France

  “The French don’t smile” is a comment I’ve heard many times, sometimes by visitors to France, sometimes by people like myself who have lived in France a long time.  As I was writing “Joie de Vivre“, I began wondering:   How could I say the French had joie de vivre if they (supposedly) don’t […]

I’d heard the story so many times I was starting to think it was an urban legend among Americans in Paris. But the last time I heard it – from a young half-French, half-American fellow – I gave it my full attention.   This was definitely a winner in my collection of cultural differences. He told