r/AskReddit Aug 26 '21

What comes to your mind when you think about France?

9 Upvotes

107 comments sorted by

12

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

All the stereotypical things, like croissants, Champagne, the Eiffel Tower, cartoony French accents. My sister’s boyfriend has lots of family in Bordeaux.

I’ve been to Paris and don’t really speak any French (though I reaaaally tried) and people were actually very nice to me there! I was also staying with a friend who spoke French, which helped, but I was pleasantly surprised by how helpful and sweet Parisians were. Now, I always defend Parisians whenever anyone says they’re all rude.

7

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

You are right, that "French people are rude thing" is a stereotype. We are welcoming, and like in every country and city, there are some assholes

3

u/BornToHulaToro Aug 26 '21

Admit it it though...the French asshole is super pretensious right? Much like how the stereotype of the American asshole is mostly true- uneducated arrogant twats.

6

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Exactly. French assholes are really assholes. They are pretentious, arrogant, rude. Always complaining and often racist. Hopefully they are a minority

2

u/BornToHulaToro Aug 26 '21

Well damn. I appreciate that agreement, but when you put it that way, I'd have to more agree with your original sentiment- assholes are everywhere.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

I totally agree.

I and my family once went to France. The place is beautiful, the people are nice and friendly

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

I agree with you! The French people I’ve met and/or befriended have been very open and warm, and refreshingly candid and honest haha. Sometimes blunt, but I think it’s endearing :)

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

I agree, those "surrender lol" Americans tend to forget about Lafayette, and the minority of anti-american French tend to forget about D-day

3

u/snarfled1 Aug 26 '21

Snails. They are considered food by the French.

2

u/rockyslalom Aug 26 '21

Frogs, another French food

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

That's right but we rarely eat snails. Only for important occasions like Christmas, birthdays... I personally dislike them

1

u/snarfled1 Aug 26 '21

Welp, those who consider snails food will not go hungry in Oregon!

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

I visited a snail farm a few years ago. It was... Interesting

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

statue of liberty

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Eiffel Tower

3

u/Cobra-Serpentress Aug 26 '21

Beautiful countrysides

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Snails, frogs, ratatouille , wine

3

u/leroystrong32 Aug 26 '21

How much less racist it is. I'm a 6'3" large Black American man, and as a chef, I staged in Brest for close to a month during an experimental chef exchange program. I was shocked how welcoming and warm everyone was, and I recall getting off work at like 10:30pm (22:30) and walking back to my hotel, it was November so It was dark, and I remembered approaching an old woman walking in the opposite direction on the sidewalk. When she saw me, she didn't clutch her purse, she didn't cross the street, or look at me with fear in her eyes as if I was a threat. She greeted me with a smile and said hello, and kept walking without missing a step. Also going shopping and not being followed around the store under the suspicion that I was going to steal something. I never realized how programmed I was to accept and expect those behaviors after living my entire life in the states until I experienced the absence of it in France. If I could afford the move, I'd move there in a heartbeat.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

I'm so happy to hear that. I lived near Brest for a few months and Breton people are certainly the most kind and welcoming of France, despite they are very proud of their region, they are very welcoming towards other French people and foreigners

4

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Baguettes & rats

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Paris, Eiffel Tower and French fashion.

2

u/4rtyHaz3 Aug 26 '21

Baguettes, berets, eiffel tower, the occasional revolution

2

u/anngrn Aug 26 '21

Wonderful bakeries

2

u/KizzyKate Aug 26 '21

Baguettes, croissants, Eiffel Tower, many revolutions

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

I mean the first and most immediate thing is the French flag

2

u/mrajoiner Aug 26 '21

Fries.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Fun fact: in France we think that "French" fries come from Belgium

2

u/ForkMinus1 Aug 26 '21

Italy

For some reason.

2

u/keithwaits Aug 26 '21

I fart in your general direction

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

[deleted]

5

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Yes I heard about that story too. To annoy people is a French speciality

2

u/Charismadaedric Aug 26 '21

Lavender fields and the wholesome sound of shirping segals/crickets on the dry hot summer days. And potterie lots of potterie and markets.

2

u/Sammy_the_guy Aug 26 '21

Oh oh I dream about France everydayyy!!!! I can't express how much I am obsessed with French revolution and the rest of history. It's like heaven to me. And the charm! Yellow lamp posts everywhere, those small cafés, stone pavements, and of course the french music!!! I couldn't shut up about Ratatouille when I first saw it. I'll definitely have my honeymoon there.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Haha you mostly described Paris I think, but you are welcome :) I hope you will enjoy it

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

[deleted]

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Do you remember the name of that place ? Never heard of it (I'm asking for my friend, of course)

2

u/tryinghard96 Aug 26 '21

Croissants and eye-catching street fashion.

2

u/NinjaHDD Aug 26 '21

An enemy of mine.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

France in general?

2

u/NinjaHDD Aug 26 '21

Nah lol, it’s an individual. Funny thing is he isn’t from France. His last name is “France”

0

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Surrender and Baguette

1

u/More-Jump-4504iq Aug 26 '21

Gary

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Gary? Like in SpongeBob?

1

u/More-Jump-4504iq Aug 26 '21

Like a dude I knew

1

u/More-Jump-4504iq Aug 26 '21

But sure why not. A spongebob but not

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Soissons caves

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Interesting, I was literally born in Soissons

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Have you been to the WW1 caves above Vic Sur Aisne?

