On 7/17/2011 8:36 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 17/07/2011 1:03 AM, sf wrote:
>> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 21:47:08 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> On Jul 16, 9:37 pm, > wrote:
>>>> On Sat, 16 Jul 2011 18:59:15 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
>>>>
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> You were not a maudit Anglais, merely an Ameri-con.
>>>>
>>>> Whatever that means.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Not an oppressor, merely a tourist.
>>
>> Oh, okay. Thanks. We figured that if we had gotten a blatant snub
>> from anyone, it would have been the guy that we asked directions from
>> at the gas station in an "I don't speak English, I just pump gas" sort
>> of way.
>>
>
>
> My French is admittedly rusty. I have heard horror stories about rude
> treatment of tourists in Quebec and have come to the conclusion that it
> had more to do with the way they acted and that they probably get rude
> treatment everywhere. It certainly never happened to me. I always have
> very friendly service, despite my fractured French.

We had terrible treatment in Montreal. I speak some French and never
failed to use a bon jour (monsieur/madame), pardonez moi s'il vous plais
(I spell as badly in French as I do in 3 other languages) as I know that
it is proper in French culture to offer a greeting and apology before
asking a question.

We were maltreated to the point of terror at the border entry into
Quebec Province. I will never spend another tourist dollar in that
province of Canada again. The other provinces ( I have visited in every
one and the Yukon Territory)were filled with friendly and helpful
people. This also goes for the French-speaking towns in New Brunswick,
where people were helpful and friendly. We have many Canadian friends
and all of them continue to apologize for Quebec and try to get us to
understand that they, themselves, have the same problems we do with Quebec.
>
> I had similar experiences in Paris. People often talk about how rudely
> they were treated in Paris but, with the exception of a middle aged
> waiter at a sidewalk cafe, everyone was kind and courteous. I can
> understand a 40 year old who has never risen above the position of
> waiter having a chip on his shoulder.
>
>

I was expecting a similar experience to Montreal in Paris and the people
in Paris were also friendly and helpful. I was amazed as I had been
warned that Parisians were rude. I think I had the same waiter <g> In
fact, I found London to be just about the rudest place we have ever
traveled and we have traveled a lot of places.

We get French-speaking Canadians here in the winter. The New Brunswick
people are lovely, the Quebecois are earning themselves a reputation
among locals and other winter Texans and it isn't a nice reputation at that.

One group of Quebecois at an RV park (my friend was working there when
it happened so I know it's true) demanded that the manager close the
single swimming pool to non-French speaking campers one day a week. The
manager agreed as long as they stayed out of the pool for the other 6.

Of course they backed off, but this is indicative of the behavior we see
here in Way-south Texas. I have also seen the same kind of things in
South Florida where the majority of the winter guests in an RV park are
Quebecois. They take over the recreation programs and only permit French
to be spoken at the programs that are supposed to be for *all* paying
guests. Many of the RV parks that cater to Quebecois pay interpreters
to assist their French-speaking guests. Usually these are
English-speaking Quebecois who get their RV site for free and a small
cash stipend.

Perhaps if the province gave residents lessons on how to be a good
tourist in the US, non-French speaking Americans would be more forgiving
when we travel there. Presently, I think most of us see it as "attitude"

Texans are pretty mannerly people. We "sir" and "ma'am" everyone. Even
here on the border, we all know how to say excuse me in English and
Spanish. We are not used to being pushed aside by loud-voiced
French-speakers who don't have the manners to say "excuse me" in their
own language.

I can't just be me, because a few years ago the Province of Quebec was
running ads on New York TV stations that were aimed at marketing how
"friendly" they were. IF they weren't trying to clean up their
reputation they why the "friendliness" oriented ads?


--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.