Customer Reviews

Savoir-Flair: 211 Tips for Enjoying France and the French

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Intimate France: Mrs. Platt's latest book on France and French culture is even better than her first - "French or Foe?" Whether you enjoyed that one or missed it, you'll love this one. (Reviewer bias: I am an American - originally from the Washington D.C. area - who lives in Paris so am very interested in this type of book. It also means I can REALLY appreciate some of the help and humor in all this.)

In "Savoir Flair: 211 Tips for enjoying France and the French", she has taken numerous interesting stories or observations about an American operating in France, added a punch line (i.e., tip) and organized them into 20 chapters. What I particularly like about this book is you can read just the topics of interest if you're visiting Paris for a vacation - topics like arriving at the airports, hotels, using taxis, Metro, Cafes, French food - or you can read it all if going there on business or longer. An example of tips more oriented to those of us living in France include comments on business meals, driving, the local scene, rural living, or requesting information from the French (not as obvious as you think) - just to name a few. One of my favorite sections is the chapter on dogs.

The French can give the British a run for their money on their infatuation with dogs. You haven't lived till you sit down in a beautiful French restaurant and realize the `person' sitting at the table next to you is named Gizmo, and he's a Yorkshire terrier! Read Chapter 7 to hear about the rest of the story; including dog dirt on sidewalks. Hilarious (to an American) and true.

Mrs. Platt, an American, has a nice writing style, mixing humor with authority. She has lived in Paris for over 30 years - she knows what she's talking about; intimately. This 290 page paperback is highly recommended.

My family just returned from a two-week visit to France.
While I had studied French throughout my pre-college
years, I was a bit uncertain of my ability to
communicate, and bought Savoir Flair! feeling that it
would be help me to understand French culture better,
thereby improving the quality of my interactions with the
French. It certainly did.

I can't praise this book highly enough! It was much more
useful than the phrasebooks and dictionaries I brought
along, because it helped me understand what makes the
French tick. Thanks to its insights on how French culture
works, and what individual French persons expect in a
variety of situations, we could not have had a better
experience.I knew what to say and how to say it to get a positive, helpful response.

Thanks to the book, we even managed to bring on board our
plane over 250 lbs. of French floor tiles we bought on our
last day in Paris - without any trouble by officialdom
over weight or size! The advice worked like a charm in
each and every instance -- and even earned me
the respect of my usually prickly adult children who
depended upon me to translate on their behalf. Truly,
this book was a joy.

Merci, Polly Platt and thank you so very much for both of your wonderful books. My experiences in Paris were delightful. I traveled to Paris for the first time last year. Three trips in all. The delightful and helpful hints found in Savoir Flair were used daily. For example, on one trip last November when the presidential election in America was hanging on the Florida vote count-- I was just off the plane and had taken the RER and Metro into St. Germain des Pres. (I had no prob using the RER on my second time there. Just beginners luck, I guess. Or pehaps the tips from Ms. Platt which remained in my mind. And an elaborate map drawn on an airline ticket jacket by an American commercial pilot who firmly believed I would be lost and bewildered. I lost the map. All I really needed was to remember the word: Sortie) I floated into Paris transported through the galactic portal at CDG -- appearing pretty much as described by Ms. Platt. I found the circular design comforting -- I couldn't get lost. It was a loop.

Before 2 hours had elapsed I used Ms. Platt's information, again: I left my bag at the hotel and stepped out for a refreshing walk. The heel on my favorite (and only comfortable AND pretty) shoes had broken. Vanity more than need was driving me to find someplace to repair them. I didn't want to wear my ugly, but comfortable shoes. These cute little Stuart Weitzman black ankle boots w/black rabbit fur inside were perfect for the chilly, wet weather. They were three years old but still wonderful. However, I was slipping a little with every step (and it wasn't on dog poo.)

What were my chances of getting a repair while I waited -- not great, I figured. Probably impossible. Plus, where would I find a repair shop. Whoops, quite by accident I saw one and stepped inside. Guess what! As quoted by Ms. Platt: Napoleon was right, "Impossible does not exist in France." Following her solid advice on manners, conversation, banter and keeping things interesting: Not only did I receive a shoe repair from a St. Germain des Pres shop keeper who first declined to fix the shoes unless I left them. But I had a wonderful experience. "Bonjour Monseiur," I said -- and as you can see, I speak French as poorly as I spell it -- followed by the magic words Ms. Platt recommends we all use to describe my problem (and to find out what those are you must READ the book), "I know this is impossible, and I am sure you don't have time, but could you fix my shoe while I wait?" He had stopped a conversation with another man to address me. "You can't leave them?" he said. "They're my only shoes...." I said but paused and considered his request carefully and looked over my shoulder out the window and said thoughtfully, "Oh, yes I could leave them, but I would have to walk barefoot on the cobblestones...or sit here in my stocking feet until the heels were repaired..."

"What's wrong?" he asked. "The plastic on the bottom of the heel is off," I said. "Ah, you are slipping on the cobble stones!" "Oui!"

