Tuesday, March 17, 2009

25 Things I Find Somewhat Annoying About Paris

Enough of Pollyanna. I've got a few bones to pick.

1. Dog droppings on the sidewalk
2. Too many smokers
3. Lack of customer service
4. Gray skies, day after day after day
5. The layout in the supermarket
6. People who respond to my lame French with blank stares
7. Impatient drivers
8. Crazy motorcyclists
9. People who ride their Velibs on the sidewalk
10. The fact that you have to actually go to the bank (and only the branch where you opened your account) to order more checks
11. Clerks who ask for exact change
12. Bagging your own groceries
13. The fact that my home phone only rings for 10 seconds before sending the call to voice mail
14. High prices
15. No canned black beans, dental floss or decent salsa
16. Litter
17. Lack of understanding of how to form and stand in a queue
18. The SNCF web site
19. Stores not open on Sundays and sometimes Mondays
20. The plus que parfait and futur anterieur
21. Panhandlers on the subway
22. Getting "that depends" (and nothing more) as an answer to a question
23. Dogs in the grocery store
24. Restaurants that serve three course meals with no fruits or vegetables
25. Skinny women

End of rant.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

right on sister...the exact change thing really bugs me...

Starman said...

I don't mind people riding their velibs on the sidewalk, it's the motorcycles at forty miles-per-hour that bother me. You can blame the high prices on the euro, because when they made the switch, it wasn't an even trade. Everything went up. You neglected to mention the people who come out of a door as if there could not possibly be anyone else on the sidewalk, and expect you to apologize for being in their way.

Anonymous said...

I agree with all these things, especially:

1. Dog droppings on the sidewalk
2. Too many smokers
3. Lack of customer service
17. Lack of understanding of how to form and stand in a queue

Btw, you can get decent dental floss from the pharmacy.

Lady Macaron said...

Oh I totally get the blank stares. Seriously should give me a break! I'm trying hard here...and the french police, they don't seem to be doing anything..than stand...and stand in groups...creating more traffic..i was stuck for 45m in the bus yesterday..pardon my rambling.

Anonymous said...

So... I recently found your blog, and have been following it because my boyfriend and I are moving to Paris for some time in September, so I feel you're a kindred spirit. :) I totally agree with you about the plus que parfait and the futur anterieur, as I am too scared to speak in French complex enough where usage would be appropriate...

-Kiki

Anonymous said...

Don't worry about the "plus quam perfectus" Anne. Tricky and bothersome in many languages. Enjoy your French! Maria O. Russell

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