Continental Cambridge III
Julie Luebken
Image credit: Julie Luebken
The British hate the French, and vice versa. So goes the joke, one I’ve heard numerous times here at Cambridge. It’s funny because when people ask where I’m from and I say France people go ‘no way’ or ‘so cool’ –– or something to that effect. Then, the more comfortable a person gets the more readily they’ll make fun of the French, or France, or me.
I might just be extremely unaware, but the French-British rivalry wasn’t necessarily something I was conscious of. Every country has stereotypes, c’est normal, but I never considered there to be anything specific going on between the two. There’s lots of funny things the French think about the British. For one, they’re all so polite, almost to a superficial or untrustworthy degree. Surely, someone that overtly eager to hold the door or pick up your wallet must have a hidden agenda. Oh, another one: the British only eat greasy food and they drink too much. That is where the popular image of the pub comes in: celebrated, cozy, rowdy at times. Mostly, though, a place my British heart has come to love –– I think the French are utterly mistaken. I’ve had some great food at pubs, better than I’ve had at most French bistros and, well, drinks are drinks, right?
It’s time I get to the English stereotypes about the French. The most obvious first: the French are rude and arrogant. They think they know better, whether it is forming a republic rather than parliamentary monarchy or deciding whether or not to go to Iraq. To put the issue in simpler terms: the English mind the gap between the train and the platform, the French will push you until you're struggling for air at 8am in the Parisian metro. One last stereotype, just to come full circle: the French eat a lot of cheese and are food snobs. Well, yes and yes. In Cambridge most of my personality is based on my condescending feeling towards cheddar and my adoration of brie, or anything smellier. As for food snobbery –– perhaps. What I do want to say is that the English are much more proactive about plant-based diets than the French. Supermarkets are stocked with vegetarian snacks, vegan alternatives and every milk substitute available. Stopping at a Monoprix, perhaps a Carrefour, for a sandwich and some crisps? You are unlikely to find a falafel and hummus wrap to satisfy your veggie cravings.
As you can see, the criticisms and mockery are endless, but so is the hypocrisy. The French adore London. They brag about taking the Eurostar to go on a weekend trip –– the incredible shopping opportunities on Oxford Street and just how authentic Camden is! You can pretty much tell how rich someone is from the amount of times they’ve been to London that year. And the English, for all the bad-mouthing of their friends across the channel, sure like to romanticize Paris. Sitting in a café, wine in one hand, cigarette in the other, gazing at the pretty French boy on a scooter. Then there’s also the obsession with the South of France… The wealthy and retired scuttle away from the grey countryside to the flowering hills and seaside charm of the French south. Which is also, I might add, a statement of economic status.
Like two best friends who have been pining for each other for years –– why won’t you just admit you like each other already? Well, there are many reasons why it’s not that simple. Two words: power and history. The rivalry between England and France has gone through centuries and centuries of war, marriage, victory and defeat. The conquest of the Normans and the infamous battle of Hastings, the Hundred Years’ War (and then the second one) and the Napoleonic Wars are all examples of France beating Britain, something they find difficult to accept. (Just kidding, of course.)
Both France and Britain are sore, sore losers. In the 21st century, the two countries are struggling to find a place for their once grand and prestigious statuses. Unfortunately, tea and wine don’t qualify as markers of cultural superiority anymore. Anti-French and anti-British sentiment is just a way to cling to the past, at least in humorous way. Perhaps if the French spoke better English, or the English spoke better French, they could start to understand each other better.