Five myths about France

France is a country beloved by many Americans, yet it's hard to name another destination that is so culturally intimidating to visitors. Perhaps it's just a cultural clash between French customs and American expectations? That may be, but thanks to a strong dollar that will take many Americans to Gallic shores this summer, it will no doubt confound U.S. visitors yet again. So this seems like an especially good time to address five widely held myths about France.

1. The French are unfriendly and rude.

This is a common complaint from Americans returning from France, but Alexander Lobrano, the American author of Hungry for Paris and Hungry for France and a longtime resident of Paris, begs to differ.

"The French aren't rude," Lobrano says. "They're formal and have very precise manners. If you go into a shop without saying 'Bonjour' to the salesperson when you come through the door, which is what the French do, don't be surprised to get a cool reception."

Piu Marie Eatwell, author of the recently published They Eat Horses, Don't They? The Truth About the French, agrees that the French get a bad rap for this one.

"The French have traditionally topped every tourist poll going for their alleged froideur [aloofness]," she admits. "However, while foreign visitors to Paris will certainly encounter brusqueness, in particular from the infamous Parisian waiters, this has much to do with the kind of treatment that is to be expected in any big city."

Like Lobrano, she points out that that French social codes are stricter and more formal than those of Americans, and that it's "more likely that visitors, making innocent blunders simply because they don't know the rules of French etiquette, will be frowned upon."

That said, the brusqueness and rudeness are not entirely in the imagination of visitors, some of whom are affected more severely by what can only be described as extreme culture shock.

"Paris holds the dubious distinction of having a psychiatric condition named after it called 'Paris Syndrome'," Eatwell says. "It's characterized by acute psychosis, palpitations and hallucinations, brought on as a result of Parisian rudeness. It's a syndrome to which the Japanese, regularly voted the world's most polite people, are particularly susceptible. The Japanese embassy in Paris has a 24-hour hotline dedicated to helping its citizens afflicted by this condition."

2. French people really don't like Americans.

"In the 1950s, in the immediate post-war period, there was considerable hostility on the part of French people against Americans," Eatwell reports. "Much of this was related to resentment as a result of the Marshall Plan, which was one of the largest aid packages in history but was seen by many French people as a means of forcing Europeans to spend money on American mass-market goods, the 'Coca-Colonization' of French society."

That brief period of hostility, Eatwell suggests, was merely a break with the traditions of the past, since France and the USA have traditionally been allies, reaching back to the Revolutionary War. Lobrano agrees it's an outdated stereotype, saying that "As an American in Paris for over 25 years, I can tell you that the French have a more knowing and nuanced affection for Americans than any other Europeans."

One example of that, he says, is that "the French have gone head over heels for American food at the bottom of the totem pole, like burgers and popcorn. There's even a new restaurant in Paris that serves bona fide bad Americanized Chinese food."

Eatwell makes a similar point, noting that "France is now the second market in the world for McDonald's, after America. What could be a bigger compliment?"

3. Travelers should expect poor service in any Parisian restaurant or cafe.

Before you sit down at any cafe or restaurant in the City of Light, Eatwell suggests that you examine your definition of poor service.

"Certainly, French waiters are unfriendly by American standards," she says. "They won't introduce themselves by name, smile very rarely, if at all, and will never act like your best buddy."

That said, the secret to receiving good service in France, says Lobrano, is to "assert yourself, firmly but politely. A little charm and a little flirting never hurt either."

Eatwell acknowledges that French service, compared with that in America or even Britain, is "incredibly slow." But she contends that this is a result of the laid-back approach of the French to meals in general. Dining is meant to be done at a leisurely pace, "with plenty of time to wash everything down with copious amounts of wine and philosophy. On the other hand, French waiters usually beat their American counterparts hands down on expertise. They will advise you on the pros and cons of a Bordeaux as opposed to Provençal rosé, and will want to know exactly where along the line between medium and well done you prefer your steak."

4. Everything is fresh and local in Parisian restaurants.

Parisian restaurants were offering farm-to-table cuisine a century before it caught on in the United States and continue to do so today. Correct?

"It's the classic, romantic image foreigners have of French cuisine," Eatwell says. "It's food sourced from local markets, the roast chicken that was, literally minutes ago, squawking around a farmyard. Is it true? Sadly, over one-third of French restaurateurs now use industrial products."

Lobrano agrees, saying that "some cheapskate restaurant owners are cutting corners with industrially prepared food, but it's the same story in every western country. 'It's just too expensive to make everything from scratch,' they say, 'and offer an affordable meal.'"

Eatwell notes that even though the legendary street markets are still a major part of French life, they are steadily giving way to the big supermarkets. She cites statistics, stating that by 1998, the number of small-town grocery stores in France had declined to one-sixth the number in 1966, and the number of local butchers by two-thirds.

"The sad truth," she says, "is that in the vast majority of cases, the escargots de Borgogne, the classic snail dish served in Parisian restaurants, will consist of frozen snails imported from Eastern Europe, and not native snails from Burgundy."

Still, all is not lost, says Lobrano, noting that "the brilliant new modern bistros of Paris, like Gare au Gorille, Septime, Le Servan and others prove this isn't true. And where Paris really beats other major western cities hands down is that the food is still profoundly seasonal. The French just wouldn't order asparagus and raspberries in January."

5. The French don't get fat.

This longstanding myth says that while Americans are increasingly obese, the French eat piles of butter, crème fraîche, croissants and red meat, wash it all down with copious amounts of red wine, and yet still remain maddeningly slim. Eatwell begs to differ.

"A three-year survey from Roche, found that 47% of the French population was overweight or obese, and that obesity increased 76% from 1997 to 2012," she says. "Given the figures on McDonald's popularity in France, that should not be surprising."

In fact, the French themselves still seem to believe in this myth, if clothing sizes are anything to go on.

Despite the evidence that the French are putting on weight, the culture itself still seems to be in denial. For French clothing designers, says Eatwell, the average French woman is someone who weighs 137 pounds and has a 32-inch waist. It's no wonder, she says, that "one in three French women admits having difficulty fitting into the clothes at most French stores."