From the USA. You are adorable. Your English is fantastic. I loved your slight accent. All the advice you offered, so cheerily I might add, was extremely logical, well thought out and helpful.. Thank you. Merci beaucoup.
Watching this as an Englishman it strikes me how many of these apply to the UK too. Except the bread. You don't get bread unless you ask for it and if you did they'd probably bring you butter too. Also the word 'entrée' is only used for the main course in the USA. In the UK an entrée is the same as in France although we tend to call it a 'starter' even if it's written 'entrée' on the menu. I've occasionally asked for dishes without the cheese for example but I wouldn't push it with altering the menu. Last year I took an American visitor to a bar/restaurant to meet some friends and she said afterwards that quite a few things surprised her. Getting there on public transport, families eating with kids and the parents drinking alcohol, the fact that we were there for nearly four hours and that you don't get the bill (check🇺🇸) until you ask for it. Like in France we'd think it rude if a waiter just plonked the bill on the table. Fascinating video.
France has a much more responsible attitude towards alcohol than here in the UK. The children are given watered-down wine from an early age, so that they get used to it, instead of going crazy on their 18th birthday and making themselves ill. ❤
Wonderful lesson. We are visiting France for the 4th time this year. We try very hard to be respectful of local tradition and custom. We have found the people there to be most helpful and accommodating of my limited French skills. This helps a great deal. Thank you!
Another very funny thing about restaurants in France is most of the time for lunch you can pick a "Formule" which is a starter, main course, dessert for a very raisonnable price and it always comes with a carafe of home wine. For them they serve you bottom shelves wine but for us (im french Canadian) its amazing!!!(like cabernet sauvignon or bordeaux).
I waited tables (and bartended) for many years here in the U.S. and people can be real jerks. Many people don't realize how hard restaurant industry jobs can be unfortunately.
Welp…I just found this video and the one with cheese etiquete after two weeks in France 😢 Yes…I made most of the mistakes that you mentioned, no one yelled at me but I certainly got the looks lol at least I enjoyed all my meals. Thank you for the videos, I’ll make sure I review them once again next time I’m in France😊
As a Frenchman, I can say that all that advice is quite accurate. Thank you for your video which promotes our French culture so well. I would just like to add a couple of details : Don't be surprised by the seemingly astronomical price of a bottle of wine in a restaurant, which will cost you 5 to 10 times more than in a shop : it is customary for restaurants in France to keep the price of food as low as possible and to make up their profit on the price of wine. Just another detail about starters : a "salade composée" may come in 2 formats, in a smaller bowl as an "entrée" (as a strarter) or in a larger bowl as a "plat principal", which is a handy way of sticking to a diet while enjoying a meal in a restaurant. Just remember to tell the waiter which one you want when ordering your menu. I especially enjoy "salade Lyonnaise" (with egg, lardons and croutons), and the "salade Grenobloise". Et félicitations pour votre excellent Anglais ! Christophe
There is one thing to mention about "changing" the items on your plate for your own fun and liking, which is much more important to understand, than that Artistic side. Working in a pro kitchen means: Order in, Order given to chef, preparation by chef, setting on plate, service. Different sections in the kitchen are delivering components on that plate by simple "call" and they remember at least 20 Orders to different tables, which one person ensemble according to the plan. Any unnecessary interruption makes that well oiled system to be affected someway. Every hand movement, every breath has been calculated in that kitchen to bring food in wanted time and quality front of you to serve your table/party at once, so that everyone can enjoy that meal together...
Definitely. It makes me feel guilty (and a bit afraid) needing gluten free. I know from my own experience, it takes much longer and messes up the line behind it.
Learned about asking for butter with bread. My mom was French Canadian and our etiquette was to never sopping the bread in the sauce. It was more polite to leave it on the plate. 1950-1960
Bonjour, ça va? I am just starting to learn French, and the focus now is on the basic vocabulary our family can use while in France. We are super excited, and I am glad I found your channel and this video about restaurant etiquette! Can't wait to visit your country! Thanks again for the tip and you got one more subscriber =) a Brazilian warm hug from Etats-Unis 🤗
Great tips that are easy to remember. Been awhile since I was in France, but the Paris Olympics got me planning for a return visit! All your vids will help me get in gear. Thank you!
