Since living in France for just over a year (where the hell has that time gone?!) I have picked up on a few etiquette do’s and don’ts along the way. So if you are planning a trip to France this Summer then check this list out to ensure you don’t make any social faux pas or blunders. Learn from my mistakes my friends!
Queue - If you thought the British were well known for starting a queue and waiting patiently then you have never seen a popular boulangerie where locals will snake out of the door and down the street for the best baguette in town. No digging in elbows or slanging matches to get the last stick of freshly baked pain this is polite bread buying at its finest.
Kissing - French kissing is a mindfield that I touched upon in this post here. No not that kind of tongue sandwich French kissing but the one where you offer your cheek for an air kiss with a lip-smacking sound. Depending on the region you may start from the left or the right side and it can be up to two kisses on each cheek. To avoid embarrassment let the person you are meeting take the lead and only go in for the kiss or faire la bise if you feel comfortable.
Dinner Time Rules OK - What I love about living here is the importance of meal times, not just because I am a big fat pig well ok maybe that has a small part to do with it, but because the French have impeccable table manners and really like to make a meal out of a… er… meal. So you must wait for everyone to have a drink in hand before you take a sip, don’t even think about touching that tempting bowl of olives or apero crisps until others have started and unless the house catches on fire you stay at the table until everyone has finished (this may take hours depending on the amount of course you will be ploughing through).
Greetings - When you enter a shop no matter how big or small you are guaranteed to have a smiling (ok sometimes they may have a face like they are sucking a lemon) shop assistant greet you with a friendly bonjour which you are expected to return out of politeness.
Top Tip - It is not a country of big tippers for services or in bars or restaurants. Most bills will come with a service charge already included but sometime you may have to check how you can donner un pourboire (leave a tip) as it is not always expected.
On the 7th Day - As many villages and cities become practically deserted ghost towns on Sundays, it is the perfect time to join other French families having walks by the beach, a lazy long lunch or a siesta. Definitely easy like a Sunday morning over here.
Gossiping – The French are very social and love a good chinwag no matter the time or the place, if two friends spot each other in the street and want to have a little catch up then the world can move on around them even if they are stood in the middle of a zebra crossing for 5 minutes or so. True story.
Patience Is A Virtue– The motorways (autoroutes) usually make for an enjoyable and calm driving experience as they are empty compared to the ones back in England. I think this leisurely driving style also equates to rather zen drivers as, in my French town, it is very rare to hear a car horn blaring out in annoyance at some petty road rage.
Have you ever been to France or made a complete idiot of yourself in another country as you didn’t understand the social etiquette rules?
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