Customer Reviews

When in France, Do as the French Do

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Useful for people planning to live in, do business in, or merely visit France. Or even an armchair traveller interested in customs and mores elsewhere.

Steele gets it right. Many of his comments are also revealed in some of the best books about living in France such as Sarah Turnbull's 'Almost French' and Adam Gropnik's 'From PAris to the Moon'.

Steele has sections on a whole range of subjects: arts, business, daily life, food and drink, identity, language, philosophy, politics, and more.

Discover the answer to questions such as: when should you mention a person's family name in greeting? how should you attract a waiter's attention? where was Napoleon Bonaparte first buried? what French fast food chains are there? why don't French people smile as much as Americans? when in a meeting do you hand over a business card?

This book provided a cultural understanding. I work for a French-owned company, and after reading the book, had an expanded appreciation for the way the French see things. I also can understand why Americans may see the French as unfriendly and/or rude. I recommend the book to people who want to increase their knowledge of French culture, history and norms.

I wanted this book because my husband and I are planning a week's vacation to Paris. I found this book pretty much useless for our purposes. The book is arranged in one-page primers on various subjects. The vast majority of the subjects are about French history or music or whatnot. There is some information about business etiquette that could potentially be useful for the business traveler.

But I find the title to be a misnomer. It isn't a book about doing things the French way. There are very few cues on how to avoid faux pas. This is not a useful book for the average traveler, and I'm sorry I bought it. I've considered returning it, but am not sure the $9 I paid for it is worth the hassle of packing it up, sending it off, etc etc.