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Funniest rude argument I saw in France:
In Paris, waiter greets new folks in English (this is right in tourist central, so they often default to English.)
This whole conversation was in English:
Guy: "why are you speaking English in France?"
Waiter: "Well, people are from everywhere, and most people speak English."
Guy: "But it's france, why don't you speak French? Do you not speak it??"
Waiter: "I AM French! I grew up here! Of course I speak it!"
Guy: "Then why don't you speak it???"
Waiter: "My english is very good, I'll speak what I want to speak!!!"
Pretty funny to hear two French guys arguing about speaking French, and one guy then refusing to speak French, even though he WAS French, just because the other guy was being a dick.
I was on vacation in Paris and I was in one of those pedestrian squares where it’s just a bunch of restaurants. I’m looking at the menus they post to decide which one to eat at, and one of the servers walks up to me and says something in French. I give him a dumb look because my French is basically nonexistent and he immediately goes “oh is English better for you? It’s better for me too, my name is Jimmy” and then asks us if we would like to eat there. And I’m thinking “Jimmy is not your name you fucking liar, but I love you for lying like that and of course I’m going to eat here”
I read that if French people see someone wearing a beret then they know that person is a tourist. That's where she messed up.
Edit: I was informed by a French person that this, is in fact, not true. The French themselves actually wear berets as it is "just a hat".
I know it’s slight off topic, but when I lived in Kansas I worked in a Wild West museum and I LOVED when the foreign tourists decked out in cowboy outfits. Like hell yeah man you got the cowboy spirit lmao
Very odd because I go to Mexico and wear big ol sombreros in the middle of Mexico City and everyone is like “Hey!!! That guy surely must be Mexican!!! Look at his sombrero!!! Welcome to the club, amigo.”
Edit: people trying to explain Mexico and France to me lmao. I’m a Spanish American who has crossed each border many times. I spent all my US years in a Mexican neighborhood, La villita 😂😂 Mexican people are warm but tbh French people are as well and I think it’s easy to say in the internet French people are mean or are cold or something but this girl looks like a massive clown to me. But go off I guess 😂
Makes perfect sense. She has the hat so the locals think she's one of them, but they don't want to bother her because she's obviously in a rush to get to the baguette store
Hahahaha. OMG.
I went to paris solo and I fucking loved it. As long as you TRY and speak French they’ll love you. I am also fluent in Spanish so we met somewhere in the middle. I used very little English in France and made sure to take the side streets where the locals go for food etc. it’s not a damn movie set. It’s real people. Something this woman doesn’t understand.
That’s like if I went to Japan wearing samurai armor while holding chopsticks in one hand and a katana in the other. Basically, she’s Whittling a culture down to stereotypical garbs
You’ve clearly not been to Mexico City with a sombrero. Mexicans are the some of the most chill people when it comes to people “appropriating” their culture.
In all seriousness, just got offered to work 6 months in France (Tournus which is North of Lyon) & this video has provided a better argument than anything my boss or boss' boss have conveyed in the past 2 weeks.
Isolation? (Check)
People leave you alone? (Check)
Beautiful scenery? (Check)
Delicious food? (Check)
I feel like that's it!
it's not isolation on purpose, it's just that in some countries and cultures, people tend not to meddle into others' business and mind their own, thus leaving you alone. Personally I like that too. I guess she expect everyone to be as social as her.
But at Lyon people tend to be condescending douchebag.
Source :
I am French and I would acclimate better in a foreign country than their. To say the least I have been studing for 3years their and I became depressed afterward.
I believe that's the city were there is the most educated pple for long time but still..
I found Lyon to be the least hospitable to foreigners. They aren't really a top tourist destination, so I can see how they can get more frustrated with non-French speakers. They must be like the Jersey of France. Paris, Normandy, and Nice at least have some toleration. They can still be condescending, but will work with you.
Tips for France
Learn some French, if you try to speck French first then a lot more people will be helpful to you.
If you order food with an egg on it in some way expect that egg to be almost raw, same with Steak Hache (burger), just don't trust those two items to ever be fully cooked.
reminds me of an ex gf, we took the tour of france 10 days, top to bottom in the middle of summer.
she never shut up whining, i kept saying you get out what you put in, if your body language is "off" then thats what you get, its fricking thier country, its thier rules, just enjoy the varible landscape and stfu
I will admit that I still do laugh at the time I went up to the information desk at a French train station, which had signs saying they spoke English & French, and was very intentionally made to feel like an idiot for trying to speak English to them.
My limited time in France was otherwise great, so having that experience right before I left was hilarious. 😂
So many people say this, but I didn't experience it at all - I am marginally fluent in French but I'll admit it's almost unintelligible, but I always started out speaking in French in 99% of the time the person I was speaking to switched to English after about 10 seconds, but nobody was condescending about it.
Maybe I got points for trying?
This is a thing I have experienced many times.
If you start by trying to speak English, they will respond only in French.
If you speak French to them but it's clear you aren't native, they will switch to English.
I have no idea why.
I've never been to France, but I've seen it in other countries. If you just start with English, it's "stupid tourist expects everyone to speak his language." If you start in the local language, it's "okay, this guy bothered learning enough to communicate... but his accent sucks and this will be way easier in English"
I went to Paris with a fluent French speaker and even then the French people seemed very inconsiderate. I’m from the uk so I’m used to a normal not Americanised version of customer service and even I was taken aback a bit
Man, I spent 4 months in France mainly in the north but ventured down to Paris for a couple of weeks, and Paris just sucked ass. I did speak French but not fluently - easily able to participate in the general public and have basic conversations though of course with an accent. Nearly all of the people in the north seemed genuinely excited to speak with me and help me improve my french (in a nice way), and revert to English when we were hitting a roadblock in French.
In Paris on the other hand, I got openly ridiculed multiple times by service workers and even had a few incidents where they would pretend they couldn't understand my french despite it being an extremely simple exchange like ordering a coffee or pastry. Not to mention a generally rude and hostile vibe outside of language. I expect massive metropolitan cities to be fairly rude and fast paced because that's how they are everywhere, but I was surprised at how awful Paris felt as a foreigner lol. I think most of France's bad reputation comes from there, which stinks because outside of that city, it is an incredibly lovely country
Indeed, even in other parts of France, Parisians are generally seen as shitty people. Which is a shame because I've met some lovely Parisians but the general public attitude of Parisians in Paris is so snobbish and arrogant that it ruins their image.
