Three examples of elegant manners the French show include:
• Kissing instead of hugging
• Politeness
• Referring to people with two common variations of names
In France, lots of people kiss instead of hugging someone. It’s what is polite to do based on what they were taught.
Politeness comes in many forms, and although the French are a tad bit judgmental, they display high quality courtesy. These include using certain utensils in certain ways, always greeting, and giving proper names to the customer/resident. That brings us to our next discussion.
The French also refer to people with different names because they, like any person who does not know someone else’s name, do not automatically know their name. They refer to what Americans call “Miss (Ms)” as “Madam,” and what Americans call “Mister (Mr)” as “Monsieur.”
Answer Recap:
1. Kiss, don’t hug!
2. Be polite
3. Don’t assume names