france, french open & french women

“French women don’t give a damn. They don’t expect men to understand them. They don’t care about being liked or being like everyone else. They accept the passage of time, celebrate the immediacy of pleasure, like to break rules, embrace ambiguity and imperfection, and prefer having a life to making a living. “ – debra ollivier author

It is the opening weekend of the French Open. Tennis, red clay, springtime in Paris and … well … french women … not sure it gets better than that. Plus. It gives me a chance to talk about France and use the quote I found.

French Open begins today. Terre Battue. How the French say clay and when the French talk about clay … it’s gotta be the red clay and the French Open. Spectacular to be there. Especially the first week. Riding the metro and the walk from the metro to the Roland Garros entrance walking past one of those beautiful Paris parks <which seem randomly strewn across the city> and then walking onto the grounds with red clay courts filled with players and the quirky weather … I have shivered in a sweatshirt and sweat in shorts sitting watching players slog their way thru the thick clay … all of it makes great event and experience.

Ok. The quote. Apparently this author just wrote a book about French women.

Well. Having dated a Parisienne I certainly understand the allure & mystique of French women.

I have often been asked about this whole ‘women of paris’ thing and while despite having been in France innumerable times … beyond the fact (1) they always seem to look good with scarves (2) I believe they invented art of appropriate casual choker necklace wear and (3) black boots everyday … I have never been able to put into words why French women are attractive.

Because honestly they aren’t, as a generalization, more physically attractive then women in other countries. It is simply an attitudinal thing (and of course as attitudes do it is reflected in behavior and appearance).

And I have never seen the attitude expressed better then the quote I began with.

Well articulated <much better than I … because I believe I would have said something like “they give a shit without giving a shit.”

Regardless. It is all true.

French women deserve everything everyone writes about them.

Oh.

And while I am in my francophile mood. Some fun facts about France.

– Without a frenchman Cinderella would not have had glass slippers.

Cinderella didn’t have glass slippers until Parisian Charles Perrault made his own version of an old Chinese tale. It is often thought that this came from a mistranslation in the English version but Perrault specifically refers to glass … not squirrel fur <which is what I believe is in the chinese tale>.

Note: The confusion comes from the similarities between the words “verre” (glass) and “vair”

– Napoleon loved truffles but will never be a pig.

There is still a French law that makes it is illegal to call a pig Napoleon.

-France may not be the neighbor you want.

France has invaded all 8 countries around them.

-The national anthem was actually written in a different nation.

La Marseillaise was composed in Strasbourg in 1792.

– You will never say “no shit” in France.

Approximately 650 people end up in the hospital each year after slipping on dog shit (seriously?!)

-No wonder their food is so good.

They have been serving people longer than anyone else. The first restaurant in the world was thought to have opened in Paris in 1765.

– It is bigger than you think.

France is the largest European country in terms of land area after Russia and Ukraine.

– You will always say “cheese” in France <even without picture taking>

There are over 300 kinds of cheese made in France. Oh. And the infamous Petit Suisse <“little swiss cheese”> of Gervais are not from Switzerland, but from Normandy, in France.

-France is not only in France

Nearly 20% of the territory of France lies outside Europe. These regions are known as “DOM-TOM” (overseas departments and territories), where over 2.5 million French citizens live <includes Caribbean’s Martinique, Guadeloupe and St. Martin, French Guiana and French Polynesia>.

-Smoking is a national pasttime.

Nicotine was named after Jean Nicot who was a French diplomat who introduced the tobacco plant to France in 1559.

-He ain’t heavy he is my brother <mon frere>

According to some statistics … French men have the lowest incidence of obesity in the EU. And only Danish women are thinner than French women.

Caveat. I haven’t done the research to verify each of these. Mon dieu!

But my own opinions are all true & factual <at least in my own mind>. Ok. Gotta go have a baguette.

Written by Bruce