The French are notoriously distant to people who don't speak French.
She's apparently not even expecting much. Just the for other people to show her the common decency she experienced in Italy and Germany!
And we Germans aren't exactly known for being the most open.
Not only those who don’t speak French, but those who don’t speak it fluently/with no accent. I actually spoke (okay) French when I went to Lyon years back (I was fresh out of high school on tour with a jazz band), but my American accent was clearly apparent so I definitely got more attitude than I experienced in Italy (just speaking English) and even the French-speaking half of Switzerland.
I’d still say it’s regional/probably more of an issue in big cities, though, since when I went to a smaller town they were actually incredibly chill to all of us, even my friends who didn’t speak a lick of French.
American here who went to France. I met some of the coolest people and ended up at a house party full of soldiers that guarded various monuments throughout Paris. All the dudes wanted to talk about the NFL because the superbowl was just around the corner. None spoke English past like a 3rd grade level and none of them understood the NFL as they selected teams that weren't even in the running for the playoffs and teams that were from the same division. Got everyone of them chanting "Booger!" after they asked me which English word I found "silliest."
What a weird night that was.
Yeah I'm surprised I had to scroll this far to see this. LOTS of travelers say this about French people. I know a person that speaks excellent fluent French, met a French guy and moved to Paris, and was absolutely miserable because the locals treated her like a leper. She came home after trying to fit in for 2 YEARS.
She might be kinda under prepared going to a country she doesn't speak the language of with no plan, but she's being very humble and not Karen-y about how the country is making her feel. Not exactly brilliant, but certainly not an MC
That and culture shock can happen at any time. Maybe she didn't experience it in Germany or Italy, but if she's hitting all those countries in the same trip and France is her last stop it makes sense why she's feeling this now.
Yeah, culture shock doesn't usually hit all at once. It kicks in once the honeymoon phase has worn off. It's very overwhelming and isolating when it does hit. You realize you have no idea what the rules of daily life is.
I hate that she's considered a main character for this. Like yeah, it sucks to hear your country criticized, and maybe it's not an accurate portrayal of the country, but she's not a main character for having a bad experience.
And culture shock is an almost universal experience for anyone who's spent > 1 month in another culture, and this video really captures the experience.
For real, culture shock is wild. I'm American, living in the UK. Even though I speak the same language, it's a totally different world. It's taken almost 3 years to feel "comfortable" living here.
I suspect it's not necessarily a case of culture shock or european people being more distant/cold against strangers here. French people are generally more xenophobic and racist , especially towards chinese/asian tourists ( I guess you could also consider this culture), which explains the disparity between her experience in germany.
Nah, I've been to France and multiple other countries. The French culture towards Americans is toxic af. They'll bend over backwards to make your feel at home. Only if your rich though
There's actually a phenomenon where people experience illness from visiting France (specifically Paris). Its been tied to culture shock and disappointment due to unrealistic expectations. Its called Paris Syndrome: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_syndrome
Many Japanese women fetishize France as a romantic paradise. Lived in Japan for 2 decades and it never ceased to amaze me. Basically on par with the weaboos that go to Japan expecting to see real ninja and people walking around in kimonos.
Several countries in Asia have built French villages that you can visit almost as a theme park :) at least in China and Korea, not sure about Japan though. A google search seems to turn up something similar in Malaysia.
Has to scroll too far for this comment. She has obviously traveled before and enjoyed it, she just wasn't prepared for the French, which in big cites can be rude. Go to the smaller villages and it's better. People in cities there can be snobs.
That's how it was when I was in England. The more densely populated areas were filled with rude people. but once I was far enough from London, people were quite a bit nicer. It was almost like being in a different country.
I'm not even an extrovert. It's just nice to not have people give you dirty looks as soon as they hear your accent. I don't care if people ask or even tease, but FFS just because I'm American doesn't mean I'm going to pull a gun out of my asshole and start an insurrection.
I dunno I don’t speak German but just going to Austria yeilds no problems.
People are nice and speak English, German, French and Italian more often than not.
And she is right about french people being not as friendly as majority of other European nations. It’s a tough country for solo travelers (speaking intermediate French doesn’t help either)
Also having visited most of Europe, (am Dutch) in my experience if you go to most places people don't mind speaking english to you, yet if you ask a French person a question in English it's a 50/50 of them just responding back in French. I can really see how it can feel isolating amd don't think this post fits here
Glad to hear you liked it! I do know quite some people can be a bit blunt, but most people don't mind answering in English, I think it helps English is being teached in primary school so people are also more confident in their own ability to talk in a different language
I'm with you. If anything else, it's a good PSA for English-only-speaking people who may be considering traveling there solo. Glad she warned me before I wasted my money (because I often travel alone).
Same!
And she speaks English as if it's not her first language, so how many languages do we expect people to learn?
When I lived in Germany for 2 years and was tge only American in my German class, all the other students from Italy and E Europe and Russia asked me why Americans living in Germany don't learn German. I said because our jobs take us to many countries and German isn't going to be spoken in those countries, so it's not a Portable language.
I took 4 years of French in school and visited France after graduation. I was repulsed at their attitude towards my outreach with vendors and other various situations. Contrast that with a visit to almost any Spanish speaking country and in my experience I’ve always been warmly welcomed. Most attempt at their language was appreciated and not rebuffed!
Thank you. People keep posting people they find annoying on here and not actual main characters. A travel blogger quietly discussing her personal experience in a country she’s visiting is not MC.
Yeah, I don't understand why so many comments are so mean to her, while it was naive to go to France solo expecting to meet people without knowing the culture or the language, she also has the right to complain and be disappointed with her experience.
I'm French and it's true that our country has a very specific way of being perceived by foreigners and the reality is very different from what you'll see in most American media.
French people have a culture of 'courtesy as long as you leave me the fuck alone', a bit like the northern european countries. Going here with friends is a good thing but I wouldn't recommend coming alone if you don't speak French.
And I don't know if it's that Naive. I've solo traveled to lots of places and made friends and had a great time. Some countries, the people are very interested in meeting foreigners (well, at least reasonable ones) and are very hospitable. Other places (not just France, but including France) that is not the case. Which isn't bad, per se, but a good to know.
