Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Terrible French -and other national stereotypes

On the way back from El Salvador, I asked the flight attendant --a guy who said he flies all over the world:

So what is it about the French?

He answered that every nationality has its reputation. Or stereotype. And he laughed, adding, they live up to them. Really they do.

The Russians, he said, drink too much and never smile.

The Chinese complain about the food, esp. pasta. Orientals dislike pasta and ice. So the flight always runs out of juice, pop, and water. (And it's true. You really should NOT have ice in your drinks on airplanes.)

The Americans have huge suitcases and bathe too much.

The Japanese are the ones who will sometimes wear face masks for fear of diseases. And they don't want to be touched by accident.

The French? Oh, the terrible French. It's so true. You never want to try to serve a Frenchman.

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