Monday, January 08, 2007

To offend the French, fondle a slice of cheese.

Le Camembert: used to get someone to shut up, don’t try this on your mother.
"Le Camembert: used to get someone to shut up, don’t try this on your mother."

My ancestors came to America in the mid-19th century, for the most part, from France -- the region of Alsace-Lorraine, to be exact. The most likely reason they came was the economic situation brought about by years of political instability. I'm guessing there was one other reason.

The London daily Telegraph is reporting that the French, especially in Paris, have a way of showing how rude they are.

"Aware that it can do very little to change the stereotype of the arrogant Frenchman, it wants to help discerning visitors blend in by using the same body language... C'est So Paris, produced by the Ile-de-France regional committee of tourism, lists the gestures under the colloquial title 'Cop the Parisian Attitude.'"

Or, as we say in the Midwest, "snotty."

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