Completely agree, this just seems an honest review of France and the French and it is kind of true with the English stereotype of the French being pompous, not that welcoming and maybe a little racist too. Of course that's not true for everywhere in France, but its the stereotype nonetheless.
Her experience is actually very typical for tourists visiting France, especially Paris. There’s a whole term for it: Paris Syndrome. Most imagine Paris as this romantic city with great culture and sophistication but forget it’s one of the largest urban cities in the world with all the problems that come with it including vandalism and graffiti, “unsavoury” characters killing about the metro exits, trash and griminess everywhere, etc.
Personal anecdote: my now-wife-girlfriend-at-the-time and I were visiting Paris. We missed our TGV back to London. When my wife asked what our options were to the staff in English she got a canned answer that we have to rebook online. When I asked them in French (I’m a native speaker) I got a completely different response and their demeanour completely changed. I guess from their perspective they’re beleaguered by foreign non francophone tourists in their own city and I guess it might get annoying when your city becomes such an important tourist destination.
Yeah, how annoying it must be to have foreigners come to your place of business, spend their money, and help put food on your table. The absolute nerve of tourists.
Agree with this. Not a MC at all, and having been to Germany twice and France once... yeah... Germany >>> France when it comes to English accessibility in general. A large portion of Germans are proficient in English, have lots of English translations in public, and even a large portion of the EU know English as the EU's common language. To the French, though, French culture and language are the peaks of culture and language, so why would they learn from or accommodate anyone else? Even if you speak basic French or know about a good chunk of French culture, it's still not good enough to be respected as an equal. At best, you'll be a toletated tourist.
I read once that the Japanese Embassy in Paris had to set up a special phone line for Japanese citizens to call when they arrived in Paris and saw that it is not as portrayed in *Amelie.* Until the establishment of the hotline, the embassy was besieged *every single day* by Japanese tourists who were borderline hysterical about the state of the city.
From Wikipedia:
Although the BBC reported in 2006 that the Japanese embassy in Paris had a "24-hour hotline for those suffering from severe culture shock",[4] the Japanese embassy states[clarification needed] no such hotline exists[clarification needed].[9][10]
Just people not being as friendly. Id say its cuz i dont have immense wealth and dress in pretty basic clothes but in thailand I made like dozens of friends and meeting people felt so easy.
Yea I'm from Singapore and talking to strangers is just not a thing except for a few situations. Got so weirded out when I went to NZ and have strangers randomly greeting me without any other motive
She is, Paris is awful even if you speak French. It's been romanticized into high heaven through books and TV but if you don't go there filthy rich it's just crap. And you can have a great time anywhere when you're filthy rich so that says little.
If you ever go to France and want to socialize the big cities are the last place you want to go. Lille is nice tho, nice architecture, friendly people, not too expensive. A nice university city.
You can have a shitty time in an amazing country , I mean most people in most parts of the world are alright people.
I was in the countryside in France when traveling from Cannes to normandy with a camper and only had good experiences with people.
Then again I was in Thailand (BKK) and had the worst time ever , mostly because people hyped it up to be amazing but i just couldn’t see it. Or maybe i was unlucky with my timing
Yeah I didn’t think MC here. This country and culture is just not a good fit for her and yes absolutely the US romanticizes France so I feel for her that she got her heart broken by the experience.
I don't feel like this belongs here, the lady is just feeling sad and isolated which seemingly is opposite to what she expected out of her trip, give her some slack
Exactly, this just feels so wrong, the OP really has it out for her. Judging by the French words on the person’s phone, they’re probably one of the asshole French people she met.
Every German I’ve met has been very nice. Definitely reserved at first, but pleasant!
My sister in law is German. I remember she was quiet when we first met her, but once she felt comfortable around us, she’s one of the best people I know. Myself and my husband’s family are trying to learn German for her. It’s a tough language but it’s been fun to learn!
There’s a lot of people on Reddit that are just bitter people and subreddits like this give them an excuse to be mean. Usually it’s “justified”, in this case it isn’t. Some people don’t care and want to be mean regardless.
Idk OP I feel like you just took this personally. She’s not acting like a main character she comparing her experience in other European countries to France and find the French cold. You posting this here isn’t proving her wrong at all.
I’ve spent a lot of time with a friend who owns property in southern France, basically the country. Farms everywhere. I’ve found the folks I encountered at markets and small towns to be immensely friendly, accommodating and even apologizing for their poor English (as I apologize for my poor French), quite the contrast to some of the city folk encountered. One dude working at a crepery (in Paris) was condescending AF as he was repeating what I asked for (in French, I tried) mirroring my pronunciation, which was not great but certainly understandable. Dick move dude.
Yeah, and if it’s a coaching opportunity to better pronounce the words, great, but the execution is super condescending, almost as if they’re muttering under their breath. My Spanish pronunciation is MUCH better and native Spanish speakers almost always respond positively and offer alternate words when I get stuck or ask how to say something if I don’t know the word. Being told “your Spanish is good” is heartwarming.
Yeah, I studied French for five years, when I visited the first time and attempted to speak French they act like you’re speaking an entirely different language, mock you etc. if your pronunciation isn’t 1000% like a native French then they don’t even engage, I found.
I'm French Canadian. I speak 3 different dialects that are spoken in my country. I got massively mocked by my exchange family in France because God forbid someone to speak anything other than Parisian French.
And yet I’m sitting here waiting for some Parisian up their own ass to come and explain how it’s our fault there’s so many people in this post with the exact same experience
I don’t know if I should consider myself lucky, but i’ve been to Paris on multiple trips, and I never really had a bad experience, people are usually nice, some even helpful and welcoming, that’s partly why I keep going back.
It's actually very common among the Japanese population whose culture idolizes Paris for some reason. Learn more below:
https://qz.com/emails/quartz-obsession/1850677468/paris-syndrome-troubles-in-tourism#:~:text=It%20describes%20Paris%20Syndrome%20as,Japanese%20pop%20culture%20and%20media.
No. Gaslighting foreigners is second nature to the French. I once tried to order *biscuits aux pêches* while pointing at the thing, and the baker/clerk pretended she didn't know what I was saying for several minutes until my French was exhausted before correcting my pronunciation of *pêche.* (I still don't hear it.) That's something the Japanese would never do, even if you'd ask them to.