Hello, I m french and i agree with all of . Little space restaurant are in center of town (Pais, nantes , Lyon). In another towns it s ok . We eat burger with "fourchette" in restaurant but with hands in Mc Do. I live " en Bretagne "North West of france" , and we eat salt butter a lot (crepes, galette). Here we often have little piece of salt butter with bread. Bread et carafe d'eau are free ... I never buy bottle of water. Thanks for your video. I try to speak in english with it.
As a french Canadian from Quebec, I would say that we are a little more loose with the etiquette probably because of our latin and European roots. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me
Well done. The only part I do not agree with is the butter not beeing served with the bread. I left France 50 years ago, but my recording is that my mother always said: What belongs on the table at the beginning? Bread, butter, salt, pepper, a jug of water.
I believe they should be but I made this video based on experience I had with foreign customers as a Tour guide in Paris and also questions that people ask me on here or on instagram :)
At my first trip to Paris, i made the most embarrassing mistake. I asked for a glass of milk with my dessert. The waiter looked at me like i was an alien. I was in my 20's and i wasn't drinking coffee at that time. Hihihi Now i love to enjoy my "cafe creme" with my tarte tatin or simply a good glass of wine.
C'est vrai qu'il y a une vraie différence au sujet du lait entre la France (je ne sais pas ce qu'il en est pour le reste de l'Europe, excepté les pays méditerranéens où le lait est aussi peu consommé à l'âge adulte) et, globalement, l'Amérique du Nord : en France, on boit du lait jusqu'à l'âge de 6 ans environ, puis on arrête. La consommation du lait vient alors sous forme de yaourt, de fromages, etc, mais plus sous sa forme pure 🙂
@heliedecastanet1882 Oh et en Amérique, nous beurrons toujours notre pain. Il est tres inhabituel poyr nous de le manger nature comme a Paris sauf accompagné de fromages ou de pâtés.
Not totally true about noise. I was at le clerc the 7th arrondissement eating dinner with my daughter. There were many young french people next table, very close to us talking loudly to catch our attention by speaking English, but I recognized they are french by the accent. I was in french school from la maternelle to le baccalaurea. Nowadays french are loud too, not as the old time generation. They intend to copy american manners. Overall the french culture is more relaxed than american where everything is a rush, even in a course dinner. They don't rush customers but we can tell by the attitude to get rid of us asap after the plates are emptied, except for the michelin star restaurants where you pay over a thousand+tips for a 5 course meal for 2 (tip alone is over 150 dollars). Will be moving soon to live in France or italy (Florence). Merci pour les informations tres utile.
Great video! The only one I would add is to explain why the French do not put their hands under the table while they’re eating. Americans are taught at a young age to not put their elbows on the table and to keep their hands in their laps. My French friends told me about this years ago - that hands/elbows on the table are fine! Is that true?
Putting your elbows on the table with your arms in the air is not ok. Front forearms flat on table ok. Wrists ok in France also a good compromise if dining with French and English friends as hands on lap not ok in France.
I'm French. I was taught no elbows on the table, but hands on the table. Having your hands in your laps isn't a good posture if you want to follow etiquette here. Though most people don't strictly follow it.
I ordered milk with my dessert. They brought it to me in a creamer and when I went to drink it they were mortified. 😂😂. Also they didn’t ever bring enough water, Americans drink a lot more I think. And I did ask for butter at dinner. But I didn’t know it was a faux pas. We tried not to be loud and laugh to much. But I’m not sure we were successful. We definitely stuck out it was my husband and I with 8 ther woman so it was an odd group. But we had a blast.
