Salut c’est Géraldine.
Welcome to Comme une Française TV, live in
France, feel at home.
A few weeks back, we looked at how to scare
the hell out of a French person.
What kinds of things can be overwhelming for
us.
You know, stuff like “a hug” or being
over friendly.
All that might frigthen us without your even
being aware of it.
This week, you’ll see the other side of
this topic: what habits WE have that might
unsettle you.
See what I mean?
Today, on Comme une Française TV, I’ll
demystify habits and traditions we have that
you might find scary.
And how to handle them with diplomacy and
a smile.
Uh-oh…
La bise.
Faces touching can be scary when you’re
used to a hug.
Mouths are so close it’s all so intimate.
The mere thought of French people coming up
to you to “faire la bise” gives you goose
bumps.
We call this “La chair de poule”.
How do you avoid this?
If you’re really to frigthened of “La
bise”, just offer to shake hands straight
away.
It’s not common but it’s not inappropriate
either.
I did this recently with a couchsurfer from
the Netherlands, a woman.
And even if I’m not used to shaking hands
with a woman, I knew that she was not yet
comfortable with La bise.
Don’t put yourself under too much pressure.
For more about whether you should faire la
bise or shake hands, check out the video “Faire
la bise or shake hands”.
An American friend told me a few years ago
that when she moved to France, the arguments
stressed her out completely.
It wasn’t even participating in a heated
discussion.
Just listening to French friends arguing over
a meal made her feel like she was witnessing
a friendship die in front of her eyes.
Does this sound familiar to you too?
Yes.
French friends may speak loudly and passionately.
But we stay friends in the end.
I know lots of cultures look for consensus.
We actively seek out “les débats”.
It’s especially true of “political”
arguments: we may strongly disagree but remain
friends.
Don’t be frigthened by French arguments
happening right in front of you.
If you want to know more about a topic, why
not ask your friends their point of view?
They’ll LOVE to try to convince you.
French people can be VERY protective about
their language.
So my advice is: Speak BAD French but speak
French.
People will “se fermer comme une huitre”
(close up like an oyster - withdraw) if you
speak in English without EVEN trying French.
In case you want to know how to say “I can’t
speak French” in French, check out the video
“Don’t speak French very well?
Say it!”
In France, food and meal times are sacred.
We can have 5 hour long Sunday lunches.
No one is surprised.
But what may scare you is… what we sometimes
eat.
Snails / Foie gras / frog legs / tripes / Ris
de veau (which is NOT rice and veal) / smelly cheese…
It can be too much for your eyes, nose and
tongue to bear.
And that’s OK.
Many French people don’t like some of these
either.
Don’t feel embarrassed by not ordering them
at a restaurant or not even being able to
try them.
It’s fine with this kind of food.
To learn how to politely decline “foie gras”,
check out this video.
French people have a reputation for being
cold.
But I’d like to say It’s not necessarly
coldness.
It’s more that we have a different friendship
scale.
At the beginning, we try to be as uninvasive
as possible so as not to intrude.
Then the more we know you, the closer we get.
We don’t want to disturb you.
This is why French people seem cold and that
might intimidate you.
Et toi ?
Your French will ONLY improve if you put into
practice what you’ve learnt on Comme une
Française TV.
Share your experiences by leaving a comment
below this video :
I really understand how scary cultural differences
can be and I’d love to hear from you:
What cultural difference were you scared of
in France?
Can you share 1 thing you’ve overcome and
1 thing you’re still not ready to experience
again?
The comment section is the best place to start
discussions and ask questions!
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Merci for watching Comme une Française TV:
Live in France, feel at home. Allez, Salut!
