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To offend the French, fondle a slice of cheese
In a city with an international reputation for rudeness, it is a gesture that any British visitor will find indispensable. You stick out your lower lip, raise your eyebrows and shoulders simultaneously and emit a nonchalant "Bof".The Gallic Shrug is one of many simple but brutally effective gestures listed in a new travel guide produced by the Paris tourist board. Aware that it can do very little to change the stereotype of the arrogant Frenchman, it wants to help discerning visitors blend in by using the same body language. C'est So Paris, produced by the Ile-de-France regional committee of tourism, lists the gestures under the colloquial title "Cop the Parisian Attitude". They are specially designed for British visitors who have traditionally been made to feel uncomfortable by rude waiters, couldn't-care-less taxi drivers or sulky beauties sitting outside cafés on the Champs-Elysées. While the Gallic Shrug can be useful in numerous everyday situations from a response to sloppy service to reacting to spurned romantic advances more offensive displays are also graphically illustrated. They include Le Camembert, which is used to tell somebody to shut up. You hold your hand in front of you in the shape of an L, and then slowly bring thumbs and forefingers together, as if gently clasping a small slice of soft cheese. A blank face signifying vast indifference completes this traditional French pose. "It's a rude way of telling someone to shut their mouth; not to be used in polite company," said a tourism committee spokesman. Just as offensive is Les Boules, or The Balls. "It's a vulgar way of saying that you're unlucky, you're upset or you can't take any more," said the spokesman. The gesture involves "holding an imaginary set of tennis balls one in each hand" in front of your chest and twisting your face into a look of utter frustration. Another traditional favourite is La Moue, or The Pout. It has been widely employed by French icons throughout the ages especially female ones, from Napoleon's empress Joséphine de Beauharnais to the actress Brigitte Bardot. "It's the classic way to convey just about any negative emotion, including discontent, disdain and disgust," said the spokesman. The guide advises Britons to "start by looking bored", then "pucker your lips" before "shaking your head slowly for more impact". Another useful expression is "Répète". It involves cupping your hand over your ear, so feigning deafness. The guide adds usefully: "Scowl at the same time to express displeasure." But if you're so fed up you want to make a rapid exit, hold a hand out vertically, move it up and down and tap the top of your wrist with your other hand. Your companions will get the message. The guide says: "You don't need to be French to understand Parisians. Use the gestures the next time you're in Paris. People will start mistaking you for a native in no time." The article includes a helpful graphic. Posted by: mrp 2007-01-04 |
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