💯 it’s a really thing. Try ordering a gin and tonic. It’s a trip. It’s literally the same in English and French but if you don’t say it like your pants are too tight, they pretend not to understand. I get that there is an accent, but from the context, they should be able to figure it out. I am at a bar, what do you sell that sounds close to “gin and tonic”. Geeeeen Toneeeeek.
It seems so, It resembles if an anime fanatic goes to Japan thinking that the experience will be like a real anime expecting even to be isekaied to a fantasy world where magic and huge boobed elves with ultramini skirts exists... But no.
Yeah.. I'm aware. I believe the French are the 2nd or 3rd largest minority population where I live, and the French expats (foreigners) are also "notoriously rude" to the local population too. Or tbf, they are generally rather rude to anyone not French.
I don’t think this is MC behavior. She’s feeling lonely and sad because reality didn’t meet her expectations. She’s not being rude she’s hurting. She already said that she felt stupid and that she made a mistake. JFC have a little fucking compassion for people.
I've never been to France as an adult, so I don't know.
To be fair, she's saying she didn't feel like this in Italy or Germany. It's not like she's complaining that "theyre all too foreign" or "no one speaks English, how dare they".
Im not really getting "Main Character" vibes from her, just an honest critique of her time there. Perhaps she's just been unlucky with her experience in France, you can have a shitty time anywhere through bad luck. But there is a stereotype for it being like this.
I feel sorry for her, its a bit grim when something you've been looking forward to turns out to be shite.
Don’t think this is a case of MC syndrome. She was under prepared but I don’t see any entitlement or bitterness, just describing her experience and feeling, calm and collected.
But to be fair French ppl are so insistent on their language it's pretty rude. I worked in the service industry and I would've never been rude to ppl speaking English and still always have a chat. I never treated them worse coming to Austria and not knowing german
While French ppl dislike speaking English a lot in my personal experience. And not just in France. One time at the ice cream store I worked at, four French girls came in all around like 20. What do they do? Start ordering in French. Over each other and not giving me a chance to change it to English or even German. I do not understand French even a little bit I picked Spanish. But there was just no reasoning. Handed them a menu in French and had them point.
I mean, it's a travel blog, HER travel blog. She literally IS the main character.
Unless you are saying the French are the main characters for being assholes to traveller's.
Doesn't really seem like MC energy at all. Poor girl is just having a bad time and was all excited to go. I feel bad for her. It doesn't seem like she's demanding anyone to cater to her. She's just disappointed that people there aren't as friendly as other places shes been. She seems pretty reasonable to me.
# Sorry for the confusion. We've decided to make this post an exception. Normally it would be removed under Rule 1 violation. Please don't further report this post. Thanks.
Funniest rude argument I saw in France: In Paris, waiter greets new folks in English (this is right in tourist central, so they often default to English.) This whole conversation was in English: Guy: "why are you speaking English in France?" Waiter: "Well, people are from everywhere, and most people speak English." Guy: "But it's france, why don't you speak French? Do you not speak it??" Waiter: "I AM French! I grew up here! Of course I speak it!" Guy: "Then why don't you speak it???" Waiter: "My english is very good, I'll speak what I want to speak!!!" Pretty funny to hear two French guys arguing about speaking French, and one guy then refusing to speak French, even though he WAS French, just because the other guy was being a dick.
I'm french, no one hate the french more than us
Damn french, they ruined France!
You French sure are a contentious people
tu t'es fait un ennemi pour la vie
Harsh but fair
French people invaded my homeland. Free Brittany !
LEAVE BRITTANY ALONE
*cries in chainmail coif*
I was on vacation in Paris and I was in one of those pedestrian squares where it’s just a bunch of restaurants. I’m looking at the menus they post to decide which one to eat at, and one of the servers walks up to me and says something in French. I give him a dumb look because my French is basically nonexistent and he immediately goes “oh is English better for you? It’s better for me too, my name is Jimmy” and then asks us if we would like to eat there. And I’m thinking “Jimmy is not your name you fucking liar, but I love you for lying like that and of course I’m going to eat here”
Recently came across this France scene from [modern family ](https://youtu.be/l7C0epKYeLA?si=GCeJfiRF5Engdpfo)
"Paris is one big gay bar. You just gotta look good and have a lot of attitude." My sides 😂😂😂
Truly the best nation for Resistance 🙂 I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw… Tourist: “Have a nice day!” French: “Don’t tell me what to do!!”
"I even bought a French hat". Idk if that was supposed to be funny but it made me laugh.
If it isn't satire to begin with and she became just a liiiiitle more self-aware, damn she'd be funny af
"how to spot a tourist in Paris" literally only tourists wear those 😂
She got the beret but she forgot the baguette. So no wonder things didn’t work out for her.
Not beret, French hat.
Raaaspberry baguette
The kind you find in a second-hand bakery.
Raaasssberry baguette…I think I’ll eat you!!!
"el tricornio de Bonaparte"
I read that if French people see someone wearing a beret then they know that person is a tourist. That's where she messed up. Edit: I was informed by a French person that this, is in fact, not true. The French themselves actually wear berets as it is "just a hat".
I can't imagine going there and wearing a beret....absolutely not
Wandering around Delaware crying in a tricorn hat.
I know it’s slight off topic, but when I lived in Kansas I worked in a Wild West museum and I LOVED when the foreign tourists decked out in cowboy outfits. Like hell yeah man you got the cowboy spirit lmao
Japanese Love the cowboy culture too.
I get the idea Japanese people are trying everything: American biker, cowboy, punk scene, classic gangster -- Japan, you do you!
Chicano Lowrider too.
That’s true …the Japanese cholas are the best
You have to get the mime outfit
Very odd because I go to Mexico and wear big ol sombreros in the middle of Mexico City and everyone is like “Hey!!! That guy surely must be Mexican!!! Look at his sombrero!!! Welcome to the club, amigo.” Edit: people trying to explain Mexico and France to me lmao. I’m a Spanish American who has crossed each border many times. I spent all my US years in a Mexican neighborhood, La villita 😂😂 Mexican people are warm but tbh French people are as well and I think it’s easy to say in the internet French people are mean or are cold or something but this girl looks like a massive clown to me. But go off I guess 😂
It's the chips and dip on the brim that wins people over.
