Vive la Difference - 1
Some articles by Bob de Barr on cultural differences he has encountered.
February 2008
Vive La Différance!
(Notes from an Englishman in Theillay)
Having visited our Twinned village of Theillay many times over the past 12 years I have found village life in France to be fascinating and very enjoyable and am now spending many months of the year living amongst our friends there.
Although our two villages are very similar in many ways I am always being suprised (and often caught out) by some of the differences between the daily lives of Stoweyites and les Theillois( I am assured that this is the correct term for Theillay residents..pronounced « lay tay-wah »).
This is the first of a series of examples that I will send to you explaining some of the things that fascinate, amuse, bemuse or downright scare me.
Firstly one that fascinates me.... being invited to a dinner party or just an apéritif. Imagine being invited by some friends of yours in Nether Stowey to come round for a few drinks around seven in the evening and finding a few other people there. These could be friends, acquaintances or complete strangers to you. After a couple of hours of convivial drinking and chatting it is announced that dinner will be served soon and you and some, but not all, of the others will be expected to leave soon. That would seem quite rude, would it not. It would seem to show that you are friends but the others are better friends!
However, this seems to be a quite acceptable situation in France and causes no offence whatsoever. It is quite normal to be invited « à diner » or just for « l' apéritif». I am no longer embarrassed or offended by this and can see the advantages of such a system. It certainly makes it easier to enlarge your circle of friends as new acqaintances made on such an evening will quite likely invite you for an apéritif on another occasion and eventually maybe even for dinner! If you are invited to dinner, however, and the apéretifs are going well don't be too suprised if you don't sit down to eat until after 10! Mind you, I still don't have the courage to give out invitations in this two tier system. I am sure that there are hidden nuances that I do not understand yet and that I shall really offend someone when I am just trying to be more French! Anyone got the courage to try it out over here?
A la Prochaine ('til the next time), Bob De Barr
