French are rudest, most boring people: British poll

theski · Post by **theski** » 2006-05-22 09:23am

Fight....

LONDON (AFP) - The French have been voted the world's most unfriendly nation by a landslide in a new British poll published. They were also voted the most boring and most ungenerous.
A decisive 46 percent of the 6,000 people surveyed by travellers' website Where Are You Now (WAYN) said the French were the most unfriendly nation people on the planet, British newspapers reported.

The Germans have no to reason to celebrate the damning verdict. They came second on all three counts.

WAYN's French founder, Jerome Touze, told the papers he had been stunned by the thumping condemnation of his compatriots and sought to blame it on Gallic love-struck sulking.

"I had no idea that the French would emerge as such an unfriendly country," he said.

"I think our romantic 'moodiness' is misunderstood and I will be sure to pass on the message to my family and friends back in France to be a bit more cheerful to tourists in the future."

Italy was voted the world's most cultured nation with the best cuisine, while the United States was named the most unstylish with the worst food.

The British did not feature in the top 10 of any of the categories.

"The British fit in nowhere -- good or bad. It appears that we are so completely average that the voters did not include us in any category," the tabloid Daily Express commented.

"And to our shame, four percent of respondents -- all British of course -- said they would only talk to other Britons when they are abroad."

This unwillingness to talk to the locals appears to go hand in hand with respondents' perceptions of foreigners.

While most said Spain was the foreign country where they would most like to live, they said the Spaniards were nearly as unfriendly and ungenerous as the French.

To add insult to injury, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph put the boot in on Saturday by saying in an editorial that the French stank.

"The French may like to think that Chanel No 5 is their scent but we all know that garlic and stale Gitanes are much more representative."

Yahoo

Elfdart · Post by **Elfdart** » 2006-05-22 09:33am

Worst food? Of course this poll is from Britain, where they make toast by boiling the bread.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2006-05-22 09:34am

Really? I certainly don't recall that particular one, though I certainly wouldn't touch black pudding.

Elfdart · Post by **Elfdart** » 2006-05-22 09:37am

Yeah, really...

...

Pick · Post by **Pick** » 2006-05-22 09:42am

Jesus, what the hell? When I went to Germany, I thought they were the nicest people I ever met. The English were all right too, but c'mon!

CarsonPalmer · Post by **CarsonPalmer** » 2006-05-22 09:42am

Well, what are the French going to do about it?

Darth Mortis · Post by **Darth Mortis** » 2006-05-22 09:56am

CarsonPalmer wrote:Well, what are the French going to do about it?

Most likely say the Brits are jealous of their fish eye soup and stale cigarette breath and move on....

Or, as always, they can call the USA and have them "help out" only to spit on they are freed from the "insult" at hand.

Mobius · Post by **Mobius** » 2006-05-22 09:57am

Nothing, of course!
that propaganda from the jealous anglo-saxon!

(i'm still wondering how Paris can still be a top tourist destination,....)

Post by **Gandalf** » 2006-05-22 10:00am

Mobius wrote:(i'm still wondering how Paris can still be a top tourist destination,....)

Irregardless of the people, it still has a reputation as a damn beautiful city.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2006-05-22 10:03am

Brits calling the French the worst in something? Next thing the article will be saying is the Earth is not the center of the universe!

Really, this strikes me as dead end news day for that particular journalist

.

Mobius · Post by **Mobius** » 2006-05-22 10:03am

but the people are really a downturn: as a french living abroad, staying in Paris is painful: the price are crazy compared to Belgium and the superiority feeling of the inhabitants is unbearable (but they will be the first to shit on France in private, but when with an Auslander they are really evertyhing else is crap compared to our town)

Post by **Vympel** » 2006-05-22 10:03am

What's that old saying? Hell is a place where the police are German, the cooks are English, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, the drivers are Belgian and everything is organized by Italians.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2006-05-22 10:05am

Heaven is a Chinese chef, an English home, an American salary, and a Japanese wife. Hell is an English chef, a Japanese home, a Chinese salary, and an American wife.