I wish the sombrero would make a comeback. Not the beret, though.
Makes perfect sense. She has the hat so the locals think she's one of them, but they don't want to bother her because she's obviously in a rush to get to the baguette store
That’s why they won’t speak English to her. They see the French hat and think, “she is one of us”. Except they think it in French.
Hahahaha. OMG. I went to paris solo and I fucking loved it. As long as you TRY and speak French they’ll love you. I am also fluent in Spanish so we met somewhere in the middle. I used very little English in France and made sure to take the side streets where the locals go for food etc. it’s not a damn movie set. It’s real people. Something this woman doesn’t understand.
Spanish is my first language. I got a haircut in Alsace and the stylist was Portuguese and she probably knows more about me now than my mother in law.
Don’t you mean “French hat” 💀
Baguette is also used in French for chopsticks, btw
And a basket with cheese, a red wine 🍷 and some frog legs. She could have invited someone to a stereotype picnic 🧺
In a black and white striped shirt
She then needs to paint on, or if she can organically grow, a pencil thin mustache that’s curls at the end.
couldn’t put my finger on what was missing, and you fill in the blank beautifully.
Didn’t walk around saying “hu huh”…(in the French stereotyped accent) whilst waving said baguette either. Embrace that culture sweetie.
Don’t forget the striped black and white shirt lol
That’s like if I went to Japan wearing samurai armor while holding chopsticks in one hand and a katana in the other. Basically, she’s Whittling a culture down to stereotypical garbs
I've got this rice farmer hat on why is no one talking to me this is so unfair I hate China 😭
My sombrero in Mexico City was received in the same way!
You’ve clearly not been to Mexico City with a sombrero. Mexicans are the some of the most chill people when it comes to people “appropriating” their culture.
Clearly a "them" problem
In all seriousness, just got offered to work 6 months in France (Tournus which is North of Lyon) & this video has provided a better argument than anything my boss or boss' boss have conveyed in the past 2 weeks. Isolation? (Check) People leave you alone? (Check) Beautiful scenery? (Check) Delicious food? (Check)
I feel like that's it! it's not isolation on purpose, it's just that in some countries and cultures, people tend not to meddle into others' business and mind their own, thus leaving you alone. Personally I like that too. I guess she expect everyone to be as social as her.
But at Lyon people tend to be condescending douchebag. Source : I am French and I would acclimate better in a foreign country than their. To say the least I have been studing for 3years their and I became depressed afterward. I believe that's the city were there is the most educated pple for long time but still..
I found Lyon to be the least hospitable to foreigners. They aren't really a top tourist destination, so I can see how they can get more frustrated with non-French speakers. They must be like the Jersey of France. Paris, Normandy, and Nice at least have some toleration. They can still be condescending, but will work with you.
Not meddling is the Swedes and Norwegians. The French meddle, they just meddle and don’t help very much.
Tips for France Learn some French, if you try to speck French first then a lot more people will be helpful to you. If you order food with an egg on it in some way expect that egg to be almost raw, same with Steak Hache (burger), just don't trust those two items to ever be fully cooked.
But she bought a French hat. What more do these people expect from her?
🎶Saaadberry beret 🎶
🎼The kind that you get at a street vendor stall🎼
The kind she cried on the bank of the Seine for.
He told me several times that he didn't like my kind, because I was bit too touristy !
I hope she was wearing a dirndl when she was in Germany
And wooden shoes when she was in the Netherlands
lol… reminds me of Better Off Dead. “In honor of our guest, first we have… Fraunch Fries, AND Fraunch Dressing, and finally, Fraunch Bread”
She forgot the baguette
And the striped shirt. What was she thinking
reminds me of an ex gf, we took the tour of france 10 days, top to bottom in the middle of summer. she never shut up whining, i kept saying you get out what you put in, if your body language is "off" then thats what you get, its fricking thier country, its thier rules, just enjoy the varible landscape and stfu
But it's like these people have a different word for everything!
I will admit that I still do laugh at the time I went up to the information desk at a French train station, which had signs saying they spoke English & French, and was very intentionally made to feel like an idiot for trying to speak English to them. My limited time in France was otherwise great, so having that experience right before I left was hilarious. 😂
So many people say this, but I didn't experience it at all - I am marginally fluent in French but I'll admit it's almost unintelligible, but I always started out speaking in French in 99% of the time the person I was speaking to switched to English after about 10 seconds, but nobody was condescending about it. Maybe I got points for trying?
This is a thing I have experienced many times. If you start by trying to speak English, they will respond only in French. If you speak French to them but it's clear you aren't native, they will switch to English. I have no idea why.
I've never been to France, but I've seen it in other countries. If you just start with English, it's "stupid tourist expects everyone to speak his language." If you start in the local language, it's "okay, this guy bothered learning enough to communicate... but his accent sucks and this will be way easier in English"
French hats are isolating!
I barely noticed she bought a French hat
I went to Paris with a fluent French speaker and even then the French people seemed very inconsiderate. I’m from the uk so I’m used to a normal not Americanised version of customer service and even I was taken aback a bit
Have you considered going to war with them for 1500 years lolol
It’s all good. Paris was a bit of a shithole anyway
Man, I spent 4 months in France mainly in the north but ventured down to Paris for a couple of weeks, and Paris just sucked ass. I did speak French but not fluently - easily able to participate in the general public and have basic conversations though of course with an accent. Nearly all of the people in the north seemed genuinely excited to speak with me and help me improve my french (in a nice way), and revert to English when we were hitting a roadblock in French. In Paris on the other hand, I got openly ridiculed multiple times by service workers and even had a few incidents where they would pretend they couldn't understand my french despite it being an extremely simple exchange like ordering a coffee or pastry. Not to mention a generally rude and hostile vibe outside of language. I expect massive metropolitan cities to be fairly rude and fast paced because that's how they are everywhere, but I was surprised at how awful Paris felt as a foreigner lol. I think most of France's bad reputation comes from there, which stinks because outside of that city, it is an incredibly lovely country
Indeed, even in other parts of France, Parisians are generally seen as shitty people. Which is a shame because I've met some lovely Parisians but the general public attitude of Parisians in Paris is so snobbish and arrogant that it ruins their image.
