Fench Paper

France and it's Culture

France, located in the center of Europe, contains a population of around 58 million different people. Most of these people reside in urban areas; 73% to be exact with Paris being it's largest city. Within France, the cafй is a very big part of their life. So much so, France literally shuts down for two and half-hours during lunchtime so everyone can eat at their favorite cafй.

Since it is one of the most important parts of French life there are many different aspects of the cafй's that can be talked about. For instance, in France it is not uncommon to see people at the cafй eating by themselves. The French don't seem to see anything wrong with eating that way. In fact, they have actually been quoted as saying that they like to sit there and watch the afternoon go by while enjoying the great French cuisine.

During this time there are so many people in the cafй that the waiters are very rushed.

They are so rushed at times that the waiters may actually forget to give you a menu! The waiters tend to speak very quickly during this busy period and it is hard for one to understand just what they are saying if you do not speak fluent French. Along with all of the fast speaking they (waiters) rarely make up the bill when you want it and often confuse the orders when they arrive at the table all due to the inordinate amount of people that come into the cafй during the busy lunch hours.

The people that iterated this to me said that this is all understood and taken very well by the French public, and that no one seems to mind very much. After 2pm the friendly, relaxed pace of France returns to the atmosphere, and the waiters return to normal. This is not at all said to downplay France's great cuisine, for which they are very proud of.