Yet one more little tutorial about eating out in French restaurants... We tend to post a lot about this issue, and folks sometimes ask us "what's the big deal?" Well what we've learned from our guests over time is that they sometimes feel a little intimidated when they first dine out in France, especially if those first experiences are in a bigger city like Paris, or in a more formal or upscale restaurant...
So what we try to do is to give you some primers to help you better understand French culture & etiquette... Trust us, we fully understand that not everyone will like or agree with their ways... But you are indeed a guest in their country, and we can tell you from a lot of experience, you'll have a better experience if you try to understand their culture and meld into it as much as you can... Know that the French are slowly becoming a little more casual about many of these dining mores, but they are still much more traditional than we are here in the US...
In our opinion, the best thing to do is be as polite as possible when you don't understand something... It's fine to ask questions, but often times a faux pas that Americans make is to challenge their culture or etiquette... Or worse, to try to convince them to do it the way you're used to in America... Again, you've spent a lot of money to travel halfway around the world to experience their Old World Culture... Try to understand, embrace it, and enjoy the differences... Recognize your good fortune in being able to afford to sample these differences in culture... Not everyone gets these opportunities! It will ultimately make you a more dynamic citizen of the world!
