Get the Ricochet app
Ricochet will work fine in a browser on your mobile devices, but for the best experience please download our app.
I’m on vacation with my family in The South of France. I just love how that sounds. In fact, when a local Frenchman asks where I live, I respond, “The South of Carolina.” I think that sounds more sophisticated than South Carolina. I’m not sure why.
Anyway, my wife and daughters are having a blast wandering around all these cute medieval French villages, shopping for, um, well, shopping for just all kinds of stuff. Except shoes — apparently high-fashion French shoe stores do not carry size 14’s. Which probably saved me some money. But anyway, I’ll wander around with them for a while, marveling at the 1,000-year-old buildings which are still standing despite the absence of building codes 1,000 years ago. But after a while, my wife will plant me in a café, pile some bags on the chair next to me, order me a glass of wine, and tell me to stay put. Which I do.
Every so often one of them will swing by, drop off some more bags, pat me on the head like a loyal dog, and then disappear back into the chaos. So I do my job. I watch their bags, and I drink wine. Which is fine with me. The wine is yummy (although I know very little about it) and the people-watching here is outstanding — just top-notch. Tourist season doesn’t start in earnest here for a few more weeks. I hear some English in the crowd, but it’s mostly French. And I’ve had a great time trying to figure out who is who. See if you think my stereotypes are accurate:
Overweight: American
Trim but not fit: French
Trim and very fit: American
Another incidental finding is that any Frenchman who looks like he spends any time at all in a weight room is almost certainly gay. Not sure why.
Anyway…
A man with jeans and white or black sneakers: American
A man with ratty dark red pants and bright orange sneakers: French
A man with neat, short hair: American
A man with messy hair that is 2-3 inches longer than it probably should be: French
A man with very long hair in a ponytail: American
A woman with long, well cared-for hair: American
A woman with short, messy hair: French
I find it interesting that so many French men and women have hair that looks like they just rolled out of bed, and they haven’t brushed it in a few days. Not sure why.
New, clean clothes: American
Old, dirty clothes: French
Americans are very clean. Often bordering on neurotic. The cleanliness standards in French street cafes are often difficult for Americans to accept. But for better or worse, Americans are very, very clean. They stand out on a street full of Europeans.
Woman with a bra: American or French
Woman without a bra: French
Smoking a cigarette: French
Frowning at somebody smoking a cigarette: American
Drinking: French
Drunk: American
Women under 4’10”: Middle Eastern
Women 4’10’ – 5’6”: Usually French
Women 5’6” – 5’10”: Usually American or German
Women over 6’4”: Bastiat
Smiling: American
Frowning: French
Laughing loudly: American
Muttering quietly: French
This is a big one that I’d forgotten. Whenever I travel anywhere in the world, I can usually pick out the Americans because they appear to be happy. Before marriage, I dated a Swedish girl for a few years. She said when she moved to America, the thing that struck her most was that everyone was smiling, laughing, and outgoing. Very different from the dour Swedes. Or from nearly anyone else. I hope America never loses that.
Extremely, unbelievably polite: Japanese
Somewhat rude: French
Extremely, unbelievably rude: Chinese
In a hurry to get somewhere: American
In no hurry to get anywhere: French
French cafés are a cultural phenomenon. They're everywhere. And they're all full, all the time. And remember, the tourists aren't here yet. The cafés are full of French people. I'm generally the only American in each café my wife plants me in.
My wife is fluent in French, and studied here in college. I asked her how the French ever get anything done, when they spend so much time sitting around, drinking coffee in cafés. She said, “They don’t get anything done. Have you seen the French GDP?”
And she has a point. If France was an American state, it would be either the poorest state in America, or one of the bottom three (depending on the metrics you use).
Southern France reminds me of Italy. Similar culture. Very relaxing for vacation. But I can’t imagine living here — nobody ever does anything. I would lose my mind. And remember, I live in South Carolina. This place is slow and lazy.
But it is quite nice, in a street café, with a glass of wine in my hand, watching people go by. What the heck. I’ve got nothing better to do.
So what do you think? Are my stereotypes accurate? Or do you think I’ve had just about enough wine? Eh, maybe I have had enough.
Oops. The waitress just brought another glass. Eh, why not? It'll give me time for more people-watching. Letting my mind wander lazily around a bit, like the people I'm watching.
I’ve got nothing better to do.
Discussion (39)
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
Marvelous, Doc, and spot-on. (Loved the "Bastiat" reference.)
Paris is the only place where I've been laughed at for attempting to say my room number in the local language to the desk clerk when requesting my key. (She was lovely, which added to the sting.)
I'd add two observations.
Best simple street food in the world: French
Weirdly upbeat chatty guy carrying a backpack and loving every minute of everything: Australian
PS I do recall that I thought Parisian women dressed particularly... nicely. A lot of tights and short skirts.
CHARTER MEMBER
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
I spent two and a half weeks in Paris during my junior year in High School, over Christmas/New Years 1978/1979. Six kids from my high school, a couple from another high school, and a grad student from UWM and his girlfriend as our "chaperones". So basically a bunch of high school kids running around pretty much unsupervised. Man, that was a great trip!
Anyway, with regard to dress. Obviously this is more than 40 years out of date, but I distinctly remember the group of us commenting at the time that all the men in Paris (by which I mean those between about the ages of 18 and 35) were dressed either like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, or Charles Manson.
The last time I went to Europe (London, Paris, and Normandy) in 2022 I made it a point to avoid white sneakers for footwear. I'm planning to go again in the fall with my younger son, and this time I'm going to avoid blue jeans too.
I LOL'ed.
CHARTER MEMBER
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
When I was there in 2022 with my older son, one night I bought a couple baguettes and a bunch of butter and that was our "dinner". He wanted to do the same thing again the next night but I insisted we had to have real food.
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
This has not been my experience, but I have visited only in the North of France. In Rouen and Normandy and Paris the women all look lovely and well-coiffed.
To read this bio, please join Ricochet.
Thirty years ago my family and I spent four weeks in Paris, and your observation of the nicely dressed Parisian women rings true. My wife and I also noted that couples were often seen in which the woman was dressed to the nines while the man was a total schlub, often wearing a coat not unlike Columbo's.
When I mentioned this observation to my business host, I was informed that there are many such men who face a difficult task, to support both his wife and his "cinq a sept", i.e., his mistress whom he sees in the apartment he provides for her from 5pm to 7pm when he scurries home to dinner. Thus his shabby look. What a country!
You're seeing five of 39 comments. Sign in, or join for just $5 per month, to read them all and add your own.