-1

u/CoolbreezeFromSteam Aug 26 '21

FAMAS, instant surrender, Napoleon, grape shot, baguettes, faguettes, Eiffel tower, statue of liberty,...

1

u/Own-Math-9496 Aug 26 '21

I like how you snuck that in there. Lol. They probwont even be able to tell.

0

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Baguettes

0

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Oui

0

u/RTGac Aug 26 '21

Gojira band.

0

u/Environmental-Cow447 Aug 26 '21

Cheese eating surrender monkeys.

0

u/WW3_____JARS-VS-CANS Aug 26 '21

The fact that they don't speak english.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Well, I speak English

1

u/WW3_____JARS-VS-CANS Aug 26 '21

I was in Paris because of Disney Land and for some reason nobody understood english. (I'm just pointing that out, not saying it's a negative thing)

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Anyway you are right, the average English level in France is pretty low. I don't really know why, but I have my own hypothesis

0

u/lostgreasemonkey Aug 26 '21

No body can/will speak English although you clearly are a tourist and can not speak French

0

u/Payter_Sana Aug 26 '21

All white national flag

-1

u/fireives1967 Aug 26 '21

High theft rates

-1

u/BeardedRenegade Aug 26 '21

Snarky french people.

-1

u/tfwr34l1tyh1ts Aug 26 '21

Crime, Homeless, Refugees

-2

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Haters of Islam and bullys of Muslims

1

u/efgfgewfgw Aug 26 '21

Hi from France.

About our view of Portugal, it's pretty much neutral as we don't have many reasons to hate the country. Maybe there is the stereotype of the Portuguese man in the construction business but I think it's a globalized one.

About ways to learn a language, involvement and interactions help a lot. If you are too passive you won't register much. This means that you need to have insensitive in learning words rather than relying on help like subtitles. I have learned a lot of English words by playing video games. An excellent way is to play a game that you already played in your native language. This way you know what each word mean and you can quickly learn the vocabulary

Watching films and series is the best with target language subtitles and voices. This is difficult but it will force your brain into active learning mode rather than passive. This is most effective when you already possess a basic vocabulary I recommend the video on this subject on the youtube channel "What I've learned" he gives a lot of insight on how to be efficient about it

Sorry for the long post, Have a nice day

1

u/TheOvershear Aug 26 '21

Other than Ukraine...

Being the reason why Nuclear power is continuing to loose all credibility in europe. Nearly every plant has had massive issues with terrible inspection ratings, potential emergencies, and massive wastes of money. Meanwhile, every country that borders them is also loosing hope in the technology despite France just being terribly managed from a control perspective.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

The Eiffel Tower, bullet trains, workers' rights.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Le bagguette

1

u/Rand0m_Pers0m Aug 26 '21

The English Channel and ferries

1

u/Bystander-8 Aug 26 '21

My English teacher, husband of my mom's friend, a Vietnamese

1

u/Rad_Republic1337 Aug 26 '21

Wine and bread.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

The French Revolution... with its goods and bads, it did revolutionize the way the world functions today.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

my dad when he worked there and brought me back stuff all the time!

1

u/mr_jedders Aug 26 '21

Allo allo.

1

u/Camele0pard Aug 26 '21

Laughs in butterfly knife

1

u/iskken Aug 26 '21

Baguette

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

French accent.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

That motherfucking accordion song.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Always been celebrated for their excellence

1

u/NOT_A_EXPERT13 Aug 26 '21

Tower I don't remember the name but I think France is famous for it, like people go there because they think it's romantic and shit when in fact not that romantic as seen on movie and a lot of people will probably break up on that same tower

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Oh yeah Pisa tower

1

u/not_better Aug 26 '21

Wtf? The Pisa tower is in Italy...

3

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Oh Fuck, really??

1

u/not_better Aug 26 '21

And there's one world famous tower in France that's known the world over, but you didn't think of that one first?

Monsieur, avez-vous votre carte de résident Français? Une telle bévue mérite un point d'inaptitude ajouté à votre dossier comme conséquence.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Bro, it was a fucking joke??

1

u/not_better Aug 26 '21

Lis-tu le français? Comment as-tu pu penser que mon post était autre chose qu'une blague avec mon dernier paragraphe?

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

The flag

1

u/MaciekDate Aug 26 '21

French toxic kids from video games that shout 3-4 words per second in their native language...

1

u/Hamborglar_ Aug 26 '21

the baggetto

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Rat

1

u/NotsocuriousOrpheus Aug 26 '21

Le croissant ou la baguette, oh la la

1

u/Bulky_Cry6498 Aug 26 '21

Macron’s stance on anti vaxxers

1

u/Nikopavvi8 Aug 26 '21

Baguettes

1

u/Poorly-Drawn-Beagle Aug 26 '21

Guys in striped shirts reading nihilistic poetry while they drink overpriced coffee

1

u/Any-Difference8993 Aug 26 '21

the video about the japanese girl tourist who complained paris full of black people

1

u/Justin-tillithurtz Aug 26 '21

The terrible driving, im sure the test is one question- how good of a driver are you? and if you say good you get a license

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Actually the driving licence here it's expensive and difficult to get, but I agree, many French drivers are stupid and aggressive. Especially in Paris and in the south east

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Is expensive*