# Things I \*LIKE\* about the damned French **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 27, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917 "2004-11-27T21:28:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/21 "2004-11-28T06:29:46Z")
Oh … and let’s not forget French’s mustard. Or Mr. French from _Family Affair_. ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/22 "2004-11-28T06:45:34Z")
The town of Nice. The phrase _l’esprit d’escalier_. And I’ll second Audrey Tatou and Emmanuelle Béart. Two incredibly gorgeous women, and great actors. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/23 "2004-11-28T08:40:05Z")
Four words: '94 World Cup team. A country, I remind you, that’s generally regarded as at best second-tier in this event, never given a chance against the traditional powerhouses like Cameroon, Nigeria, and Argentina. They advance out of the round-robin easily. In the quarterfinals, they come up against a team that’s _deliberately_ playing for a scoreless tie so their ace goalkeeper can win it for them in the penalty shootout (booooo!), and not only win outright, but with the first ever Golden Goal. And they faced Brazil in the championship game…which is like the Yankees in the World Series…and absolutely flat-out completely blew them away. As an occasional soccer fan who’s never felt all that strongly either way to the French watching from about 7000 miles away…it was simply awesome to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/24 "2004-11-28T08:52:38Z")
I can’t really think of much to _dislike_ about the French. Their leaders occasionally act like douchebags but who are us Merkins to talk about dunderheaded leaders? I went to Paris a couple of years ago by myself and had a grand old time. I met a super nice girl in the airport and we went to the Arc de Triomphe and Le Tour Eiffel (hope I spelled those right.) She barely spoke English and I barely speak French but it hardly even slowed us down. And then, of course, there’s the whole French New Wave and the concept of _Auteur_ filmmaking, so in a way they gave us Mel Brooks and Kevin Smith :). ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/25 "2004-11-28T08:57:04Z")
Cassis Les calanques St-Tropez Provencal cuisine Restaurant owners who will let you leave when you’re short on cash “because you’ll come back tomorrow” wine bread Louis Pasteur and his crypt ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/26 "2004-11-28T11:57:09Z")
French fries go so well with burgers! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/27 "2004-11-28T12:43:47Z")
Quoi? C’mon people! I am posting #27, and I am the first to mention Catherine Deneuve! That’s Madame Catherine Deneuve to you, kid! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/28 "2004-11-28T13:23:54Z")
There’s so much. The food. In particular stinky, runny soft cheeses, the bread, the cold meats, the saucisons, the garlic, the soup, salad Nicoise, cassoulet, moules marinières. The wine. The architecture. The chateaux. Versailles. The Eiffel Tower. The Louvre. La Défense. The art. Matisse. Degas. Manet. Monet. Lautrec. The beautiful-sounding language. The books. Marguerite Duras. Beaudelaire. Camus. Flaubert. Molière. Rabelais. Francoise Sagan. Proust. The movies. L’Haine. Diablo Menthe. Cyrano de Bergerac. Indochine. Soudain un ete (?). Jean de Florette. Manon des Sources. Brotherhood of the Wolf. The Battle of Algiers. Emannuel Béart. Laetitia Casta (hubba). Brigitte Bardot before she became a fascist. Gerard de Pardieu. Jacques Tati. Marcel Marceau (OK maybe not him). Jacques Cousteau. (Some of) the music. Debussy. Jean Michel Jarre. Serge Gainsbourgh. Erik Satie. Sacha Distel. Saint-Saens. The gallic shrug: “bouf”, meaning, in my opinion: “Whatever. You do what you like, I’ll do what I like. No skin off my nose”. (I sometimes feel that this attitude is responsible for French diplomatic practices.) Despite the defeats and capitulation, the courage shown by the French soldiers during the two World Wars. Despite the horror of French colonial rule, the insane toughness of the Foreign Legion. The inspiration for the Irish independence movement. The Statue of Liberty. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/29 "2004-11-28T13:28:23Z")
The language Guillaume Canet Louis Vuitton Hermes Diptyque candles ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/30 "2004-11-28T13:36:36Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Tintin Tintin was Belgian. As are French fries. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/31 "2004-11-28T14:41:38Z")
The food. The wine. The chateaux. Pity about the the politicos. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/32 "2004-11-28T15:27:41Z")
The Canadians keep them as pets. (Oh, just kidding, lighten up.) ---
**Author:** ![ouisey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc29f/32.png) [@ouisey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouisey)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/33 "2004-11-28T15:35:14Z")
Asterix ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/34 "2004-11-28T17:28:17Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > French taunters are the best! I spit in your general direction! ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/35 "2004-11-28T17:34:01Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > Four words: '94 World Cup team. > > A country, I remind you, that’s generally regarded as at best second-tier in this event, never given a chance against the traditional powerhouses like Cameroon, Nigeria, and Argentina. > > They advance out of the round-robin easily. In the quarterfinals, they come up against a team that’s _deliberately_ playing for a scoreless tie so their ace goalkeeper can win it for them in the penalty shootout (booooo!), and not only win outright, but with the first ever Golden Goal. And they faced Brazil in the championship game…which is like the Yankees in the World Series…and absolutely flat-out completely blew them away. > > As an occasional soccer fan who’s never felt all that strongly either way to the French watching from about 7000 miles away…it was simply awesome to watch. That was the '98 World Cup team and turned France into my favourite European national team. Becoming an Arsenal fan slowly happened right after that. Zizou!!! ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/36 "2004-11-28T17:51:51Z")
J’ai l’esprix d’escalier parce que: Sauce bearnaise La Tour Eiffel Les employes de poste en la Tour Eiffel Musee de Louvre M. et Mme. Robert Jardin en Nice Fromage, esp. Brie ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/37 "2004-11-28T17:56:49Z")
Sophie Marceau. Sweet mother of god do I find her gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/38 "2004-11-28T18:09:30Z")
> [@ouisey](#): > > Asterix Indeed! I loved those books as a kid 😃 Why did no-one mention Citroen’s? I love their cars from the 50s-70s and they’ve regained a bit of wackiness again in recent years 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/39 "2004-11-28T18:18:26Z")
We used to own a Citroën BX, and it was fantastic. Anyone (with broadband) who hasn’t seen it yet should check out the superb [dancing car ad](http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=6550) for the Citroën C4. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917/40 "2004-11-28T20:16:28Z")
'98, right. ‘94 was the one where Brazil barely beat the American squad in the second round and won the championship in a freakin’ PK shootout. (How the hell did I get _those_ two mixed up?? 😃 ) Oh, and ditto the music, especially with singing. I haven’t often had the privilege of listening to French singing, but something about it is just incomparable. I really don’t give a damn about anything Kate Ryan did in English. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-i-like-about-the-damned-french/276917.md?page=3)