, but who's perfect?

I think the guy was clearly at the end of his tether, and in one way, it's better that it came out in public. I know you were the person who witnessed this incident, so you are 'closer ' to it than others, but children are very used to hearing arguments between their parents, and better out than in, as they say, in this case, better to get it over with, hopefully, than take it home to a private place where things can go further.

I couldn't care less about being embarrassed by my compatriots, I embarrass myself and my partner often enough, but if it was more than embarrassment, I would have said something, either to diffuse, or stop whatever was happening, if it was that bad, especially in a public space.

 

[SaligoBay]

I was flippant before about McDo, but in fact Miki was right (as always, ye who are wise, take note ).

The bit about being poor  is most likely at the root of it all.  People say that money doesn't buy happiness, but then neither does poverty.  Unfortunately, (relative) poverty is an occupational hazard of moving to France, and it's not to everyone's liking, no matter what airy-fairy fantasies they have of a "simple" life.  

It's all very sad.  I mean, where's the romance in having a domestic in McDo?   Even in a routier place, you could put an expat twist on it as a story ("I lost my love in the lentils"), but a fast food joint, noooooooo.........

[Tresco]

That was worth repeating, SB.

 until you deleted the duplicate, that is!

[Miki]

I couldn't care less about being embarrassed by my compatriots, I embarrass myself and my partner often enough,

I am with you Tresco, I  embarrass my kids, I don't mean to but, my vision of myself is different to theirs. For instance, my perfect  version of J.T's dancing in Saturday Night Fever has them cringing and asking to be adopted (how sad is that for a parent ?) 

It's all very sad.  I mean, where's the romance in having a domestic in McDo?   Even in a routier place, you could put an expat twist on it as a story ("I lost my love in the lentils"), but a fast food joint, noooooooo.........

SB,  The wise one Moi, je pense pas Madame Hibou.

Oh yes, one thousand agreements about poverty, I hear so many saying how growing a couple of turnips and a raspberry every month will do very nicely in the fruit & veg stakes, have a chicken and a few dogs and all's well. Yes it can be OK, especially for those with a nice few bigguns sitting in the bank as back up but I have served my time keeping look out for the tally man and hiding anything valuable from the huissiers (not me personally I may add !) and to be rich (ish), just has the edge everytime for me, thanks very mooch.

"You think more of that burger than me, you swine" ....." Think more of the burger, I think more of the McShake than you, take that"

No you're right, far better to do the dirty in a relais, than a McDo, more French n,est ce pas, the ash in the buffet, the smell of the routiers, the galouises wafting across your main course and wondering where the goats cheese had spent the early part of its life !

"A ruck in a routier" by Saligo Pagnol, nice ring to it don't you think ?

 

 

 

[letrangere]

Just out of interest, can one get one get a glass of wine in French McDonalds?

And my first thoughts on reading this post were that this was an indication that British people (who possibly weren't "poor" in Britain) are starting to break down as a result of "pursuing their dream".  I feel extremely sorry for him.  Also wonder how many more there are out there shut away on cold wet winter days in their damp unfinished houses miles from anywhere not knowing anyone terrified of the next bill appearing in the post box.  No one on the Forum perhaps but they must exist and in increasingly large numbers too I'd imagine.  M

 

[Mistral]

Just out of interest, can one get one get a glass of wine in French McDonalds?

No, but you can get beer. I've always found strange that macDo  is supposed to be uniform and there are things you can't get in the UK or in germany or wherever. My sister tells me that the range of salads is much bigger here in france than in the UK. Maybe it's all those French women trying to diet while they take their kids to MD.

 

[Quillan]

I have to say that sometimes I am absolutely ashamed to be English and have at times pretended to be French (by hiding behind a French paper and muttering the few French words I know).

 

I am sure the French have their moments but they don’t appear to have the same arrogance as some of the Brits down here.

