Bonjour a tous.
I'm back from a recent trip. One thing I learned very clearly and firmly during several days on my own in several French cities was being willing to use just enough of the language to be polite goes an extremely long way in giving the citizens a positive view and appreciation of you. Yes, they know you are a foreigner right away. That doesn't matter. Being thoughtful enough just to say...bonjour monsieur, excusez moi s'il vous plait...was all I needed to make everyone amenable to receive information or help. And I always ended with...merci, bonne journee. That was important. I don't think natural born French citizens do that consistently the same way we in the U.S. get very lazy about or resistant to being gracious to one another. This is a problem wherever you are whether it's at home or in another country.
Consistent politeness in their language works wonders even if your foreign language skills are very limited and real conversation is not possible. Despite my limitations I found over a long visit that my vocabulary, which came out in what would be "broken French", so to speak, in short phrases was plenty to get around. In cases where I could not communicate adequately a simple excusez moi monsieur, parlez vous Anglais was enough to make people feel you had some respect for their language. Often people would tell me they spoke English without me asking at all. But you have to begin with respectful phrases in "the language". Pushing a foreign language in another country is the quick way to be rebuffed.
When you are in need, as in confused about which subway rails will take you in the right direction, getting frustrated and imposing English would have gotten me little. People were always very helpful right up to the end of the trip.
Reading a menu. I'm pretty good at it. I made the effort to learn what I didn't know, and I always ordered en Francais even when the waiter spoke fluent English. I do not understand why those who visit a French city many times and know they will return many more times need any English on a menu. For one thing they must have favorite dishes they order commonly, so it's inevitable to remember. When I knew I would be where English on a menu was more likely to be absent than not I made the effort to learn what I needed to know. What are you or I saying about ourselves when we go to a place OFTEN where a foreign language dominates and we still need to see our own language on a menu. Here is the actual list of dining vocabulary, I developed by reading online menus of restaurants I considered visiting, I either had to learn or clarify for myself.
Agneau - Lamb
Bar – Bass
Boudin - Pudding
Brioche - Bun
Cabillaud – Cod
Canard – Duck
Carpaccio – Fresh raw thin sliced/pounded meat
Chataigne – Chestnut
Cerveaux – Brains
Civet - Stew
Choux Fleurs - Cauliflower
Courgettes – Zucchini
Daurade – Bream (Fresh water Fish)
Entrecote – Rib Steak
Epinard - Spinach
Faux-Fillet - Striploin
Grenouilles - Frogs
Haricot – Beans
Lardons – Bacon
Maquereau – Mackeral
Mesclun - Greens
Moules - Mussels
Poivrons - Peppers
Potiron – Pumpkin
Rognons - Kidneys
Terrine – Pate' – Meat, fish, or vegetable mixture cooked and allowed to cool.
Thon – Tuna
Tiramisu – Cake custard
Veau – Veal/Calf
Viennoiserie – Pastry
Volaille - Poultry
Yes it's wise for the restaurant to have English on a menu these days since it's becoming the universal language up to a point. It's smart because it's simply good business...and you know some people are plain arrogant. There's no excuse for being a frequent visitor and not being able to handle a menu in the local language. But in my case besides going to some very elite restaurants this time where English is nearly guaranteed to be missing, I wanted to show RESPECT just as much as CAPABILITY and to be able to have the most pleasant time I could.
I made every effort to speak French as much as possible, not matter how brief. I enjoyed it and it was appreciated.
BTW - fois gras au sommet de Montparnasse (Ceil de Paris) est spectaculaire. Not to mention the window seat view of the Champ de Mars et les Jardins du Trocadero dans la nuit.
Bonne chance a tous, toujours.
