It didn't take long after arriving in France before seeing the differences between the way the British view the French and the French view the British.

The tabloid press has never been one of Britains proudest achievements, and general disparaging remarks about Europe and the French in particular are fairly common. However, in France the press is completely different. While the lack of sensationalism makes the french press a little dull, it at least can claim a certain amount of dignity and integrity. Britain seems to be held in a reasonably high esteem, and appears to be held as an example to follow. The fact that the french seem to have so much respect for the British makes stories like this all the more shameful. An owner of a British budget airline has made a few ill judged remarks about the current spate of protests and strikes, saying "Jet2.com condemns French strike action and calls for lazy frogs to get back to work!".

The french seem suitably outraged by this remark, although the jet2 owner's response was "well, they call us les rosbifs"

So, he missed the point entirely! The French couldn't care less about being called frogs, but to openly call them lazy would be plain suicide (if you were standing in Place d'Italie a few nights ago).

And that demonstrates one of the biggest differences in our cultures. Forget language, food, and music - British are insulted by name calling, the french are insulted by questioning actions. Easily proved by going into an english pub and calling someone a wanker, followed by going into a french shop and saying you were given the wrong change.