Bonjour tout le monde! As you probably know from the title, I'm French, born and raised. (I'm even writing this article in France right now!)

Although I never moved much from my little town in the North of France, (thanks to technology) I was able to befriend Americans, and I asked them what they thought immediately when thinking of France and French people.

Here's what they told me, and what I think of their opinions.

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1. The French eat a lot of baguettes.

This one was predictable. "The Perfect French™" must, of course, carry a baguette under his/her arm. However, it isn't actually accurate… Sometimes, we just get a loaf of bread.

Jokes aside, it is true we like bread a lot, and any decent meal should include a basket of fresh bread. It’s a serious business, so don’t even try telling a French person white bread is better than the traditional bread. (Also, don’t get me started on pastries...)

2. French drink a lot of wine.

Okay, so this one depends on where you are. While it is true we drink a lot of wine compared to other countries, it’s not necessarily the favorited alcohol. It really depends on the region. For instance, in the Hauts-de-France (where I’m from), they favor beer over wine.

3. The French eat a lot of cheese.

Definitely true. We have so many types of cheese in France I couldn’t tell you half of them. Every county has its very own cheese, and sometimes, they even have more than one. Some would be illegal to sell in the United States as they are made from milk, and some of them stink so much, you can tell if it's in the fridge just by opening the door.

Cheese is so important, it's a part of a traditional meal. Between the main meal and the dessert, we just eat cheese on bread while drinking wine. (Yes, I am aware all my precedent efforts to dismiss the clichés were just made useless by this phrase…)

4. A lot of French people smoke.

According to the French government, 31% of French people smoke. In the United States, only 17.8% of people smoke, but a major difference exists between how the French smoke and how Americans smoke. In France, smoking is a means of socializing, especially for young people.

I remember last year, I had an Italian classmate who asked us why so many people gathered in front of the school during the break. When we explained to him it was just the smokers who went outside between the classes, he was shocked so many people got together but, also, that the school tolerated it. We told him if the school tried telling them not to smoke and didn’t let them out during the break, a riot would break out from a third of the school.

So yes, it is true many French people smoke, but they are unapologetic about it.

5. Everyone in France wears a beret and a striped sweater.

Yes! It’s actually illegal to wear anything else. Anyone caught wearing a t-shirt or (*gasp*) a cap is arrested immediately and executed for high treason.

6. Mimes are a thing.

I never understood this whole thing with mimes. I've sure as hell never seen one, but Americans seem to think they are a big part of our culture. The only thing I found to explain it, so far, is Americans only like French when we shut the hell up.

7. French people are rude, and they don’t like tourists.

I want to really clarify this one: the French aren’t rude, but Parisians are. (Well, this is how I see it, anyway.) Just like Americans have Northerners and the Southerner, we have clichés and opinions about each other in different parts of France, as well, and one of the well-known cliches about Parisians is they are rude.

Is it true? Well, I went to three European capitals (Paris, London, and Amsterdam), and I personally thought Paris was the one where shopkeepers and waiters were most rude. It may be some self-depreciation, but that’s how I feel. So while not all French are rude, Parisians are, and as tourists, most people only go to Paris (this will be the point of another article by the way), so they only see rude Parisians and not the kind, polite French people in the rest of the country.

8. You can see the Eiffel Tower from anywhere in France.

This one is simple to answer. France is 590 miles from North to South, and the Eiffel Tower is 324 meters tall [1063 foot]. (You do the math.) This cliché obviously comes from movies, where I guess it’s just easier putting the Eiffel Tower everywhere possible to make the viewer understand the scene takes place in France.

9. The French hate Americans, and they think Americans are dumb.

I think this one is interesting because, historically, France is the oldest ally of the United States. During your Revolution War, who was constantly confusing, confounding the British henchmen? Lafayette! Plus, you guys saved our backs more than once. So it doesn’t seem like we have a reason to hate each other.

I think this cliché really started in 2003 when France strongly opposed the Iraq War, and Americans took the opposition as a personal offense. Nevertheless, I think it is safe to say, for the majority of French people, we don’t hate Americans, and France is actually a deeply Americanized country.

Now, it is also true we don’t see you as the sharpest knife in the drawer, especially when it comes to other countries or geography. We see you as so self-centered you don’t actually pay attention to the rest of the world unless it brings you something.

I know it’s not true but come on... You guys haven’t even helped yourselves out a lot recently, have you?

10. The French don’t know how to speak English.

To you, French people arrive in English-speaking countries like:

What? You think I wrote that with Google Translate? No, but seriously, compared to the other European countries, our English teaching sucks. I’m a senior in high school, and a lot of students in my class can’t remember to put an “s” after the verbs when he/she/it is the subject.

A lot of French people don’t see why they should learn English, even though it is the language most widely known across the world. Also, we don’t want to speak perfect English because we know you think a French accent has that je ne sais quoi you like.

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So what else do you guys think of France? Tell me in the comments, and I’ll answer with my opinion!

Au revoir!