Very funny, I can imagine the waiter's face when you ordered milk, and when you drank it. In France usually only young children sometimes drink milk - and most often outside meals. The only acceptable drinks to go with fine food are water and wine, as well as beer or cider with some dishes. Unless you're a child, if you want to have a Coke or a soda, order it as an aperitif BEFORE starting the actual meal; the reason is that these sugary drinks will kill the taste of your food, whereas wine if correctly selected will enhance it. Water, of course, is neutral. Restaurants in France normally provide tap water for free, no limit in quantity - just ask for "une carafe d'eau".
If you can, ask service people in their language, e.g., cab/Uber drivers, waiters & hotel staff who are the biggest tippers. We have a small sample, but in Mexico City and Barcelona Spain they all said Americans are the most generous. 🤔
It’s usually no problems, just make sure it’s not when the kitchen is about to close ;) but most of the time this is seen as a compliment to the chef that you want to order more!
wow cette vidéo m’a beaucoup aidé ! je suis une personne très anxieuse et j’ai toujours souhaité pouvoir trouver une vidéo qui explique tout et je l’ai enfin trouvée (: une question: quand on dit « l’addition svp » et « excusez-moi », c’est quand on établi un contact visuel avec le serveur ou la serveuse ou on ne les dit à personne spécifique ? ça me dépasse un peu. désolée si c’est une question bête haha. merci pour cette vidéo !
I'm returning to Paris this autumn, but will skip restaurants entirely. I don't care to be judged, watched or to make a total fool of myself. Thanks for the advice.
This refers more to fine dining. It is the culture, and you are visiting to see/ share in the culture right? have fun with it. We could not have had better restaurant experiences, and we hardly know the etiqette rules.
The last time I was in Paris at a brunch, I distinctly remember having to ask for EVERYTHING individually. You would think at a brunch they would bring croissants butter or oil, utensils, offer coffee and juices. Nope. You ask for bread, then you ask for butter, then you ask for utensils, then you ask for coffee, then you ask for milk/creme, then you ask for jelly/jam, then you ask for orange juice, then you ask for napkins. It was infuriating.
Who are the individuals performing these behaviors? I'm an American and if you were anywhere in America and called your waiter/waitress "boy" or "girl" and snapped your fingers, the outcome of that interaction would not be positive. I do agree, alcohol does play a role in jackass behavior, but that's the exception, not the norm. I was both a waitress and a bartender in college and most patrons where nice. Only had the occasional jerk who upon the addition of alcohol became a bigger jerk, but those people where asked to leave.
From you very interesting video, I have to ask if the Parisian restauranteurs have ever heard of accomodating their clients? I mean for goodness sake, if I wish some butter with my bread, surely as a paying customer that is my prerogative . I don't expect to have to deal with the server's personal opinion of my choice. In fact such a response would be actually quite rude. From your video it seems that visitors have to mind their manners whilst the restaurant staff do not. Are matters really as rigid as you imply ? 🤔 As a youngster visiting France I don't recall it being like that. In fact I remember staff being very helpful to my mother and us girls. Perhaps things have changed greatly?
Hi Sandie, many thanks for your comment. I would say it depends where you go to eat. Bread with butter before dinner is simply not in our way of doing things and for most waiter they would think you are expecting to not have enough to eat if you ask for that before your meal even starts. French waiter are not so impolite that they would refuse to serve it to you, but many take great pride in the quality of the food that is served where they work, so please also consider how a request for butter which may seem small and inconsequential to you might be taken the wrong way by someone from another culture :)
@@eyrthren for me the portions were fine, but for all the male co-workers it was not enough where ever we went! They were leaving half-hangry and had to eat lots of bread to fill themselves up.
@@alliswell44596 maybe they were used to eating more which is ok! May I ask where in France you were? Certain regions have a larger serving size than others
Too many rules to go to France, here in America we accept all cultures, and how you are! 😅 I’ve done research on France and it just sounds like mainly anything offends, or are rude and arrogant!
I've been to Paris and going again. As an American, I found everyone very accommodating and friendly. Paris was not a challenge, just don't be loud and demanding as a lot of Americans can be. We were a source of entertainment to children because of how we kept switching when we use the knife and fork. Yes, we accept all cultures, but Europe is to be appreciated for its unique and different cultures. Go and enjoy.
