In which ways are the French different?

[Tourangelle]

Very impressed by Richard, 9 kg is great. Eating the main meal at lunch time does mean that you eat later though, I think. Now, when I go and stay with my family I find it strange that they eat at 6.15. Fortunately with the time difference it doesn't seem so odd, but here I eat about 7.00 (compromise with hubby). When I go and stay with my family in law and we have to eat around 8.00 or even later I find that really unpleasant, especially if I have to have an early night for what ever reason. In Britain people have their meal and then go out for the evening or even do sport after. This would never happen in France, it's a real difference.

[Richardbk]

[quote]There's a lot of sense in what you say, Richard. In the Middle East and Asia obesity amongst adults is often explained as being due to the culture of eating a huge meal very late at night and then go...[/quote]

On the issue of MILs I have a number of collegues, in Brit/french and french/french marriages, were the vous/tu has periodically changed. I.e it has started with vous - moved to tu and then gone back to vous - all initiated by the MIL - in some cases this cycle has happened several of times - it seems related to  the number 'disagreements' (even very minor) that you have.

regs

Richard

[Teamedup]

Sorry chicfille,  I'll explain, that that is what is often said around here after the car advert came out........... the ad said......... deux cents cinq, sacré numero.

 

[Missy]

[quote]Ok here's a few for starters; The French will always stand outside the car looking at it, in the automatic (rollers type) car wash (even in bad weather), whereby we tend to just roll up, sit stil...[/quote]

You must have forgotten what it is like to be in a UK pub on a busy Friday night then if the queuing at a bar and ignoring gets to you....

[Missy]

[quote]Now this is worrying. Do you mean the labels on your knickers aren't at the back. 'Cos if they are at the back, then you can't possibly put them on back to front, can you? Or are they on the side? ...[/quote]

Who's getting their knickers in a twist!!!.....

[Missy]

[quote]Their obssession with pessaries, don't you find the French pop them to cure everything? "The French will put their holiday postcards in an envelope before sending, whereby Brits will stick stamp on ...[/quote]

and I do too for the same reason and it stops the 'facteur' gossipin'! when my parents receive the postcard.

Also as I discovered this winter when travelling to the far east to visit my daughter there, writing the destination's address with plenty of space which the enveloppe has, it ensures that it will arrive. Some of my friends and family, for whom I did not have an enveloppe to send the postcard in, are still waiting for theirs!!! Promise I did send a postcard!...

[Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P>]

Thanks to all of you, I'm a Titi parisien and I had a good 'laf' reading your comments ! Crikey, I know I haven't lived in France for nigh on 20 yrs but still, I don't remember my family, relatives or friends resembling anything like you've mentioned (as regards formal attitudes, etc.). As for the postcards in enveloppes, yes, my mother does that but I think it is only the older generations to be honest, I have never received a postcard in an enveloppe from a French person aged - 50. Yes, I can see why the 'tu'/'vous' malarkey and the MIL debate rages on, it is a hard on to crack, I tend to say 'tu' to everybody me and by way of explaining, say that I've spent all my adult life in the UK and Québec to get away with it !

[Geranium]

OK please tell me; now we have the internet to make communication so much faster, do the french seem to think emails are there to be replied to when they have time in about 2 weeks - if at all. Don't they understand that if I need a reply quickly I use the internet. Otherwise I'd just use the lovely french snail-mail.

I've noticed that anyone living in France for a long time takes on the same attitude. Must be something to do with that laid back life we all hanker after!

[Missy]

[quote]OK please tell me; now we have the internet to make communication so much faster, do the french seem to think emails are there to be replied to when they have time in about 2 weeks - if at all. Don't ...[/quote]

>>I've noticed that anyone living in France for a long time takes on the same attitude. Must be something to do with that laid back life we all hanker after!<<

Yup! IT IS!... and you can't beat them so JOIN THEM!!

as to me :

You can take the girl out of France but you can't take France out of the girl!!

and Oh BOY! Do I annoy my English (husband's) family with this attitude!...

[SaligoBay]

I've noticed that anyone living in France for a long time takes on the same attitude. Must be something to do with that laid back life we all hanker after!

Laid-back lifestyle is easy to get, you join the 1-in-4 French people who are on anti-depressants.  Rural as well as urban.   World-leading consumers of them, they are.

And it was in the Figaro, so it MUST be true, non? 

[Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P>]

Don't believe everything that you read in the papers Saligobay, it is ultimately bad for your health. Belive me, if the French consume more A-D's than their European counterparts, it's not because of a higher level of unhappiness or some sort of congenital depressive state that many foreign newspapers report on. It is just that (and I get this from French medical staff -doctors, hospital staff, nurses, etc., so 'de source sûre' as we say in French), the typical French 'malade' will not leave the surgery w/o  his/her cargaison de 'médocs' (colloquial for 'médicaments'), part habit, part ignorance, part feelgood factor, part persuasion from doctors. Doctors, in turn, relying on their customs (as competition between them can be ferocious), will usually bow to their demands and prescribe what the hell they want. So, very often, out of the 1.1 million French people who visit their doctor everyday, a good proportion do so to complain of being 'tired' or 'depressed' and end up leaving with some pill or another. Blame whoever you want, Pharmaceutical companies, 'patients', doctors, etc. this scourge of modern life is not more acute in France than anywhere else in the Western world.

[Teamedup]

 I was wondering if this will  change though as the competition between toubib's should be over.  We all have to register with a doctor now if we want to be reimbursed properly. Will this help the doctors actually reduce the amounts they prescribe?

[Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P>]

Yes, the consumption will very very slowly decrease, for a number of reasons (too tedious to explain). However, it will take 2 generations at least, if at all, for the consumption levels to be what they should be. Having outspoken friends and relatives in the pharma business I know for a fact that a lot of the drugs on sale for 'mental health' pbs are no more than placebos, I think that a lot of people will finally accept that and act accordingly one day, but I predict it'll take at least 40 yrs. The competition will still exist, but it will be less marked so.

[Teamedup]

Vraititi, I know that french people like getting their prescriptions but surely it won't take that long to get them down. It hasn't taken that long to get people onto générique medicines. I know that not everyone 'trusts' them, but that seems to be working OK.

How long will it take, well I reckon in five years time there will be a significant difference....... and I don't think I'm being over optimistic.

 

 

 

[Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P>]

Oh, détrompe-toi TU, détrompe-toi, long habits die hard ! what with the increase of poverty, social insecurity, etc. etc. it will take a long time to shift those addictions and change doctors' habits as well.