When in Rome .... so what do you know about French Manners? What is the proper etiquette?The Connexion have a great article about this topic: Dos & don'ts of French manners - here is an extract Do you have tips on what English-speakers should avoid and that we often get wrong?I have an American friend who likes to ask people how much they paid for their apartment – which is the kind of thing you shouldn’t do. One doesn’t talk about money like that, there is a taboo about money, even if Parisiens sometimes shock people too by talking a lot about their flat, because it is true that it is hard to find somewhere to live here. Do you have any advice on how to faire la bise (kiss people on the cheek)?It seems most natural to me to start on the right hand side. Two kisses are usual, though in rural areas, among countryfolk, it is three. In that case it’s best to be aware of that and not act like a “townie”. It is always the older person, the most important, the woman rather than the man, who decides to initiate a kiss on the cheeks. One thing English-speakers have trouble with sometimes is tu and vous. Is it best to let the other person take the initiative? It is always the person who is hierarchically the most important to propose calling each other tu, and, in fact, the woman is always considered superior to a man, apart from in working life, where only the professional hierarchy counts. France is the only country which gives such importance to the woman. It is the woman who takes the initiative on the kind of greeting, for example she holds out her hand or not, and on tutoiement or vouvoiement. More Manners Tips: visit www.la-courtoisie.comFrench Dining Etiquette Video:
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