I’m an American and have been to france before a couple years back and loved it so much I’m going again. Pretty much everyone was very nice and I had an amazing time. Hope to have some opportunities to practice my French now that I’m more fluent :)
Dear Kathy, it is always quite funny to read comments like yours, pointing that a country can be arrogant, while you use the word "America" to speak about the USA, forgetting that America is a continent, with many countries. How arrogant is it, for you ? 😉
@@heliedecastanet1882 Of course trying to be perfect without being perfect is so French. This is how knowing how we AMERICANS speak. We refer to the US as America, because If I was talking about another place I would’ve said South America or Central America 😉 You see? You learned something new today 😂😉
@@stevennkathy "Trying to be perfect without being perfect is so: French Italian English Welsh Spanish German Russian Scottish Flemish Belgium Iranian Egyptian Somalian Etc…" Oh !!! My Goodness, it works with everything ! Awesome ! It is so meaningless that you can use it with everyone ! Nobody's perfect. The only thing we can try to do is to do our best. I learned two things, indeed: first, that you were arrogant. Thanks to your second message, that you were also stupid to the point that only an arrogant uneducated person can be 🙂 (spoiler: I'm rude and arrogant, because it's always such a pleasure with someone as stupid as you 😉) America = North America + Central America + South America. United States is only the United States and part of North America (Canada + United States). They are not "America". (By the way, South America and Central America are not countries… just kidding. Not sure you'll get it though) Bisou ma chérie. You are so, so perfectly "perfect" in what you are 😘😘😘
From the USA. You are adorable. Your English is fantastic. I loved your slight accent. All the advice you offered, so cheerily I might add, was extremely logical, well thought out and helpful.. Thank you. Merci beaucoup.
J'adore cette vidéo! Je suis professeur de français aux Etats-Unis et je vais montrer cette vidéo en class pour mes eleves!
Merci Jody! Dites leur "bon courage" de ma part! :)
So well explained. Impeccable English! Thank you.
aucun accent français en parlant anglais ! doit avoir des parents mixtes (l'un français l'autre anglais) - elle est fort sympathique !
Watching this as an Englishman it strikes me how many of these apply to the UK too. Except the bread. You don't get bread unless you ask for it and if you did they'd probably bring you butter too. Also the word 'entrée' is only used for the main course in the USA. In the UK an entrée is the same as in France although we tend to call it a 'starter' even if it's written 'entrée' on the menu. I've occasionally asked for dishes without the cheese for example but I wouldn't push it with altering the menu.
Last year I took an American visitor to a bar/restaurant to meet some friends and she said afterwards that quite a few things surprised her. Getting there on public transport, families eating with kids and the parents drinking alcohol, the fact that we were there for nearly four hours and that you don't get the bill (check🇺🇸) until you ask for it. Like in France we'd think it rude if a waiter just plonked the bill on the table.
Fascinating video.
France has a much more responsible attitude towards alcohol than here in the UK. The children are given watered-down wine from an early age, so that they get used to it, instead of going crazy on their 18th birthday and making themselves ill. ❤
Thank you so much!! France is on my list of places to visit and I do NOT want to come across as rude. Your videos are very helpful!
Wonderful lesson. We are visiting France for the 4th time this year. We try very hard to be respectful of local tradition and custom. We have found the people there to be most helpful and accommodating of my limited French skills. This helps a great deal. Thank you!
Another very funny thing about restaurants in France is most of the time for lunch you can pick a "Formule" which is a starter, main course, dessert for a very raisonnable price and it always comes with a carafe of home wine. For them they serve you bottom shelves wine but for us (im french Canadian) its amazing!!!(like cabernet sauvignon or bordeaux).
les " formules " du midi (moins cher que " à la carte " le soir ) sont prévues pour les travailleurs qui doivent déjeûner le midi hors de chez eux ..
Most of these are standards here in the US, it's just that most Americans [unfortunately] don't care.
I was thinking the same thing. I was thinking, "what kind of asshole is snapping their fingers at the waiter???"
