Just a quick note to announce upcoming big changes on the blog. The most important one is a technical one. Within the next few weeks I will say goodbye to Blogger and move Ask a Frenchman to a self hosted platform.. -When will that happen? I’m not totally sure. I am technically ready to do it, but I want to make sure I do it the right way. (Warning: technical terms ahead) There is no way to do a real [Read the rest]
A while ago, I answered the question “Why French Women Do Not Ask Men Out?“ But there was one comment that I never published. Why? Because I thought it deserved its own post. Yes, it was that good and that interesting. So here it is: Febehlat said: “Even though this idea came into context quite a few centuries ago I believe that certain things often integrate themselves into society so much that people do not even realize that they are [Read the rest]
(asked by Jo from New Zealand) You wouldn’t happen to know what the law is on serving water at bars in France, would you? I am sick of going to bars here in Nice and basically getting bullied into drinking everywhere I go. On Saturday night, my friend and I were in a very crowded pub and yet in the space of about 5 minutes a waitress came and handed us a drinks menu, then I went up to the [Read the rest]
(asked by Leesa, from the US and currently living in France) I have a question out of genuine curiosity…. Why do the French burn cars… and why is this done as a common practice or sort of “tradition” on New Year’s Eve in Strasbourg??? What’s the draw for people to go out and burn all those cars? Why do people get away with this/why isn’t it enforced more??? So, first, I don’t want people to be confused by the title, [Read the rest]
Sorry guys, I know I haven’t been very active around here lately, blame it on me being out of the country a little, me being quite busy with other things, and also some lack of motivation I admit. Back in the days, idiotic questions amused me, now they bore me. And I won’t mention the dozens of “I met this French man, what does he think?” questions. Those are unfortunately the vast majority of questions I get and they’re way [Read the rest]
(asked by Jason from Canada) Something I was surprised to not have read about on your blog was the difference(s) between the north and south of France! For reference, I also didn’t see your area of origin on the blog, so I’m sorry if the answers seem obvious or you might not know as much about one of the two! Whatever the case, my questions would basically be: What actual differences do you see between the north and south of [Read the rest]
(sent by Obade from NYC) OK, I’ve been quite silent lately. One reason is that I’ve been busy (in my real life, you know, with my real job and those sorts of things –yeah, contrarily to popular belief, my job is not to maintain this blog; I wish it was, but let’s admit it, the pay sucks). Another reason is because the next question in line (yeah, I try to answer questions in the order in which I get them) [Read the rest]
(asked by Jacynta from Malaysia) Hi, I am a registered pharmacist in the UK and Singapore . I am planning to move to Paris. I am seeking for information regarding pharmacist registration in France, is it difficult to get a job in France for a foreigner like myself? Please enlighten me. Thank you. Regards, Jacynta Ah! A straight direct question just how I like them (actually I edited it out a little bit, there were a couple of lines about [Read the rest]
(asked by Jen, from… somewhere, possibly somewhere in Asia) And here is Jen’s third and last question: And… is it normal, if you ask a stranger something (most of the time where the metro station is located), he then will offer you a city tour on the weekend or coffee after work? Would I be too naive if I just think all Parisian (men) are these nice to tourists? I’m planning to go back to Paris the end of the [Read the rest]
(asked by Jen, from… somewhere, possibly somewhere in Asia) Jen -the previous asker- actually had three questions, but instead of bundling them up in one entry, I’m separating them into three. Here is the second one: Another thing is… do French men don’t relate ‘marriage’ with ‘sex’? I am married (though my husband didn’t come to Paris with me) and my two French friends knew it, but both did try (individually and in different occasion of course) to suggest for [Read the rest]