I lived in both France and Canada. The French Canadians are royal bitches to deal with in the rest of Canada, but I think they're probably right about it. I mean, you pick, Montreal or Kamloops? If you ever cross into Canada and your border officer happens to be a Francophone female, just bend over and turn out your ass right now, she's going to ream you.
The French are a group of people who think they "have it figured out." Their leisure-lifestyle, by which sitting in cafes, knowing more about wine and cheese, and basically sitting around all day, is an ideal to which most hobbyists aspire. So, if you're going to have a vaguely protectionist socialist nation, that might as well be the model of life that they're protecting, right?
Everybody outside of France hates the French because we all secretly suspect that they're living life better than we are.
Of course, all of that about stting around and drinking espresso is a myth. Most French don't get to do it; and the new immigration waves have totally changed their demographics. Zidane is the quintessential Frenchman, that is to say, an Algerian street thug from the back side of the docks, a "non-practising Muslim" (his term), and a national hero for his service to getting one over on Germany.
Paris is different from France like New York is different from the USA. The city encapsulates all that is best and worst about the country, the history, the fundamental assumptions, the way(s) of life. A month in Montmartre can change the most jaded and cynical hobbyist into a mooning prattling poetaster; and get him a hot girlfriend from Martinique, too.
My brother lives in Canada. This is what they think of the French Canadians. Two men are walking along the shore of Lake Superior one from Ontario & one from Quebec. They come upon a magic lantern and rub it lo and behold out pops a genie. He grants each man a wish. The frenchman goes first. "Build a 50 foot wall around the Province of Quebec so we can maintain our separate identity. The genie say's "done" "now it is your turn" to the man from Ontario. He replies "FILL IT WITH WATER"
Golfer, they were F-111s, but you are right... the "oops" was a classsic. Sorry guys, but we were awfful tired after that EXTRA 11 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME, guess our aim was a little off.
FONDL, they do decent wine and cheese. I'd rather live in a country known for kicking ass than one known for mimes, wine, cheese, and berets. I can buy wine and cheese and mimes disturb me. Your point that most of what they make is crap is well taken however. Think Peugot, Renault... Most French cooks use German made knives (Wusthof, Henkels), the best cookware is American (All-Clad), so even in areas where they are supposed to be good like cooking others have to do the real work of making the tools...and most French cuisine is stolen from the Italians anyway.
The best thing that I remember happening was when Reagan was in office and the US chose to bomb Libya with a couple of our Stealth Bombers (I think maybe B52's) back after we got rid of the Peanut Farmer. Quaihdakh ? was rattling his swords and Reagain picked out a few intelligence sites and weapon locations to hit. France refused to let us fly over their sovereign airspace which meant we had to fly 11 extra hours. Surprisingly one of our bombs accidently hit the French embassy in Libya, I'm sure it was an accident.
I think the de Gaulle thing encapsulates my feelings about the French. de Gaulle took a freebie because he knew that the US was between him and the Russians anyway, so he could afford to preen about his moral stance without having to pay any cost for it. It's easy to be brave and encourage diplomacy when you know someone else will end up doing the fighting for you in the end.
I have heard that outside Paris the people are very gracious and charming as opposed to their reputation.
When Charles DeGaulle, still living the fantasy of a mighty French nation, kicked the U.S. Military out of France, Eisenhauer reportedly asked him, "Does that include our dead?"
D'Oh!!!
France in the balance... Let's see.
Positive
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Congac
Champagne
Bridget Bardot
The Bikini
Negative
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Mimes
No wonder people hate the French.
I'm rather thankful for France, since without the French I'd be nothing more than an English sperm that swam around for a few seconds then dried up and decomposed. I'll take my current existence instead.
Vive la France!
I do remember a story. On the 25 or some anniversary of D-Day an American GI was going through immigrations in Paris. The immigrations officer asked if he had ever been to France before, the GI reply yes, the Immigratioins Officer replied that is impossible your passport is not stamped and there would have been a French Representative there to stamp it. The GI replied, sir I stormed the beach at Omaha and I can assure you that there was no Frenchman in sight to stamp anything that day.
The story as I have it is that the blow job was introduced to the US by American soldiers who had experienced it in French whorehouses during WW1.
Any group of people who have had that effect on American society (the French whores, not the soldiers, although they get a distinctly different form of commendation) can't be all bad.
My further understanding, and fervent hope, is that the returning doughboys told their wives/girlfriends about the technique, as opposed to directly spreading the method.
"...the idea of an oral swiftie was re-exported to Europe and far beyond by a massive arrival of American soldiers. For these hearty guys, as many a French and English and German and Italian madam has testified, the blowjob was the beau ideal."
I worked for a US companay that was acquiredd by a large French firm. I never buy anything made in France. But since it's mostly all crap anyway that's not much of a sacrifice. And I just loved watching them lose the world cup.
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