French or Foe?

I am a self-proclaimed Francophile. I love all things French. I got my degree in French. I could eat baguettes and Nutella (which isn't French, but they love it too) every day of my life. I have been to France twice, and before Christian and I got married, he had to agree to get me to France three more times in my life before I die. And it looks like it will be happening next spring, knock on wood.

My friend Staci lent me a book that I just finished reading, and I loved it. It's called French or Foe? and it's by Polly Platt. Polly has lived in France for 30+ years, and she has figured out the nuances of all things french. She talks about The Look that French men give women. She talks about the codes, or unspoken rules, that french culture mandates: don't smile at people on the street (French people think, "Why smile at strangers? I don't know that person."), do flirt with members of the opposite sex, use the ten magic words that will get you out of any pickle ("Excusez-moi de vous déranger, monsieur, mais j'ai un problème."), add "monsieur" or "madame" to "Hello", shake hands, and watch out at the door (you have to know your rank compared to someone else who may be approaching a door at the same time, in order to know who goes through the door first). French people have been considered rude by Americans, but that's not really the case; their culture just looks at things completely differently from ours. Both times I was in France, I stayed with French families, so I didn't experience what an average tourist would experience...although I did experience a completely deranged French teenage boy who made me take home a 70 pound suitcase full of his crap or else he threatened to kick me out of his house four days before I was supposed to go home (another story for another time). Anyway, if you love France or French like I do, or if you just appreciate learning about different cultures, you will love this book!