@@RingsOfSolace they may spit on your food. I would if people treat me no respect
I waited tables (and bartended) for many years here in the U.S. and people can be real jerks. Many people don't realize how hard restaurant industry jobs can be unfortunately.
Welp…I just found this video and the one with cheese etiquete after two weeks in France 😢 Yes…I made most of the mistakes that you mentioned, no one yelled at me but I certainly got the looks lol at least I enjoyed all my meals. Thank you for the videos, I’ll make sure I review them once again next time I’m in France😊
Super video
As a Frenchman, I can say that all that advice is quite accurate. Thank you for your video which promotes our French culture so well. I would just like to add a couple of details : Don't be surprised by the seemingly astronomical price of a bottle of wine in a restaurant, which will cost you 5 to 10 times more than in a shop : it is customary for restaurants in France to keep the price of food as low as possible and to make up their profit on the price of wine.
Just another detail about starters : a "salade composée" may come in 2 formats, in a smaller bowl as an "entrée" (as a strarter) or in a larger bowl as a "plat principal", which is a handy way of sticking to a diet while enjoying a meal in a restaurant. Just remember to tell the waiter which one you want when ordering your menu.
I especially enjoy "salade Lyonnaise" (with egg, lardons and croutons), and the "salade Grenobloise".
Et félicitations pour votre excellent Anglais !
Christophe
Merci ☺️ and lovely advices!
excellent tips. Just perfect for our family who are going to Paris next week. Merci!
There is one thing to mention about "changing" the items on your plate for your own fun and liking, which is much more important to understand, than that Artistic side. Working in a pro kitchen means: Order in, Order given to chef, preparation by chef, setting on plate, service. Different sections in the kitchen are delivering components on that plate by simple "call" and they remember at least 20 Orders to different tables, which one person ensemble according to the plan. Any unnecessary interruption makes that well oiled system to be affected someway. Every hand movement, every breath has been calculated in that kitchen to bring food in wanted time and quality front of you to serve your table/party at once, so that everyone can enjoy that meal together...
Definitely. It makes me feel guilty (and a bit afraid) needing gluten free. I know from my own experience, it takes much longer and messes up the line behind it.
Learned about asking for butter with bread. My mom was French Canadian and our etiquette was to never sopping the bread in the sauce. It was more polite to leave it on the plate. 1950-1960
Bonjour, ça va? I am just starting to learn French, and the focus now is on the basic vocabulary our family can use while in France. We are super excited, and I am glad I found your channel and this video about restaurant etiquette! Can't wait to visit your country! Thanks again for the tip and you got one more subscriber =)
a Brazilian warm hug from Etats-Unis 🤗
Excellent video. Great tips! Merci
That is the rule most part of the world!
Not rushing is the most difficult thing about French culture as an American with terminal ADHD.
My German friend was telling me about their Frankfurt etiquette, when to eat what style etc...
Butter with French bread? SACRILEGE! French bread is too good to smother with butter!! ❤❤❤
This is very useful, my Asian mother and sister are heading to France next Monday. Thank you❤
I Hope they have a lovely time in France :D
Great tips that are easy to remember. Been awhile since I was in France, but the Paris Olympics got me planning for a return visit! All your vids will help me get in gear. Thank you!
So lovely, the Olympics were indeed beautiful! I hope you enjoy your time in Paris :)
Hello, I m french and i agree with all of . Little space restaurant are in center of town (Pais, nantes , Lyon). In another towns it s ok . We eat burger with "fourchette" in restaurant but with hands in Mc Do. I live " en Bretagne "North West of france" , and we eat salt butter a lot (crepes, galette). Here we often have little piece of salt butter with bread. Bread et carafe d'eau are free ... I never buy bottle of water. Thanks for your video. I try to speak in english with it.
Lovely video! You mentioned not using your hands to eat steak and fries but how about a burger and fries? Are you okay to use your hands then?
Your English is quite amazing and those tips are really helpful. Merci 🫶🏼.
Thank you. This is a very enjoyable video. 😊
This was so helpful. Thank you!