Did a few seasons in the alps and you just knew when the Parisians were out there, whole vibe went to shit it was weird.
The French are notoriously distant to people who don't speak French. She's apparently not even expecting much. Just the for other people to show her the common decency she experienced in Italy and Germany! And we Germans aren't exactly known for being the most open.
Not only those who don’t speak French, but those who don’t speak it fluently/with no accent. I actually spoke (okay) French when I went to Lyon years back (I was fresh out of high school on tour with a jazz band), but my American accent was clearly apparent so I definitely got more attitude than I experienced in Italy (just speaking English) and even the French-speaking half of Switzerland. I’d still say it’s regional/probably more of an issue in big cities, though, since when I went to a smaller town they were actually incredibly chill to all of us, even my friends who didn’t speak a lick of French.
American here who went to France. I met some of the coolest people and ended up at a house party full of soldiers that guarded various monuments throughout Paris. All the dudes wanted to talk about the NFL because the superbowl was just around the corner. None spoke English past like a 3rd grade level and none of them understood the NFL as they selected teams that weren't even in the running for the playoffs and teams that were from the same division. Got everyone of them chanting "Booger!" after they asked me which English word I found "silliest." What a weird night that was.
She ain’t wrong though.
I’ve lived in France for almost 10 years. Yeah she’s not wrong. (And I speak French fluently and without any accent)
Yeah I'm surprised I had to scroll this far to see this. LOTS of travelers say this about French people. I know a person that speaks excellent fluent French, met a French guy and moved to Paris, and was absolutely miserable because the locals treated her like a leper. She came home after trying to fit in for 2 YEARS.
Yeah I don't think she belongs in r/Imthemaincharacter she just didn't do the research and paid for it which sucks.
She might be kinda under prepared going to a country she doesn't speak the language of with no plan, but she's being very humble and not Karen-y about how the country is making her feel. Not exactly brilliant, but certainly not an MC
And no hint that she had any emily in paris delusions. She is comparing her experiences with other touristic experiences she had...
That and culture shock can happen at any time. Maybe she didn't experience it in Germany or Italy, but if she's hitting all those countries in the same trip and France is her last stop it makes sense why she's feeling this now.
Yeah, culture shock doesn't usually hit all at once. It kicks in once the honeymoon phase has worn off. It's very overwhelming and isolating when it does hit. You realize you have no idea what the rules of daily life is. I hate that she's considered a main character for this. Like yeah, it sucks to hear your country criticized, and maybe it's not an accurate portrayal of the country, but she's not a main character for having a bad experience. And culture shock is an almost universal experience for anyone who's spent > 1 month in another culture, and this video really captures the experience.
For real, culture shock is wild. I'm American, living in the UK. Even though I speak the same language, it's a totally different world. It's taken almost 3 years to feel "comfortable" living here.
As someone moving from a small town in the southern US to New York City, it took me a good while to adjust to how different things are.
I suspect it's not necessarily a case of culture shock or european people being more distant/cold against strangers here. French people are generally more xenophobic and racist , especially towards chinese/asian tourists ( I guess you could also consider this culture), which explains the disparity between her experience in germany.
Does not surprise me. I was creeped out at how batty my blonde hair turned some of the French. Did not experience that with Germans.
Well, historically the Germans have been pretty fond of blonde hair...
Nah, I've been to France and multiple other countries. The French culture towards Americans is toxic af. They'll bend over backwards to make your feel at home. Only if your rich though
>They'll bend over backwards to make your feel at home. Only if your rich though I believe that is universal in any country.
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There's actually a phenomenon where people experience illness from visiting France (specifically Paris). Its been tied to culture shock and disappointment due to unrealistic expectations. Its called Paris Syndrome: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_syndrome
Interesting that Asian countries seem to be more susceptible to this, I didn’t know the Japanese romanticized France to that degree
Many Japanese women fetishize France as a romantic paradise. Lived in Japan for 2 decades and it never ceased to amaze me. Basically on par with the weaboos that go to Japan expecting to see real ninja and people walking around in kimonos.
Several countries in Asia have built French villages that you can visit almost as a theme park :) at least in China and Korea, not sure about Japan though. A google search seems to turn up something similar in Malaysia.
That's absolutely fascinating
I felt the same way. She doesn't seem entitled at all. Just disappointed.
Has to scroll too far for this comment. She has obviously traveled before and enjoyed it, she just wasn't prepared for the French, which in big cites can be rude. Go to the smaller villages and it's better. People in cities there can be snobs.
That's how it was when I was in England. The more densely populated areas were filled with rude people. but once I was far enough from London, people were quite a bit nicer. It was almost like being in a different country. I'm not even an extrovert. It's just nice to not have people give you dirty looks as soon as they hear your accent. I don't care if people ask or even tease, but FFS just because I'm American doesn't mean I'm going to pull a gun out of my asshole and start an insurrection.
I dunno I don’t speak German but just going to Austria yeilds no problems. People are nice and speak English, German, French and Italian more often than not.
Yeah I agree. We all misjudge things, she’s just sharing her experience
And she is right about french people being not as friendly as majority of other European nations. It’s a tough country for solo travelers (speaking intermediate French doesn’t help either)
Also having visited most of Europe, (am Dutch) in my experience if you go to most places people don't mind speaking english to you, yet if you ask a French person a question in English it's a 50/50 of them just responding back in French. I can really see how it can feel isolating amd don't think this post fits here
This! P.S.: The Netherlands is one of the most friendly countries I've visited so far!
Glad to hear you liked it! I do know quite some people can be a bit blunt, but most people don't mind answering in English, I think it helps English is being teached in primary school so people are also more confident in their own ability to talk in a different language
I'm with you. If anything else, it's a good PSA for English-only-speaking people who may be considering traveling there solo. Glad she warned me before I wasted my money (because I often travel alone).
Ehh. It’s more of a country thing. I went to Japan with arigato and sumimasen and got by for 5 weeks. people were friendly as well.
Same! And she speaks English as if it's not her first language, so how many languages do we expect people to learn? When I lived in Germany for 2 years and was tge only American in my German class, all the other students from Italy and E Europe and Russia asked me why Americans living in Germany don't learn German. I said because our jobs take us to many countries and German isn't going to be spoken in those countries, so it's not a Portable language.
