STEREOTYPES ABOUT FRENCH CULTURE - HOW TRUE ARE THEY?

SECONDES |14/10/14|0 Comment

Some foreigners think that all the French wear berets, striped shirts and red scarves and that they always carry a baguette, a bottle of wine and cheese, but these are stereotypes. Indeed there are 66 million inhabitants in France and they have different origins, customs and accents.

FOOD

Most foreigners think that all the French eat bread and cheese and drink wine. It is true that most of the French like them. There are about 400 cheeses in France and we can find plenty of bakeries in French towns. A lot of adults drink wine at lunch and dinner. Sometimes they drink champagne (when they celebrate a birthday or at Christmas). But the French do not only eat bread and cheese! They also eat meat, vegetables and fruits, of course! And they also drink coffee, water or sodas.

Many people think that French people love eating snails and frogs' legs. Yet this is definitely a stereotype, because very few people eat this kind of food. Moreover Frogs' legs and snails are usually eaten at Christmas.

CHARACTER

The French have a bad reputation. Indeed a lot of tourists think that they are rude and grouchy. Of course there are people who are not very nice but most of the French are welcoming.

Actually people in the north are said to be nice and welcoming while people in Paris are stressed and people in the South are grumpy. But maybe this a stereotype, too!