Ah, now he was engaged and wanted to solve my problem.

He held up five fingers, "Watch my store, I need to talk with this fellow. Five minutes." They left the shop and when he came back, he took my shoes and said to me, "So, who is your President, today?" I feigned an indignant tone: "Monsieur, we all know who the President is, it is the president-elect who is in dispute..." This made him laugh... He asked about my preference between the candidates and then I asked about his ten or so framed black and white photos of 1940s-60s American movie stars. He spoke about his favorite movies and asked me my favorite movies, "Oh, you like American cinema" I said to him, "and I prefer French film directors...Jaques Tati and ....." several names rolled out. He raised an eyebrow.

So, he glued and polished and made conversation with me for an hour while I sat feeling like Alice in Wonderland in a large, old rattan chair and enjoyed the scent of shoe polish and leather, the scene on the street outside, and the comments of the shoe repairman. He fixed my shoes AND polished them to look better than when I walked in.

I held the shoes for a moment and admired his work. I thanked him and asked how many French francs I owed.

He made a wave of his hand brushing aside my question, "The conversation was compensation enough."

Can you imagine any place in the world where a person would depart from his daily work routine, work for an hour on your behalf, carry on an intelligent and engaging converstion with you, do beautiful work, make the product look better than when he received it for repair, and then refuse payment?

I love Paris!

(And Ms. Platt's wonderful book. Buy it, enjoy it and by all means travel to France and collect your own wonderful tales of French extravagance -- an abundance of joy in life and each of life's moments!) My encounter at the shoe repair shop was just one of a multitude of wonderful examples of hospitality, wit and generosity that you, too, will find in France. By all means, go with some preparation -- and Savior Flair -- so that you will appreciate the banquet set before you.

I had mixed reactions to Polly Platt's book. Some practical how-to info is accurate and useful. I had a problem with her lack of objectivity in some areas. She does a lot of name-dropping and you get the sense that her friends are of a certain wealth and social status. This affects the way she presents other info. I live in Paris and I ride the Metro without the fearful incidents she describes. I also take exception to her advice on page 157, which sounds like racist propaganda from the Front Nationale (Le Pen's far-right poltical party).."if you're blond, you'll be stared at and perhaps approached by French men of all ages. Blond or not, second generation from North Africa may follow you and accost you." Other warnings are that you should not walk alone in the 20th arr. I am blond, blue-eyed and petite and I frequently shop, walk alone or go to cafes in the 19th/18th and 20th (neighborhoods with many North Africans). I have consistently been treated with friendliness and respect by men and women alike in these areas. It's 'trendy' for a certain elitist class of people in Paris to bash Algerians and Africans as being violent or dangerous. The biggest danger in Paris is stepping in dog poop and not saying si vous plait. Open your eyes, and your heart, and you'll have a great time.

Francophiles of the world, listen up. Want to go to France for any reason, for any length of time and not feel awkward and anxious and like your savoir faire is about at toddler level? For many travelers not knowing how to negotiate the small things (catching a bus, using the subway, knowing how to use the security code plaque at someone's front door) can seriously diminish the pleasure of being abroad. Help is at hand in the form of Polly Platt's Savoir Flair; 211 Tips for Enjoying France and the French. This book has more incredible and truly useful information packed into one paragraph than any two popular guidebooks combined. I can't say enough about this jewel. Polly Platt has thought through every conceivable situation the traveler might face, from the moment of landing at Charles de Gaulle or Orly airport to what to do if you drop your keys down a grate in the sidewalk. With utmost patience, specificity, knowledge and humor she tells you everything you need to know (including things you didn't even know to wonder about!) for a smooth and happy experience in France. Platt is an American who has lived in Paris since 1967 so she knows exactly whereof she speaks. She is the founder and director of Culture Crossings, a training organization for corporate employees and their families who have been transferred to France. She has written an earlier book, French or Foe, aimed more at the latter audience, though I read it and found it helpful for the traveler.

Still, there is nothing like Savoir Flair anywhere. I pity people going to Rome or Turkey or Berlin or Sri Lanka who have to make do with standard quidebooks. (As far as I know Polly Platt has not been cloned in other languages and cultures!) This book is my new best friend. Buy it and you will see what I mean!

If you are going to France you can get a head-start on understanding how the French are different from us. Polly Platt's wonderful book Savoir Flair! is a fun read and helps explain why the French are "rude" to Americans. I wish I had read this before my previous trips to Paris (no doubt there are a few French men and women who wish I had too). Ms. Platt uses her book to take us in hand and walk us through the pitfalls of visiting France. What to do, what NOT to do, and, with her humorous anecdotes, helps us understand and recall that what is expected behavior where I come from (maybe you too) is rude and disrespectful in France. She illuminates with wit and precision the grace and warmth of the French, plus, she gives the reader the tools to elicit the same from the French. A book well worth your time!