Pretty much the same rules in Australia, I hope to go to French Canada next year so I assume the same rules apply.
As a french Canadian from Quebec, I would say that we are a little more loose with the etiquette probably because of our latin and European roots.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me
Helpful video, thank you. "Advice" is not used in
Merci beaucoup! Civilized behavior is always pleasant and welcome!🩷
Well done. The only part I do not agree with is the butter not beeing served with the bread. I left France 50 years ago, but my recording is that my mother always said: What belongs on the table at the beginning? Bread, butter, salt, pepper, a jug of water.
The French butter is so good!!!!
These tips are good manners anywhere!
I believe they should be but I made this video based on experience I had with foreign customers as a Tour guide in Paris and also questions that people ask me on here or on instagram :)
I thought I knew a fair amt, but this is giving me a much BETTER education! Wonderful video :)
Merci ☺️
At my first trip to Paris, i made the most embarrassing mistake. I asked for a glass of milk with my dessert. The waiter looked at me like i was an alien. I was in my 20's and i wasn't drinking coffee at that time. Hihihi
Now i love to enjoy my "cafe creme" with my tarte tatin or simply a good glass of wine.
C'est vrai qu'il y a une vraie différence au sujet du lait entre la France (je ne sais pas ce qu'il en est pour le reste de l'Europe, excepté les pays méditerranéens où le lait est aussi peu consommé à l'âge adulte) et, globalement, l'Amérique du Nord : en France, on boit du lait jusqu'à l'âge de 6 ans environ, puis on arrête. La consommation du lait vient alors sous forme de yaourt, de fromages, etc, mais plus sous sa forme pure 🙂
@heliedecastanet1882 Oh et en Amérique, nous beurrons toujours notre pain. Il est tres inhabituel poyr nous de le manger nature comme a Paris sauf accompagné de fromages ou de pâtés.
Thanks for sharing this video and helpful tips!😍
Très utile! Merci!
Any tips for solo travelers eating out?
Very helpful...merci'
You're welcome! :)
Garçon is used in Türkiye. Garson. They have a lot of French words.
Haha and Greece too! 😂
I'm thinking of a 70s movie the Jerk. The waiter comes, "here are you escargot." Navin, "Waiter, there are snales on her plate!"
Great info! Merci! 😊
I have several allergies specifically nuts and barley. So can I say “S'il vous plaît, je suis allergique aux noix et à l'orge,”?
Merci beaucoup!
Not totally true about noise. I was at le clerc the 7th arrondissement eating dinner with my daughter. There were many young french people next table, very close to us talking loudly to catch our attention by speaking English, but I recognized they are french by the accent. I was in french school from la maternelle to le baccalaurea. Nowadays french are loud too, not as the old time generation. They intend to copy american manners.
Overall the french culture is more relaxed than american where everything is a rush, even in a course dinner. They don't rush customers but we can tell by the attitude to get rid of us asap after the plates are emptied, except for the michelin star restaurants where you pay over a thousand+tips for a 5 course meal for 2 (tip alone is over 150 dollars). Will be moving soon to live in France or italy (Florence). Merci pour les informations tres utile.
Great video! The only one I would add is to explain why the French do not put their hands under the table while they’re eating. Americans are taught at a young age to not put their elbows on the table and to keep their hands in their laps. My French friends told me about this years ago - that hands/elbows on the table are fine! Is that true?
no it's not true ! c'est malpoli
Putting your elbows on the table with your arms in the air is not ok. Front forearms flat on table ok. Wrists ok in France also a good compromise if dining with French and English friends as hands on lap not ok in France.
I'm French. I was taught no elbows on the table, but hands on the table. Having your hands in your laps isn't a good posture if you want to follow etiquette here. Though most people don't strictly follow it.
Thank you so much for watching this video, if you enjoyed it make sure to subscribe! 🇫🇷
Very helpful
I ordered milk with my dessert. They brought it to me in a creamer and when I went to drink it they were mortified. 😂😂. Also they didn’t ever bring enough water, Americans drink a lot more I think. And I did ask for butter at dinner. But I didn’t know it was a faux pas. We tried not to be loud and laugh to much. But I’m not sure we were successful. We definitely stuck out it was my husband and I with 8 ther woman so it was an odd group. But we had a blast.