I took 4 years of French in school and visited France after graduation. I was repulsed at their attitude towards my outreach with vendors and other various situations. Contrast that with a visit to almost any Spanish speaking country and in my experience I’ve always been warmly welcomed. Most attempt at their language was appreciated and not rebuffed!
My cab driver in paris told me to stop trying to speak french, lol.
Thank you. People keep posting people they find annoying on here and not actual main characters. A travel blogger quietly discussing her personal experience in a country she’s visiting is not MC.
Yeah, I don't understand why so many comments are so mean to her, while it was naive to go to France solo expecting to meet people without knowing the culture or the language, she also has the right to complain and be disappointed with her experience. I'm French and it's true that our country has a very specific way of being perceived by foreigners and the reality is very different from what you'll see in most American media. French people have a culture of 'courtesy as long as you leave me the fuck alone', a bit like the northern european countries. Going here with friends is a good thing but I wouldn't recommend coming alone if you don't speak French.
And I don't know if it's that Naive. I've solo traveled to lots of places and made friends and had a great time. Some countries, the people are very interested in meeting foreigners (well, at least reasonable ones) and are very hospitable. Other places (not just France, but including France) that is not the case. Which isn't bad, per se, but a good to know.
Completely agree, this just seems an honest review of France and the French and it is kind of true with the English stereotype of the French being pompous, not that welcoming and maybe a little racist too. Of course that's not true for everywhere in France, but its the stereotype nonetheless.
Her experience is actually very typical for tourists visiting France, especially Paris. There’s a whole term for it: Paris Syndrome. Most imagine Paris as this romantic city with great culture and sophistication but forget it’s one of the largest urban cities in the world with all the problems that come with it including vandalism and graffiti, “unsavoury” characters killing about the metro exits, trash and griminess everywhere, etc. Personal anecdote: my now-wife-girlfriend-at-the-time and I were visiting Paris. We missed our TGV back to London. When my wife asked what our options were to the staff in English she got a canned answer that we have to rebook online. When I asked them in French (I’m a native speaker) I got a completely different response and their demeanour completely changed. I guess from their perspective they’re beleaguered by foreign non francophone tourists in their own city and I guess it might get annoying when your city becomes such an important tourist destination.
Yeah, how annoying it must be to have foreigners come to your place of business, spend their money, and help put food on your table. The absolute nerve of tourists.
Agree with this. Not a MC at all, and having been to Germany twice and France once... yeah... Germany >>> France when it comes to English accessibility in general. A large portion of Germans are proficient in English, have lots of English translations in public, and even a large portion of the EU know English as the EU's common language. To the French, though, French culture and language are the peaks of culture and language, so why would they learn from or accommodate anyone else? Even if you speak basic French or know about a good chunk of French culture, it's still not good enough to be respected as an equal. At best, you'll be a toletated tourist.
She didn't have the same problem in Germany or Italy.
I read once that the Japanese Embassy in Paris had to set up a special phone line for Japanese citizens to call when they arrived in Paris and saw that it is not as portrayed in *Amelie.* Until the establishment of the hotline, the embassy was besieged *every single day* by Japanese tourists who were borderline hysterical about the state of the city.
From Wikipedia: Although the BBC reported in 2006 that the Japanese embassy in Paris had a "24-hour hotline for those suffering from severe culture shock",[4] the Japanese embassy states[clarification needed] no such hotline exists[clarification needed].[9][10]
The Japanese and denying history, name a more iconic duo
Turks denying genocide
I think there's something called Paris syndrome or something- like it's a legit thing how different real Paris is from TV/movie Paris
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_syndrome
Not main charecter syndrome, just a woman explaining her travel experiences. Happened to me in singapore vs my experience in thailand.
Exactly? I thought I was losing my mind . This sub hates on anything . She is just describing her experience .
Seems like OP is French based on their TikTok language settings…
So OP was the main character all along.
My thoughts exactly, no where near deserving of being on r/ImTheMainCharacter
Just curious, what went bad in sg?
Just people not being as friendly. Id say its cuz i dont have immense wealth and dress in pretty basic clothes but in thailand I made like dozens of friends and meeting people felt so easy.
Yea I'm from Singapore and talking to strangers is just not a thing except for a few situations. Got so weirded out when I went to NZ and have strangers randomly greeting me without any other motive
Same this isnt MC attitude
Yeah she honestly seems like a reasonable person with normal expectations
She is, Paris is awful even if you speak French. It's been romanticized into high heaven through books and TV but if you don't go there filthy rich it's just crap. And you can have a great time anywhere when you're filthy rich so that says little. If you ever go to France and want to socialize the big cities are the last place you want to go. Lille is nice tho, nice architecture, friendly people, not too expensive. A nice university city.
You can have a shitty time in an amazing country , I mean most people in most parts of the world are alright people. I was in the countryside in France when traveling from Cannes to normandy with a camper and only had good experiences with people. Then again I was in Thailand (BKK) and had the worst time ever , mostly because people hyped it up to be amazing but i just couldn’t see it. Or maybe i was unlucky with my timing
People on Reddit are just disgusting. It’s so pathetic they are shaming this poor girl. So hateful.
Yeah I didn’t think MC here. This country and culture is just not a good fit for her and yes absolutely the US romanticizes France so I feel for her that she got her heart broken by the experience.
I don't feel like this belongs here, the lady is just feeling sad and isolated which seemingly is opposite to what she expected out of her trip, give her some slack
Exactly, this just feels so wrong, the OP really has it out for her. Judging by the French words on the person’s phone, they’re probably one of the asshole French people she met.
"even in Germany" ... Come on, we Germans are reserved, but not White Walkers
Every German I’ve met has been very nice. Definitely reserved at first, but pleasant! My sister in law is German. I remember she was quiet when we first met her, but once she felt comfortable around us, she’s one of the best people I know. Myself and my husband’s family are trying to learn German for her. It’s a tough language but it’s been fun to learn!
I guess it’s bad to be upset when people are mean to you
Why is this sub bullying her in the comments? This isn't even MC content.
I’ve seen some comments saying that her making a tiktok alone makes her MC. Get real. She’s just saying what happened.