Polly Platt's excellent and engaging book, "Savoir-Flair," was of particular use to my wife and myself on a recent trip to Paris. This was the first trans-Atlantic trip for us, and I had last actively used my French 27 years ago, in my sophomore year of high school. I was given Ms. Platt's book for Christmas and dove into it immediately, hoping to get the help I needed for knowing just what to say and do in various circumstances in Paris. We used countless tips from the book--everything from knowing how to hail a LEGITIMATE taxi, to how to greet shopkeepers, to using the Metro, to eating in restaurants--the list goes on and on. My French is, as you can imagine, a bit rusty after 27 years, but with the assurance gained from the book, we were able to successfully navigate through our five days with style and FLAIR. Speaking with the Parisians was easy and fun, even though I had to occasionally ask someone to speak "plus lentement, s'il vous plait."

My favorite story from our stay took place on the day we were to leave Paris. We came down to the hotel desk in the morning and asked the young woman on duty (in French) where we might be able to buy some Pokemon cards for our sons. Her pleasant smile grew into a huge grin, as she echoed back "Les cartes Pokemon?" She then delighted in telling us which department stores in the area might carry them. We found the cards in the toy department at one of the stores she had mentioned. When we brought the cards to the cashier in the toy department, we asked if the cards were indeed in French. She asked us if our children understood French, and when we replied no, she looked puzzled...until we explained that some of our children's friends had Pokemon cards from Japan, and that these French Pokemon cards would make our sons very popular indeed. Her laughter told us that she understood.

So, many thanks to Polly Platt for this most interesting and extremely helpful book!

Just spent "April in Paris - 2004" -- Polly's book did help me understand some etiquette points: saying "Bonjour", asking "parle-vouz anglais" instead of assuming people should speak English (even though for the most part, almost EVERYONE I in Paris did), but I think SHE buys into the French Mystique and really DOES think that the French are superior to all other nationalities.

It all comes down to, if a person is a rude, boorish person, they're going to be rude - no matter what their country. Polly excuses bad behaviour by dismissing it as "french". (rather insulting to NICE Fench people, don't you think?) As one reviewer pointed out, Polly can be rather condescending. I felt TOTALLY intimidated by her constant glowing praises on how Parisiennes dress: she says no one but students and tourists wear blue jeans -- TOTALLY WRONG! I saw almost 65% of the "fashionable" women with jeans -- granted, they were also wearing stiletto boots and make-up!

My best tips are: dress nicely, neatly. I feel you will be treated better (but, hey, that happens here, too! -- try walking into Nordstrom dressed as a slob); greet people in their native language, they'll appreciate it, and, please for all our sake, be a good ambassador for OUR country.

Except for one snot-nosed sales-chick, almost everyone in Paris was not only polite, but "bend-over-backwards" friendly.

I'd recommend this book, but don't let it intimidate you. I would also recommend a crash course in conversational French -- THAT will really help your trip be more enjoyable.

I bought Savoir Flair! by Polly Platt before I went off for a couple of weeks in Paris. I had never been to France before, but I was familiar with the reputation of the French for being rude -- this coming from Americans, of all people! Platt has lived among the humans of France, like Goodall among the chimps of Gombe, and I thought she might be able to provide some cultural insight.

The book met my expectations, and I can recommend it as reasonable for anyone in a situation similar to mine. The book is organized into intuitive chapters dealing with arrival, hotels, shopping, the prevalence of canine feces, eating out, cafés, etc., and each section contains useful contact information. You'll also find numerous anecdotes of problems other visitors have had, which in some regards will save you from having to learn them the hard way: CDG is a big and confusing airport, lots of hotels in Paris have similar names so make sure you have an address and a map, cabbies begin charging your fare from the moment you call them (not from your door), etc. At the same time, this is France, not the Congo or Afghanistan. After spending a couple days in Paris, I concluded that Polly Platt's tales of tourist and ex-pat frustrations were largely worst-case scenarios. Except for the challenge of most interpersonal interactions going on in French (it is France, after all) and some of the crazy aspects of French culture (e.g., same alphabet, different keyboard), I found the people to be completely pleasant - both polite and easy on the eyes.

Savoir Flair! is touted by the editors as funny and entertaining. Actually, I would say it is more "cute," although readers with no fun or entertainment in their lives may enjoy its style. It is a quick read, and worth the effort if you are on way to France. However, Polly Platt seems to have made her literary career out of writing and updating basically the same book, so check to see if she has something more recent. It is likely to touch all the same bases and will perhaps have even more cute anecdotes.

I am a huge fan of both of Polly Platt's books. They have had a huge impact on my travels and my comfort level abroad-- and not just in France. They start you thinking about the different mindset of the Europeans in a way that makes it easy (with minor adjustments for each country) to get along practically everywhere. I've lived in Geneva, Florence, London and Rome since reading French or Foe and Savoir Flair, as well as traveled to Paris and other parts of France, and cannot tell you the number of times her tips have gotten me out of sticky situations or helped me understand the undercurrent of a conversation in a way that others who have not read
them do not. They should be required reading for anyone traveling to France and would be especially good gifts for college students studying abroad who want to get an exclusive look at the way the French really live and intertact with each other.