Loved your video! I spent a year in France as a student but have been back many times. Eating in Paris especially is : in évènement
Love it!
Exactly! but that's what makes it so special!
Ah ah that is too funny! What is most important is that you enjoyed yourselves!
Very funny, I can imagine the waiter's face when you ordered milk, and when you drank it. In France usually only young children sometimes drink milk - and most often outside meals. The only acceptable drinks to go with fine food are water and wine, as well as beer or cider with some dishes. Unless you're a child, if you want to have a Coke or a soda, order it as an aperitif BEFORE starting the actual meal; the reason is that these sugary drinks will kill the taste of your food, whereas wine if correctly selected will enhance it. Water, of course, is neutral. Restaurants in France normally provide tap water for free, no limit in quantity - just ask for "une carafe d'eau".
If you can, ask service people in their language, e.g., cab/Uber drivers, waiters & hotel staff who are the biggest tippers. We have a small sample, but in Mexico City and Barcelona Spain they all said Americans are the most generous. 🤔
Parfait mademoiselle!
Hi! Great video and you resemble English singer Adele a bit, amazing?!
my father while in a restaurant actually heard the waiter say: " Sortez le beurre, les anglais sont la,"
😆
Is it polite to order more throughout the meal / ask for the menu again?
It’s usually no problems, just make sure it’s not when the kitchen is about to close ;) but most of the time this is seen as a compliment to the chef that you want to order more!
wow cette vidéo m’a beaucoup aidé ! je suis une personne très anxieuse et j’ai toujours souhaité pouvoir trouver une vidéo qui explique tout et je l’ai enfin trouvée (: une question: quand on dit « l’addition svp » et « excusez-moi », c’est quand on établi un contact visuel avec le serveur ou la serveuse ou on ne les dit à personne spécifique ? ça me dépasse un peu. désolée si c’est une question bête haha. merci pour cette vidéo !
Merci! En effet, pour demander l'addition il vaut mieux établir le contact visuel d'abord :)
@@thehungryparisian merci pour la réponse ! tu n’as aucune idée à quel point tu m’aides (:
I'm returning to Paris this autumn, but will skip restaurants entirely. I don't care to be judged, watched or to make a total fool of myself. Thanks for the advice.
Happy you enjoyed the video, but I hope that you will still enjoy some restaurants in Paris :)
This refers more to fine dining. It is the culture, and you are visiting to see/ share in the culture right? have fun with it. We could not have had better restaurant experiences, and we hardly know the etiqette rules.
Garçon is almost regarded as an insult, s'il vous plaît +is the way to ask don't forget merci too
😍😍😍
The last time I was in Paris at a brunch, I distinctly remember having to ask for EVERYTHING individually. You would think at a brunch they would bring croissants butter or oil, utensils, offer coffee and juices. Nope. You ask for bread, then you ask for butter, then you ask for utensils, then you ask for coffee, then you ask for milk/creme, then you ask for jelly/jam, then you ask for orange juice, then you ask for napkins. It was infuriating.
so sad....
I was going to call out "Garcon" and snap my fingers. lol jk
And these are things that Americans need to told……… That’s scary.
Your mobile on the table is rude in every culture!
Who are the individuals performing these behaviors? I'm an American and if you were anywhere in America and called your waiter/waitress "boy" or "girl" and snapped your fingers, the outcome of that interaction would not be positive. I do agree, alcohol does play a role in jackass behavior, but that's the exception, not the norm. I was both a waitress and a bartender in college and most patrons where nice. Only had the occasional jerk who upon the addition of alcohol became a bigger jerk, but those people where asked to leave.
Ive never wanted to go to a french restaurant more in my life
Its a shame that americans seem to only care about manners in a french restaurant
Face it ; You just don’t want Americans to come to France anymore 😂
Eating fries with a fork is insanity
Not called fries in france.