 

I can tell you many a tale about the Brits and there rudeness and the ‘I’ve got considerably more money than you’ (I only paid £78k for my house and it’s worth over £1M now – Second sentence out of very loud English woman in local restaurant) attitude and quite honestly the way some of these people talk to the French is appalling (Draft excluder you stupid woman, are you thick or something – To the very nice lady who speaks no English in Weldoms by a English 60 odd year old). These are English (nearly used the word people) who live here, some of the visitors can be even worse.

 

I have to say that with regards to our B&B I much prefer any other nationality (over 70% of our guests are French) than the English who seem to be obsessed with money and material things or just plain rude. When we show English guests round our place usually the first words are “very nice and how much did you pay for this then?” They are rude to my wife (clicking their fingers high in the air and ask for tea or coffee - she's not a dog) and never respect the rooms and furiniture. Don’t get me wrong, not all the English are the same, I don’t think I am hence I try and hide when all this goes down.

 

McDonald’s, as an expert, having eaten one in the UK just about every weekday for about 4 years for lunch (you can take it back to your desk and work through lunch – probably contributed towards my 3 heart attacks). I now have one here in France about every 6 weeks or so. I have to say that the service is bad, in Knightsbridge one server would serve about 5 people in the time it takes them to serve 1 here. The quality here however is much better than in the UK.

[neutralzone<EM>Lets not <STRONG>bitch!<STRONG><EM>]

To quote "i hate this f....... life, I don't want to be f.......g poor anymore , you look after the f....... kids. etc etc. 

Nope wasn't me...............................

 

[neutralzone<EM>Lets not <STRONG>bitch!<STRONG><EM>]

I'm so glad you said that, I thought we were the only ones that do that! Makes you think though..... perhaps its NOT french people in the supermarket but Brits pretending to be French!

 

[Alcazar]

I must admit to having been saddened at the flippant way some folk on here dismissed someone who may have been at the end of his tether/facing a breakdown.

It just goes to show that the vast majority of the british public do not understand mental health issues, and don't want to.

There is still much stigma attached to mental illness, and far too much of the "pull yourself together" mentality.

Alcazar

[Quillan]

"There is still much stigma attached to mental illness, and far too much of the "pull yourself together" mentality."

I totally agree with that statement and let’s not ignore the fact that many UK GP's have an attitude of patting people on the hand, prescribing Prozac and sending them on their way.

There must be people here in France from all nationalities that have 'burnt their bridges' in their homeland and try very hard to stay here but for whatever reason just can't make it work. They can't go back for a variety of reasons or know that if they do they could be even worse off than they are here and thus feel trapped. It must be very depressing.

I wonder how much these programs on UK TV really play in enticing people here who should not have come in the first place. We often assume that it's these programs that are the cause but are they really?

This is why I think some of the people who post on this forum who tell it 'warts and all' are good because whilst they may go over the top at times it might prevent somebody from coming who shouldn't and hence save them a lot of heartache in the future.

Let’s get back to the thread. When we travelled down in 2002 we stopped half way at a hotel just off the autoroute. During the night two coaches of elderly English people arrived on their way back to the UK from Spain. Not only did they wake every one up as they shouted at each other down the corridors (at 1:30 in the morning) but at breakfast they shouted across the dinning room for tea, demanded English breakfasts (you get them in Spain you know). They put their used teabags directly on to the cotton table cloths making big piles of used teabags everywhere and were generally rude and obnoxious. I tucked myself away in the corner and hid behind a French newspaper and just grunted when somebody asked if anyone was sitting there.

Our local supermarket is full of people speaking English. I even heard somebody say that back in the UK you never heard anyone speaking English in their supermarket, bit like the pot calling the kettle black really.

 

[Nick Trollope]

Our local supermarket is full of people speaking English. I even heard somebody say that back in the UK you never heard anyone speaking English in their supermarket, bit like the pot calling the kettle black really.

Whenever Tina hears an English voice in the supermarket, she immediately clams up & picks up a jar of something that noone English would buy (just what are those dead things in a jar?). By the time the third person in the queue passes out, thou shalt deny your bithright at least 6 times....

You know, I have eaten a McD on every continent (except Antartica). I hate them. Daniel (left) loves them, but never seems to eat the food...