The Guid · Post by **The Guid** » 2006-05-22 10:25am

To me this is just more proof of the family feel of Europe. I mean, I am the first to mock my brother and take the piss but only I am allowed to do that. If an American was to slate the French to me I would defend them, though I do love picking holes in our local rivals.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2006-05-22 10:25am

Elfdart wrote:Yeah, really...

Yeah, the toast was normal toast. But never trust anything if the English refer to it as pudding, as I discovered. Yuck.

Prozac the Robert · Post by **Prozac the Robert** » 2006-05-22 10:35am

Rogue 9 wrote:
Elfdart wrote:Yeah, really...
Yeah, the toast was normal toast. But never trust anything if the English refer to it as pudding, as I discovered. Yuck.

Yorkshire pudding is entirely trustworthy. Steak and kindey pudding is lovely, although maybe not what you would have expected from something called pudding. Bread and butter pudding is one of the nicest deserts you can find if it's made well. Sticky toffy pudding can be half as dense as a cannon ball, but it's tastes good.

We have lot's of nice things called pudding. It's hardly our fault if you go and order black pudding.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2006-05-22 10:40am

Prozac the Robert wrote:
Rogue 9 wrote:
Elfdart wrote:Yeah, really...
Yeah, the toast was normal toast. But never trust anything if the English refer to it as pudding, as I discovered. Yuck.
Yorkshire pudding is entirely trustworthy. Steak and kindey pudding is lovely, although maybe not what you would have expected from something called pudding. Bread and butter pudding is one of the nicest deserts you can find if it's made well. Sticky toffy pudding can be half as dense as a cannon ball, but it's tastes good.

We have lot's of nice things called pudding. It's hardly our fault if you go and order black pudding.

I didn't. I knew better, but a friend dared me to try some after he made the mistake.

Sofia · Post by **Sofia** » 2006-05-22 10:51am

My family had a trip planned to France around the time the whole "freedom fries" thing was all over the news, and the French were actually friendly to them, miraculously enough. One man went out of his way to welcome them to the country and assured them that he didn't lump in all Americans with American administration and policy.

Antares · Post by **Antares** » 2006-05-22 10:59am

I really wonder why the Brits dont think the Germans are the worst.
You know because we still have Hilter here and all happily living our
NAZI life.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2006-05-22 11:06am

Antares wrote:I really wonder why the Brits dont think the Germans are the worst.
You know because we still have Hilter here and all happily living our
NAZI life.

Well if they hated all Nazis then they'd have to lump in Prince HArry too wouldn't they?

kheegster · Post by **kheegster** » 2006-05-22 11:22am

Gandalf wrote:
Mobius wrote:(i'm still wondering how Paris can still be a top tourist destination,....)
Irregardless of the people, it still has a reputation as a damn beautiful city.

Paris is one of the most beautiful and magical cities in the world. The only problem is that it's full of French people.

Great for a vacation, but wouldn't ever want to live there.

Post by **Simplicius** » 2006-05-22 11:44am

While I was touristing, and trying like hell to stay out of everyone's way what with being at the bottom of the food chain and all, the few French I met made me wonder what they had got in their britches to give them such a mood, whereas the few Germans I met were polite and personable. Mileage may vary, I suppose.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2006-05-22 11:55am

Whoa whoa whoa...

...you mean to tell me that the British are talking smack on the French and Germans and calling them rude and boring? HOLY SHIT! Stop the presses! Convene the UN and get them on this totally unprecendented, new event in the history of Europe!

Mobius · Post by **Mobius** » 2006-05-22 12:22pm

Simplicius wrote:While I was touristing, and trying like hell to stay out of everyone's way what with being at the bottom of the food chain and all, the few French I met made me wonder what they had got in their britches to give them such a mood, whereas the few Germans I met were polite and personable. Mileage may vary, I suppose.

L'Exception Culturelle my dear :p

Isana Kadeb · Post by **Isana Kadeb** » 2006-05-22 12:47pm

Gil Hamilton wrote:Whoa whoa whoa...

...you mean to tell me that the British are talking smack on the French and Germans and calling them rude and boring? HOLY SHIT! Stop the presses! Convene the UN and get them on this totally unprecendented, new event in the history of Europe!

Hehe, me thinking the same thing. Brits (more specifically the English) just love to whine about the French and Germans, the revelation isn't exactly earth-shattering news.