Adrienne’s review of Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe > Likes and Comments
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the French don't understand why Americans are automatically friendly to everyone they meet. They feel that friendship should be reserved for FRIENDS, not just some random person you met on the street. Hence, they seem "angry" or "rude" to Americans who are all taught to gush anytime someone says "hello" to them. It's actually kind of ridiculous when you think about it - why would you go out of your way to be nice and friendly to someone who has never said boo to you in their life? The sad thing is that Bryson is like most Americans who feel slighted when people abroad don't act LIKE Americans. Leave that book for the masses.
Ha, true! I returned it because there was no way I was going to read another word.
I also could not bother to finish this book. So chauvinistic and actually nasty just didn't do it for me.
Perhpas the French just don't like a-holes because I've always had a great time in France. I speak the language fairly well but even when I didn't I had no problems. I don't even think Bryson believes what he is writing and is simply regurgitating stereotypes that have been passed down for decades.
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Kerry
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Jan 29, 2013 09:08AM
the French don't understand why Americans are automatically friendly to everyone they meet. They feel that friendship should be reserved for FRIENDS, not just some random person you met on the street. Hence, they seem "angry" or "rude" to Americans who are all taught to gush anytime someone says "hello" to them. It's actually kind of ridiculous when you think about it - why would you go out of your way to be nice and friendly to someone who has never said boo to you in their life? The sad thing is that Bryson is like most Americans who feel slighted when people abroad don't act LIKE Americans. Leave that book for the masses.
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Ha, true! I returned it because there was no way I was going to read another word.
I also could not bother to finish this book. So chauvinistic and actually nasty just didn't do it for me.
Perhpas the French just don't like a-holes because I've always had a great time in France. I speak the language fairly well but even when I didn't I had no problems. I don't even think Bryson believes what he is writing and is simply regurgitating stereotypes that have been passed down for decades.
