to be irritated by the premise of "French Children don't Throw Food"

[OhdearNigel]

Was in the local children's bookshop and the owner had a proof copy of this
www.amazon.co.uk/French-Children-Dont-Throw-Food/dp/0385617615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322218169&sr=1-1
sent to her.

I freely admit that I haven't read any of it but I am irritated by it already. France is not some bloody paragon of sophistication and wonder. I have seen plenty of very badly behaved French children. I love France but the woman are not all Coco Chanel, gourmet, sexy glamourpusses. In fact walk down any street in France and you are unlikely to see such a creature.
My best friend in childhood was French and the most exotic dinner her Mum made was chopped cheese and pepper mixed with salad cream and then grilled on toast. Hardly the Ritz.

winny - I think it is right, but I don't think children are encouraged to do it as much in England as in France.

One of the things I love most about the French is their arrogance... it makes me laugh! I love the way they appear to be totally accommodating, and then something is just one step too far, and they suddenly think "non, ne marche pas!" and stop being helpful. Meanwhile we Brits just roll over like puppy dogs, regardless of everything... And IME the French do not have a problem with handing out a slap for children's behaviour if they dont like it.

(Sweeping generalisations, I am aware. I work for a French company, have spent lots of work time in France, stayed en famille with French friends at ours and theirs etc etc).

Is interesting to see different points of view. I used to work in a visitor attraction which attracted a large number of visiting French kids (in school parties). Bad behaviour was so much the norm that it got so that when they were admitted to the site, the admissions desk would let staff around the site know so they could keep a closer eye on things. This is not to say that the English school kids never misbehaved, obviously they did, but it was not expected that they would and bad behaviour was the exception rather than the norm, whereas with the French kids, we had so many issues that we started to anticipate that there would be problems and were nicely surprised if they didn't run riot. So maybe they have nice table manners but they certainly managed to produce a lot of obnoxious behaviour elsewhere around the site.

I live in France and a couple of weeks ago me and my friend were laughing over the lines her son had been made to write "I must not throw carrots in the canteen" - he's 7 so should know better.

Only this morning I saw a woman going to the boulangerie in her dressing gown - I have to say I was shocked at that and nearly got out of the car to help her because I was so convinced it was an elderly person who had alzheimers and was confused. Until I saw her take her purse out buy the bread and chat with everyone in the shop.

And I used to work in a restaurant and the amount of French women who take themselves off to the loo after a big meal and throw it all up again is unbelievable - so there is a reason why you don't get fat French women.

However, the children are so polite when they say hello and goodbye, I love when they shake each others hands in the playground when they arrive at school in the morning.

I'm writing a book called 'French Men Shag Other Women While Wives Diet and Train Children in Table Manners.'

that sounds fab daytoday

thats paris though.

my daughters best friend is french, she throws food.

the french are not that sophisticated, they have a massive alcohol in denial issue going on too

I haven't seen children being smacked in France or England for some time. Pity really as there have been a few, especially in England at the moment, who really need a good smacking.

My new work in progress:

"English women are cool and hip"

Yeah and Italians never eat microwaved ready meals in front of the TV ...
Spanish people never go to the supermarket in their pyjamas ...
Hate all this "other nations do it better" stuff - so overgeneralised.

or 'French Children don't throw food - they kick it.'

oh come on, French women aren't slimmer because they're all bulimic!

I think genetically they are more petite -- they tend to be not only slimmer but shorter

They eat less and walk more

And, there is a huge market in slimming pills apparently

Yeah and Italians never eat microwaved ready meals in front of the TV

except in my house

Mind you, the lack of choice and huge price of ready made food is outragous.

Why can't iceland open up a branch over here ?

S'not fair.

oh and the french do smack, much more than over here.

Or so i v been told by said bestfriends mums who has lived here 7yrs

"French children don't throw food - they throw knives"

According to my brother, French exchange students in the 90s had a habit of carrying weapons.

"Never seen a French person wearing crocs though"

all the midwives and nurses I met at the hospital did!

But true, never seen it in the street...

Wibbly

Some years ago with DS1 was about 2, I went out for a moderately posh meal (lunch) in France with my Dad. DS was asleep in his buggy for about half of it, but we knew he would wake up at some point and my Dad was terrified that he would "show up the Brits".

At the next table was an impeccably dressed French 4 year old girl with probably Granny and Great Aunt. Frightfully posh (or BCBG). Dad kept saying, if he wakes up, he's got that to live up to.....

Anyway, DS did wake up, and I worked quite hard to ensure he wasn't a pain for anyone else....and at the end of her meal the 4yo lost it totally (no idea why) but slapped her Granny.

Yes!!!!! It still makes me laugh all these year later...

wibbly thats made me lol

generalisation alert a lot of this is down to an old fashioned, conservative and mysoginistic culture. I actually think the French are just like Brits 70 years ago, and in 70 years time they'll have lost all this afflictions and be obese iceland shoppers who drink too many luridly coloured shot drinks and puke in the street.

OK. My husband is French so he KNOWS!

He says French women dress really boringly and English ones are much more attractive. He also says they are too thin and have no figure (slight generalizations...)

And you know why they are so thin? Cause they all smoke like chimbleys.

Any questions?

And young women in Paris don't comb their hair! They have it sort of half tied up to the side of their head in a laccy band because they think it looks gamine where in fact it looks mingeeng.

So there.

DH told me I dressed like a French woman. Was very offended.

(In general) a lot of french seem to think children should be seen and not heard. Having been in lots of restaurants in France I would say their table manners are better than in Britain, they perhaps "get" the whole family meal thing better, but staff and other diners are more understanding. Huge generalisation of course but having a french DH I do have some experience of the french side of the families and friends expectations of our child raising.

Wow - this very multicultural site really doesn't like the french.

I'm part french (to no degree that influences my life or history) BUT the last time I had a french woman over at my place (London) she was horrified on two counts:

1. that ds didn't wear a bib out to dinner at three years old as his top was getting dirty and people could see
2. I was a terrible european in that ds's school to be was teaching a non euro language and she felt I was an anti european for being happy with that.

But then again dh's family (southern european) think I'm horrendous for being happy that my ds might learn a language from south east asia and not a european one.

Tis a mainland european thing I think Has lots to offer in a provincial way but international it ain't.

French dogs shit all over the pavement and no one picks it up.

I do think French women eat healthier in general. When we have a meal with our french friends the girls tend to go for the healthier choices like salad or fruit for dessert whilst I'm choosing the most chocolately thing I can find : ) But the young uns like the teenage cousins do love their "mcdo"!