Four Frisky Frenchies

On an otherwise slow and not-so-noteworthy Sunday, I was lucky enough to wait on four frisky Frenchies.  They were two couples, all four from Paris.  Luckily one of the women spoke enough English to make things interesting. 

As soon as the bi-lingual Madame told me they were from Paris, I immediately told them I spent my first three days of my honeymoon in Paris.  Now I don’t tell every Parisian I meet this information, but there was something special about this stylish French woman and I just couldn’t help myself (even though I know the inevitable will happen and I will at some point in the near future have to explain that I am no longer married).  I told her I had an epic first day in Paris.  I explained to all of them how I went up the Eiffel Tower, had dinner on Champs-Élysées and finished my evening at Moulin Rouge.   She asked me what I liked best about Paris and I told her the architecture, how well people dressed and of course the wine and food (which includes all kinds of unfamiliar cheeses and baguettes available on practically every street corner).   I told them all how I was enthralled by everything about their culture.  I promise I wasn’t saying that just to get a good tip out of the foreigners.  Paris is magical.

At my next visit at their table, the talkative Madame’s husband said something to her in French and they all laughed.  She smiled and asked, “What about the French men?”  Her female friend slapped her on her shoulder and reminded her, “She was on her honeymoon!”  Tu chez.  They all laughed again.  I responded honestly, “I thought they dressed very well.”   She said, “Of course they know how to dress!”  Her man agreed as he pointed out his own style, “Oui!  Oui!” 

They proceeded to order a bottle of wine (not surprisingly) then the chatty Madame continued on… 

“Explain to me this… We all went out last night and were shocked at how the women dress here.  They’re dresses were so short and their heels so high!  Why? Is it like that everywhere in California?”  I had to laugh inside.  Those young wiper-snappers do dress pretty scandalous nowadays.  I explained the majority of women who go out in this area who are dressed like that are in their early 20’s and most are going to a nightclub.   I went on to explain that women in LA dress quite revealing as well.   I continued to explain that our weather plays a huge factor in regards to our style.  We work really hard on our bodies because it’s warm all year round so we don’t need a lot of clothing and therefore, we end up showing off a lot of skin.   I mean … there’s a reason why the Beach Boys wrote a song about us California girls.  It’s obviously cold most of the year in Paris, so they need to bundle up.  All four Frenchies were shaking their heads like they understood (after of course the beautiful Madame translated everything for me).

This was a rare moment that I will forever treasure at my job.  There I was, standing in the sunshine, talking with this beautiful French woman about French architecture, French men and why Southern Californian women dress provocatively.  How many of you can say you did that at your job today?

As the conversation dwindled down, they asked for four espressos (also not surprising… I could have bet money on that order).   As they sipped their espressos, I decided to surprise them with a dessert on the house.  I know how the French love pastries.  When it came out, it was "Merci beau coups!" all over the place.  They were stunned and delighted. 

They ended up tipping me over 20% (who said Europeans don’t tip?  Oh wait… I might have said that…  a few times).  They left smiling with the sweet taste of free dessert in their mouths, enlightened by my Southern California culture teachings and hospitality. I’ll bet they never forget that lunch for years (just as I won’t forget it either).   

My faith in humanity was restored yet again.  And this time, this particular breed of humanity had just flown across an ocean, across a continent and into an unfamiliar and intriguing culture.  And yet, over a simple lunch, we learned, we bonded and we shared thoughts about each other’s cultures.  And even though the majority of it was about how California girls can dress a bit scanty, I still think it was quite remarkable.  ~ HK ~