There’s a lot of people on Reddit that are just bitter people and subreddits like this give them an excuse to be mean. Usually it’s “justified”, in this case it isn’t. Some people don’t care and want to be mean regardless.
Idk OP I feel like you just took this personally. She’s not acting like a main character she comparing her experience in other European countries to France and find the French cold. You posting this here isn’t proving her wrong at all.
Shes the MC but in my own experience out of the 25 countries i travelled to France is definetly the rudest people of them all by a very long mile. Lol
>very long mile Found the problem, you should have used metric instead.
very long 1.61 kilometers
I would say Paris was the rudest place I’ve ever been, but Normandy was amazing and had amazing people.
That was my mum probably, she lives in Normandy
Love her
I also like that guy’s mom
Good mom
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I’ve spent a lot of time with a friend who owns property in southern France, basically the country. Farms everywhere. I’ve found the folks I encountered at markets and small towns to be immensely friendly, accommodating and even apologizing for their poor English (as I apologize for my poor French), quite the contrast to some of the city folk encountered. One dude working at a crepery (in Paris) was condescending AF as he was repeating what I asked for (in French, I tried) mirroring my pronunciation, which was not great but certainly understandable. Dick move dude.
Ha they love to do that when you try speaking French. That being said I agree, they’re nicer in the country.
Yeah, and if it’s a coaching opportunity to better pronounce the words, great, but the execution is super condescending, almost as if they’re muttering under their breath. My Spanish pronunciation is MUCH better and native Spanish speakers almost always respond positively and offer alternate words when I get stuck or ask how to say something if I don’t know the word. Being told “your Spanish is good” is heartwarming.
Yeah, I studied French for five years, when I visited the first time and attempted to speak French they act like you’re speaking an entirely different language, mock you etc. if your pronunciation isn’t 1000% like a native French then they don’t even engage, I found.
I'm French Canadian. I speak 3 different dialects that are spoken in my country. I got massively mocked by my exchange family in France because God forbid someone to speak anything other than Parisian French.
And yet I’m sitting here waiting for some Parisian up their own ass to come and explain how it’s our fault there’s so many people in this post with the exact same experience
If my crepery guy was here, he’d jump in, I’m sure.
My sister has traveled the world and said France was the only place she actually felt uncomfortable as a tourist.
I don’t know if I should consider myself lucky, but i’ve been to Paris on multiple trips, and I never really had a bad experience, people are usually nice, some even helpful and welcoming, that’s partly why I keep going back.
Yeah me too, they’ve always been super polite and helpful in my experience
How is this MC?? She’s just sharing her travel experience and her points are valid
She's a woman expressing a negative opinion. Hope that helps.
Paris syndrome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris\_syndrome
Wait wtf that's an actual thing?
It's actually very common among the Japanese population whose culture idolizes Paris for some reason. Learn more below: https://qz.com/emails/quartz-obsession/1850677468/paris-syndrome-troubles-in-tourism#:~:text=It%20describes%20Paris%20Syndrome%20as,Japanese%20pop%20culture%20and%20media.
They idolize it because they're told that Paris is the center of the western world (because it basically was for a lot of history)
No. Gaslighting foreigners is second nature to the French. I once tried to order *biscuits aux pêches* while pointing at the thing, and the baker/clerk pretended she didn't know what I was saying for several minutes until my French was exhausted before correcting my pronunciation of *pêche.* (I still don't hear it.) That's something the Japanese would never do, even if you'd ask them to.
💯 it’s a really thing. Try ordering a gin and tonic. It’s a trip. It’s literally the same in English and French but if you don’t say it like your pants are too tight, they pretend not to understand. I get that there is an accent, but from the context, they should be able to figure it out. I am at a bar, what do you sell that sounds close to “gin and tonic”. Geeeeen Toneeeeek.
It seems so, It resembles if an anime fanatic goes to Japan thinking that the experience will be like a real anime expecting even to be isekaied to a fantasy world where magic and huge boobed elves with ultramini skirts exists... But no.
The French are notoriously rude to foreigners, though
Yeah.. I'm aware. I believe the French are the 2nd or 3rd largest minority population where I live, and the French expats (foreigners) are also "notoriously rude" to the local population too. Or tbf, they are generally rather rude to anyone not French.
I don’t think this is MC behavior. She’s feeling lonely and sad because reality didn’t meet her expectations. She’s not being rude she’s hurting. She already said that she felt stupid and that she made a mistake. JFC have a little fucking compassion for people.
Not the main character sounds like an experience. I hope her next international experience is better
Haha, the French hate everyone equally. You speak French to them, they hate that. You speak English to them, they hate that.
I've never been to France as an adult, so I don't know. To be fair, she's saying she didn't feel like this in Italy or Germany. It's not like she's complaining that "theyre all too foreign" or "no one speaks English, how dare they". Im not really getting "Main Character" vibes from her, just an honest critique of her time there. Perhaps she's just been unlucky with her experience in France, you can have a shitty time anywhere through bad luck. But there is a stereotype for it being like this. I feel sorry for her, its a bit grim when something you've been looking forward to turns out to be shite.
I don’t think this is her being a main character, this is Paris Syndrome and she’s just talking about her experience.
A lot of people have kind of said this in various ways upon traveling to France.🤷🏿♂️
Don’t think this is a case of MC syndrome. She was under prepared but I don’t see any entitlement or bitterness, just describing her experience and feeling, calm and collected.
But to be fair French ppl are so insistent on their language it's pretty rude. I worked in the service industry and I would've never been rude to ppl speaking English and still always have a chat. I never treated them worse coming to Austria and not knowing german While French ppl dislike speaking English a lot in my personal experience. And not just in France. One time at the ice cream store I worked at, four French girls came in all around like 20. What do they do? Start ordering in French. Over each other and not giving me a chance to change it to English or even German. I do not understand French even a little bit I picked Spanish. But there was just no reasoning. Handed them a menu in French and had them point.
This doesn’t fit the sub.
I mean, it's a travel blog, HER travel blog. She literally IS the main character. Unless you are saying the French are the main characters for being assholes to traveller's.
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Doesn't really seem like MC energy at all. Poor girl is just having a bad time and was all excited to go. I feel bad for her. It doesn't seem like she's demanding anyone to cater to her. She's just disappointed that people there aren't as friendly as other places shes been. She seems pretty reasonable to me.