'I have lived and worked in that wonderful country for a quarter of a lifetime, and I know that French people, if you know the mode d'emploi, are not essentially different from Dutchmen. Despite, or perhaps precisely because of, their fragile social behaviour and their proud patriotism, I have come to love these busty Gauls. ' By Ilja Gort
'France is the most beautiful country in the world; too bad there are so many French people living there.' You often hear that when talking about my second homeland. Rightly so, because French people are terrible. The first word on their lips is 'Non'. Ask for any service in a restaurant, a shop or a government agency and before you have even spoken, the answer is: 'Non, désolé, c'est pas possible'.
How can that be? Live in paradise and yet be so cranky? It is because French people are used to being dominated. That started two thousand years ago when Julius Caesar occupied Gaul. A little conquered person then sets up a resistance group or at least rebels. But to Caesar's surprise, the Gauls effortlessly conformed to the standards of the new masters. They started wearing Roman clothes, worshipping Roman gods and even changed their Gaulish names to dignified Roman names. They maintained this obedience for centuries. Until 1789. The Revolution broke out and anyone remotely noble was chopped off. The sun broke through and a thousand violins started playing: from now on, every Frenchman was himself a nobleman!
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