We were the young Americans...

A favorite topic of conversation between myself and one of my flatmates is our mutual disdain for people who look down upon cultures different than their own, especially when they don’t have any personal experience with the culture. She is French and lived in the States for a number of years, and we’ve both had to reassure others that, yes, French people do actually take showers, and that ,no, not all Americans live off of fast food. In fact, the French are probably just as hygienically inclined as Americans and only slightly less enthusiastic about McDonalds.

However, due to three recent anti-American (or anti-tourist/anti-Anglophone?) encounters I’ve had over the last 2 weeks, I started to question if there wasn’t something to the stereotype that French waiters are rude, specifically to Americans. Experience number one: My American friend and I went to a local wine bar that we had both previously been to and enjoyed. We found a table and sat around for 40 minutes while the waiter served every table around us, except us. When I finally caught him staring into our general direction as though he had nothing else to do, I raised my hand to catch his attention. His response: to flash me a faux smile and to wave at me as a school boy would excitedly wave to his friend, then exit the room. We left angry and confused - we had both been to the same bar before with different groups of French friends and the guy was perfectly normal.

Scene 2: Paris, last weekend with two English-speaking friends at a restaurant so chick I never could have never afforded without some help from my friend’s (dad’s) credit card. The three of us girls were having a great evening out thanks to some great sushi, an interesting ambience and exotic cocktails. Our waiter was not especially friendly but his service was decent and he did replace my friend’s cocktail after he had cleared it away too soon. However, he went from average waiter to slime ball con artist when at the end of the meal he leaned in to my friend and said in English, « Oh, I don’t know if you want to put away your wallet. I don’t know how it is in America, but in France the tip is 20 percent. » My friend who has lived in France for four years responded, « Yeah, it’s already included. » His response: « That’s only taxes, ma chère. » He was lying through his teeth thinking he would trick some American tourists in to leaving a 40 percent tip!

The third chapter of the story takes us back to the wine bar. Last night we decided to give it a second chance. We ordered our wine and everything was fine until the waiter noticed that we were speaking English. From then on he took new customers’ drink orders and went around to every table but ours offering free snacks. I attempted to wave him over again, and this time he looked at me, rolled eyes and said sarcastically to a random female customer as though we would not understand « I love it when people get my attention that way. » We gritted our teeth and ordered the second drink which was served without a snack - not even peanuts! I finally went to the counter and ask him for something to much on and he reluctantly handed me a small bowl without even looking me in the eye.

When I told my roommate about my experiences, she exclaimed, « It’s jerks like him that make the French look bad! » Just like it’s the Americans who come to France and expect everything to be just like it is at home but more French, make Americans look clueless. But why is it so easy for some of us to stereotype, categorize, judge and/or dislike other individuals without even giving them a chance? My only consolation is knowing that these unwitting people will never know what it is like to really discover and experience a new culture, or to have friends from all over the world. They say ignorance is bliss but for those of us who have to put up with such closed-minded self-flatterers, sometimes l’enfer c’est les autres.