20+ French Lifestyle Facts That Might Leave Many Tourists Confused

Certainly, every country has at least some stereotypes attached to its image. While some are, in fact, true, others are just a mere invention. And with France it is not much different, except that the country can boast of having most stereotypes related to positive characteristics about itself. Gentlemen, highly stylish people and tasty baguettes are 3 examples we often hear about this European country and its citizens. Of course, there is some truth to all of this, but as with any stereotype, there are certain exaggerations. So, in order to truly understand how a country works, it is necessary to understand the main characteristics of the lifestyle of its population, do you agree?

we, from awesome.club, we decided to look beyond stereotypes and investigate the main features of the daily life of residents of the land of cheese and wine. Check out!

When two people meet in France it is common to greet each other with kisses on the cheek. However, this can be quite confusing for some tourists as this social rule varies greatly by region. The further south, the greater the number of kisses in greeting. There is even a special website where you can check how many kisses are given in each region. Generally, this amount varies from 1 to 4.

In France it is very common to have a second name in addition to the first and last name. And this is very clear when we look at the documents of French citizens. If you know a Frenchman, for example, and he introduces himself as Jean, surely if you look at his documents you will notice that his full name is Jean Michel Martin. Usually, the second name is given in honor of the godparents. Another curious fact is that in the passport of the French citizen, both the height and the color of the person’s eyes are described. Different, right?

The French always avoid any expression of sexism. Therefore, in the country there are no longer any divisions between exclusively male and female activities – men can actively participate in kitchen activities, cleaning the house and washing clothes. This characteristic of France is not so different from our modern reality in Brazil, where couples increasingly agree to share domestic activities among themselves. However, in the European country, this trend is much stronger and is already culturally established. A Frenchman, for example, might be surprised that a woman knows how to sew, as in the case of Russian blogger Lena Luciez, who is married to a Frenchman and said her husband was stunned when she sewed the buttons on his shirt. He asked, “Do you know how to sew?!” To which she replied yes, as she took sewing classes at school like every girl when she was little. Her husband was shocked by this and said that in France this was unacceptable, as everyone must have the same obligations and know how to perform the same activities.

Other than that, in France it is not very popular to ask your partner for advice. The main phrase that defines relationships in the country is “Do as you see fit”. In other words, partners are not in the habit of asking each other what they would rather eat for dinner, or what to wear to an event, what shoes to buy in a store, and so on. Everyone must make their own decisions for themselves.

In France, making a request to another person is something that depends a lot on the context, unlike in Brazil, where everything depends only on the intimacy and goodwill of the other. In this way, in the European country, one should try to understand between the lines in communication with another person. And generally, the standard response of a Frenchman to any question, suggestion or request is “no”, i.e. — “not”.

French comedian Olivier Giraud explains this French habit in his shows as follows: “The answer ‘no’ gives us the opportunity to say ‘yes’ afterwards. But if you answer ‘yes’ promptly, then you won’t be able to say ‘no’ anymore! Nor can we forget that France is the nation of protest, and protests always start with the word ‘no’”.

A frequent synonym for the word “no” in the country might be the phrase “This might be a little tricky”. However, it is important to understand that this “no” is not always definitive, it is often just a tool used to start a discussion on the subject, so that French can better understand what you want or suggest before committing to something. .

In many government offices, banks, agencies and institutions, employee lunch breaks last an exceptional two hours. Although our Brazilian constitution also provides for this possibility, more often than not, employees have only one hour for lunch. The point is that, in France, the process of digesting food is taken very seriously – employers are concerned about ensuring that their employees can have lunch without rush, even those who have to go home to eat. Thus, many people use the extra time to go exercise or run in a nearby park.

Regardless of the problem that may happen to you in France, the best option is to call the fire department. They generally respond to a call faster than other emergency services, and are still capable of providing first aid and performing virtually any rescue operation. The French have a lot of respect and pride in their firefighters. By the way, the emergency number for firefighters in France is 112🇧🇷

In many French cities you can find vending machines that sell condoms almost everywhere: near shops, pharmacies, on the streets and even on the metro.

As in Brazil, in large French cities the water is heated by private heating equipment, unlike in some other European countries, where hot water is provided by the government through the common water system. In terms of heating homes, many have the so-called “mixed” type, in which a central heating system heats the floor and the entrance hall, while the rooms generally also have heaters that can be turned on and adjusted individually. But there are 2 details in this matter: first, if you choose to heat your apartment well, you may end up having to pay a very “salty” energy bill at the end of the month, especially if the individual room heaters are electric. Second, it is very common that in old houses the electrical wiring can no longer cope with such a demand for electricity, and you have to choose what you need to use — keep the heat on or make tea using the electric kettle, so as not to cause a short circuit.

Therefore, in general, the temperature inside French houses hardly exceeds 20ºC in winter.

The French fashion sense is definitely not a myth. French men really know how to build a look attractive wearing only traditional everyday clothes. They don’t usually wear extremely trendy and flashy pieces — their charm lies in their simplicity. And yes, the French love and know how to wear a scarf.

The charm and unique style of French women is one of the country’s most recognizable stereotypes. And the typical image that comes to mind when we think of a Frenchwoman is that of an elegant woman wearing an overcoat, with thin high heels, red lipstick and an elegant hat. However, French women are guided by the principle that clothes, shoes and accessories should be comfortable and practical. This is the main rule of their wardrobe. Thus, the charm of the French is in casual and comfortable clothes. And the colors most chosen by them are black, gray and navy blue. Other than that, French women tend to save money when buying clothes, not rushing to buy new collections as soon as they are launched, but prefer to wait for sales and promotions. Being truly chic is having the ability to dress in such a way that no one will be able to notice that every piece of your outfit has been carefully selected by the stores.

By the way, on the ground floor of many buildings in France there are cafes, and many French women have no problem going down in their pajamas to have a cup of coffee with a croissant in the morning.

Often, we end up not using the weekend to rest, but to clean the house or go shopping. But for the French, Sunday is a family day, in which they prefer to do family activities. The fact is that, for this reason, almost all stores are closed on Sundays in France. So, it’s better to be cautious and buy everything you need on Friday or Saturday when you’re in the country.

The basis of the French diet is a baguette. Usually, they prepare sandwiches with it, using different types of filling. Another very popular bread-based food in France is a fried sandwich with a soft yolk egg on top, called “croque madame” (and if you don’t have the egg, but another ingredient, like cheese and ham, it’s called “Croque Monsieur🇧🇷 A little different than expected Foie gras or the traditional frog legs, isn’t it? By the way, most French people have never tasted dishes with these ingredients, which are traditional only in the southern region of the country.

The croissant is often associated as one of the symbols of France, even though this delicious bun was created in Vienna, Austria. However, in France they are made using only puff pastry. Other than that, a typically French croissant has no filling. That is, there is no strawberry jam, cream or chocolate coming up…