From you very interesting video, I have to ask if the Parisian restauranteurs have ever heard of accomodating their clients?
I mean for goodness sake, if I wish some butter with my bread, surely as a paying customer that is my prerogative .
I don't expect to have to deal with the server's personal opinion of my choice.
In fact such a response would be actually quite rude.
From your video it seems that visitors have to mind their manners whilst the restaurant staff do not.
Are matters really as rigid as you imply ? 🤔
As a youngster visiting France I don't recall it being like that. In fact I remember staff being very helpful to my mother and us girls.
Perhaps things have changed greatly?
Hi Sandie, many thanks for your comment. I would say it depends where you go to eat. Bread with butter before dinner is simply not in our way of doing things and for most waiter they would think you are expecting to not have enough to eat if you ask for that before your meal even starts. French waiter are not so impolite that they would refuse to serve it to you, but many take great pride in the quality of the food that is served where they work, so please also consider how a request for butter which may seem small and inconsequential to you might be taken the wrong way by someone from another culture :)
I can guarantee they love my American money.
USD are not accepted.
U definately will need that bread, concidering the size of dishes. Most men feel almost as hungry as before and the bread helps to fill ppl up 🤣🤣🤣.
Depends on how much you're used to eat ^^ The dishes are usually a normal portion size, which would satisfy an average french person
@@eyrthren for me the portions were fine, but for all the male co-workers it was not enough where ever we went! They were leaving half-hangry and had to eat lots of bread to fill themselves up.
@@alliswell44596 maybe they were used to eating more which is ok! May I ask where in France you were? Certain regions have a larger serving size than others
@@eyrthren I lived in Paris and we went for lunch in many places in the area of Opera.
@@alliswell44596 ah yeah come visit l’Alsace, the portions in traditional restaurants are much larger haha
She sounds American, not French
The French butter their fruit. No thanks. I'll be rude.
You have taught me nothing
Too many rules to go to France, here in America we accept all cultures, and how you are! 😅 I’ve done research on France and it just sounds like mainly anything offends, or are rude and arrogant!
I've been to Paris and going again. As an American, I found everyone very accommodating and friendly. Paris was not a challenge, just don't be loud and demanding as a lot of Americans can be. We were a source of entertainment to children because of how we kept switching when we use the knife and fork. Yes, we accept all cultures, but Europe is to be appreciated for its unique and different cultures. Go and enjoy.
I’m an American and have been to france before a couple years back and loved it so much I’m going again. Pretty much everyone was very nice and I had an amazing time. Hope to have some opportunities to practice my French now that I’m more fluent :)
Dear Kathy, it is always quite funny to read comments like yours, pointing that a country can be arrogant, while you use the word "America" to speak about the USA, forgetting that America is a continent, with many countries. How arrogant is it, for you ? 😉
@@heliedecastanet1882 Of course trying to be perfect without being perfect is so French. This is how knowing how we AMERICANS speak. We refer to the US as America, because If I was talking about another place I would’ve said South America or Central America 😉 You see? You learned something new today 😂😉
@@stevennkathy "Trying to be perfect without being perfect is so:
French
Italian
English
Welsh
Spanish
German
Russian
Scottish
Flemish
Belgium
Iranian
Egyptian
Somalian
Etc…"
Oh !!! My Goodness, it works with everything ! Awesome ! It is so meaningless that you can use it with everyone !
Nobody's perfect. The only thing we can try to do is to do our best.
I learned two things, indeed: first, that you were arrogant. Thanks to your second message, that you were also stupid to the point that only an arrogant uneducated person can be 🙂 (spoiler: I'm rude and arrogant, because it's always such a pleasure with someone as stupid as you 😉)
America = North America + Central America + South America.
United States is only the United States and part of North America (Canada + United States).
They are not "America".
(By the way, South America and Central America are not countries… just kidding. Not sure you'll get it though)
Bisou ma chérie. You are so, so perfectly "perfect" in what you are 😘😘😘
The more money I spend the less I give a crap what they think.
Your neighbors must love you.