Being Polite in France Isn't Complicated, But It's Crucial

In a response to a recent article by Pamela Druckerman in the New York Times about "being French," someone wrote about his experiences bumming cigarettes when he was broke during his last six weeks in Paris:

The phrase "Puis-je prendre une cigarette," made certain people look like my question made them nauseous. Then an even clumsier "Avez-vous une cigarette?" often brought derisive laughter. Finally, "Bonjour, Madame/M'sieu; puis-je vous déranger d'une cigarette?" brought infallibly good resu...