Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Explaining French Inconsistency
The French love some small domesticated animals though they
eat almost all the wild ones. They take tremendous pride in their
beautiful Paris walkways, yet they let a poodle use it as a bathroom.
Who can explain that? Well, our Sixty Million Canadians offer the
best explanation I have found so far:
'In France, most of these (clean-up) responsibilities are shouldered
by the state. It is easy to think the French are uncivil and inconsiderate,
especially when they refuse to observe the basic courtesies like
scooping up after their dogs. But people pay high taxes and expect the
state to do its job. And the state does its job. The French don't have
very rich community lives. But they do draw a limit on moralising
individual behaviour. We found that there was a certain
liberté
to that.'
Only the Mayor of Paris seems worried. The city has
a battalion of men and machines (called
motocrottes
)
dedicated to keeping up with this single problem. While
they work the pavements, other men in enormous green
trucks collect city garbage every morning, including
Sundays, and l ood city gutters in strict schedules to keep the
beloved City of Light clean. No matter. Pets keep the upper
hand... er, leg.
The French, whose high taxes are paying for all this
clean-up, have decided it is actually good luck to step in dog
doodoo... a rather stoic approach to what is considered an
avoidable nuisance in most urban environments. You will
have to watch your step and walk with agility, especially in
Paris, to avoid 'good luck'.
The Circles of Friends
Most French people establish friendships slowly. This is not
because they are unfriendly, but because a friend is a serious
commitment, an extension of one's family responsibilities
in life. So be patient and don't try to push yourself on people.
Raymonde Carroll says that a friend in France is what you
would expect: someone who loves you like a sibling, whom
you can trust, whose company you enjoy, who accepts you
as you are. Friends help each other, but in France, friends
are expected to do more. They are expected to help guide,
correct and participate in each other's lives.
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