Anyone who feels uncomfortable in France (Franco-phobes excluded) ought to read Polly Platt. Her books, “French or Foe?” and “Savoir Flair! 211 Tips for Enjoying France and the French,” start with the premise that this is an excellent country, but it takes some getting used to.
Platt first made me aware I was doing everything wrong when I visited Paris. I would walk down the Champs Elysees smiling and greeting people, as if I were in St. Louis. In shops, I said I wanted this or that, and I was ignored. When Parisians refused to help me with a problem, I went away meekly.
Pretty soon, I figured the cliches about the mean, arrogant French were true.
Platt, who was born outside Philadelphia, will acknowledge that the cliches are partly true. She felt some of the same pangs I did when she moved here in 1967 with her Serbian husband, Ande.
Determined not to take apparent slights personally, Platt sought the reasons for the behavior of the French, then started a consulting firm to teach ex-pats about them. The French are fundamentally different in history, upbringing and motivation. Still, Platt says, savvy travelers who wouldn’t go to Japan without practicing how to bow come here assuming that France is just like America, except for the great restaurants. It isn’t.