1. In France, everybody stops for lunch from 11am to 3pm. During these hours it is illegal to operate machinery.
2. It is essential to say ‘Bonjour Monsieur/Madame’ when entering shops. If you do not do this the owner can legally throw you out their shop.
3. Drink driving is not illegal, and is encouraged in some areas.
4. The French driving test is very simple and basically involves driving a car in a straight line.
5. The French are serious about the onion, which is considered to be holy. Some churches hold onion festivals.
6. The police (Gendarmes) are not there to help you. Do not call them, they will probably arrest you, unless you speak French.
7. Wearing a beret in certain towns can be used as a signal to show you are a homosexual.
8. It is illegal to call a pig Napoléon, or Jean-Pierre.
9. In the small town of Chalon-sur-Saône, it is against the law to wear frilly underwear on Sundays.
10. Adultery is encouraged and couples often stray from their partners, often with animals.
Posted in: France Jokes
April 6th, 2009 at 2:36 am #Mokawi
1. False. But apparently it’s true in Spain and some places where people take a nap after lunch and work a lot later.
2. False. But you might not get a good service if you don’t say “bonjour” or at least “hi”: it’s seen as impolite.
3. Very false.
4. False.
5. That’s pretty dumb. False.
6. False. Unless you come expecting them to speak English: they usually don’t, and they expect you to speak French. You can speak English, but do it in an humble way.
7. Crazy stuff. But I’d say if it ever was true, it’s probably not anymore.
8. Persistent rumor, but I have yet to find a serious source.
9. Googling gives nothing. Must be false. (Those funny law stories usually turn out fake)
10. Sorta true. Kings had their official mistresses, and apparently some presidents (such as Mitterand) followed those steps with mistresses that were known to the public. Litterature also exhacerbates this trait – I remember Montesquieu mentionning that jealous men are rare and unpopular in France. But the fact is that a cheater is still a cheater and is still in danger to get his or her ass dumped.