Savoir-Flair: Two Hundred and Eleven Tips for Enjoying France and the French [Paperback]

In "Savoir Flair: 211 Tips for enjoying France and the French", she has taken numerous interesting stories or observations about an American operating in France, added a punch line (i.e., tip) and organized them into 20 chapters. What I particularly like about this book is you can read just the topics of interest if you're visiting Paris for a vacation - topics like arriving at the airports, hotels, using taxis, Metro, Cafes, French food - or you can read it all if going there on business or longer. An example of tips more oriented to those of us living in France include comments on business meals, driving, the local scene, rural living, or requesting information from the French (not as obvious as you think) - just to name a few. One of my favorite sections is the chapter on dogs.

The French can give the British a run for their money on their infatuation with dogs. You haven't lived till you sit down in a beautiful French restaurant and realize the `person' sitting at the table next to you is named Gizmo, and he's a Yorkshire terrier! Read Chapter 7 to hear about the rest of the story; including dog dirt on sidewalks. Hilarious (to an American) and true.

Mrs. Platt, an American, has a nice writing style, mixing humor with authority. She has lived in Paris for over 30 years - she knows what she's talking about; intimately. This 290 page paperback is highly recommended.

I can't praise this book highly enough! It was much more
useful than the phrasebooks and dictionaries I brought
along, because it helped me understand what makes the
French tick. Thanks to its insights on how French culture
works, and what individual French persons expect in a
variety of situations, we could not have had a better
experience.I knew what to say and how to say it to get a positive, helpful response.

Thanks to the book, we even managed to bring on board our
plane over 250 lbs. of French floor tiles we bought on our
last day in Paris - without any trouble by officialdom
over weight or size! The advice worked like a charm in
each and every instance -- and even earned me
the respect of my usually prickly adult children who
depended upon me to translate on their behalf. Truly,
this book was a joy.

Before 2 hours had elapsed I used Ms. Platt's information, again: I left my bag at the hotel and stepped out for a refreshing walk. The heel on my favorite (and only comfortable AND pretty) shoes had broken. Vanity more than need was driving me to find someplace to repair them. I didn't want to wear my ugly, but comfortable shoes. These cute little Stuart Weitzman black ankle boots w/black rabbit fur inside were perfect for the chilly, wet weather. They were three years old but still wonderful. However, I was slipping a little with every step (and it wasn't on dog poo.)

What were my chances of getting a repair while I waited -- not great, I figured. Probably impossible. Plus, where would I find a repair shop. Whoops, quite by accident I saw one and stepped inside. Guess what! As quoted by Ms. Platt: Napoleon was right, "Impossible does not exist in France." Following her solid advice on manners, conversation, banter and keeping things interesting: Not only did I receive a shoe repair from a St. Germain des Pres shop keeper who first declined to fix the shoes unless I left them. But I had a wonderful experience. "Bonjour Monseiur," I said -- and as you can see, I speak French as poorly as I spell it -- followed by the magic words Ms. Platt recommends we all use to describe my problem (and to find out what those are you must READ the book), "I know this is impossible, and I am sure you don't have time, but could you fix my shoe while I wait?" He had stopped a conversation with another man to address me. "You can't leave them?" he said. "They're my only shoes...." I said but paused and considered his request carefully and looked over my shoulder out the window and said thoughtfully, "Oh, yes I could leave them, but I would have to walk barefoot on the cobblestones...or sit here in my stocking feet until the heels were repaired..."

"What's wrong?" he asked. "The plastic on the bottom of the heel is off," I said. "Ah, you are slipping on the cobble stones!" "Oui!"

Ah, now he was engaged and wanted to solve my problem.

He held up five fingers, "Watch my store, I need to talk with this fellow. Five minutes." They left the shop and when he came back, he took my shoes and said to me, "So, who is your President, today?" I feigned an indignant tone: "Monsieur, we all know who the President is, it is the president-elect who is in dispute..." This made him laugh... He asked about my preference between the candidates and then I asked about his ten or so framed black and white photos of 1940s-60s American movie stars. He spoke about his favorite movies and asked me my favorite movies, "Oh, you like American cinema" I said to him, "and I prefer French film directors...Jaques Tati and ....." several names rolled out. He raised an eyebrow.

So, he glued and polished and made conversation with me for an hour while I sat feeling like Alice in Wonderland in a large, old rattan chair and enjoyed the scent of shoe polish and leather, the scene on the street outside, and the comments of the shoe repairman. He fixed my shoes AND polished them to look better than when I walked in.

I held the shoes for a moment and admired his work. I thanked him and asked how many French francs I owed.

He made a wave of his hand brushing aside my question, "The conversation was compensation enough."

Can you imagine any place in the world where a person would depart from his daily work routine, work for an hour on your behalf, carry on an intelligent and engaging converstion with you, do beautiful work, make the product look better than when he received it for repair, and then refuse payment?

I love Paris!

(And Ms. Platt's wonderful book. Buy it, enjoy it and by all means travel to France and collect your own wonderful tales of French extravagance -- an abundance of joy in life and each of life's moments!) My encounter at the shoe repair shop was just one of a multitude of wonderful examples of hospitality, wit and generosity that you, too, will find in France. By all means, go with some preparation -- and Savior Flair -- so that you will appreciate the banquet set before you.