I'm pretty sure that, when you think of a Frenchman, you pretty much have a man like this in mind, right?! (Don't lie!) He has everything to fit the stereotype: he his short, wears a sailor cap, plays La Pétanque, smokes, has a copy of Le Parisien newspaper in his pocket and wears a ridiculous tie... I swear, I really found him in Paris (actually on Paris Plage) and not in a model agency!
I suspect his friend must be American - socks and sandals..... scandale!
ReplyDeleteHam, Do I detect a little sarcasm there? Eric, your blog indicates that you will take requests--how about those Chippendales I requested on the Paris Plage?!
ReplyDeleteOh that's great -- I didn't know Paris Plage included a pétanquodrome, but I suppose I might have guessed. The game is played quite widely here in "Les States":
ReplyDeleteSee?
What do you mean a sailor cap?!!!Don't they manufacture *real* bérets in France anymore?!!
ReplyDeleteWell, I was puzzled so, I Googled it... that's right, and these are the reasons why that man isn't wearing a French béret:
1) All the béret manufacturers are on strike;
2) Sarcozy has outlawed the béret in public places;
3) Béret manufacturing has been outsourced to India, and THIS is what they sent back, instead;
4) The "French" béret was really a thing left behind by the GI's during WW2...
5) (your guess)
I'm sorry, I wasn't finished with No. 4
ReplyDelete4) The "French" béret was really a thing left behind by the GI's during WW2; shortly after the Congress declared that French fries should be renamed Freedom Fries, France retaliated by burning all the bérets.
I love this post! Yes pretty much what i have in mind when i think of a Frenchman. At least during daylight hours... ;)
ReplyDeleteThe crazy tie shows a slight rebellion to his own pigeon-holing. Can't believe he actually had Le Parisien under his arm. You sure you didn't slip it in there, Eric, for artistic enhancement? Huh? Great photo again!
Crazy tie? No, no! It's a patriotic tie!! (red, white, and blue stripes)
ReplyDeleteAnd I do wonder what a Parisian would think a typical picture of an American might be.
ReplyDeleteAny ideas?
Tomate: I'm in tears laughing...the demise of the beret to Freedom Fries! That's good!:)
ReplyDeleteEric: Your photos keep getting better. Great shot of the French captain who's likely grown tired of following la Tour de France due to all the drug scandals, so he decided to go petanque.
Ham, you obviously didn't look very carefully...the other guys is wearing argyle socks, which is no doubt a sign that he is English. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGreat find Eric.
Yes that is kind of "typical" french - But he is missing the baguette and a bottle of red wine
ReplyDeleteThe newspaper made it for me. Nobody else than a Frenchman would have newspaper in his pocket while playing petangue :)
ReplyDeleteI already did the first step to become Frenchman myself, I started to play petanque :)
True; it is a patriotic tie indeed. What a loyal chap this is.
ReplyDeleteYes the argyle socks Michael; a Scot in France perhaps. However, socks and sandals are still a scandalous no-no. lol.
When in Rome ??.....
ReplyDeleteHey! The Sartorialist couldn't do any better capturing "style" in Paris (have any of you checked out The Sartorialist, who is in Paris clicking style/fashion shots several times a year?)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great shot -- altho' I don't think I'd want to contend with July crowds in Paris (we like to go late May/early June), I'd love to see Paris Plage--looks like a lively scene with some quieter pockets of petanque in the shade.
And then there are his sideburns and very tan complexion . . . .
ReplyDeleteTomate, you made coffee come out my nose!
And I would totally agree that Argyle Sock Man looks English, but I always think that English guys look funny wearing baseball caps and this one seems to look at home in his. So I deduce that he is American after all, but has bought his socks somewhere in the UK.
Zanabel
Olympia Daily Photo
Always interesting and great photos!!
ReplyDeleteI like the guy's jacket. I note that the tie is red/white/blue rather than bleu/blanc/rouge. You know, each piece is ok, but maybe in a different combination...
ReplyDeleteA welcome chuckle. Thanks, folks. It's relieving that so many here can laugh at stereotypes of ourselves. After all, most stereotypes are based in reality. Yes, folks, many of us PDP people will wear socks with sandals, smoke, have pink curlers in our hair and wear fuzzy slippers, etc. As long as you don't hurt anyone, it's cool. These guys are having more fun than I am at the moment!
whats La Pétanque?
ReplyDeletetomate[et Eric...]If I remember correctly, there was a photo posted here a while back of a young Parisian in his beret with a navy pea coat and the collar turned up..either holding a baguette or eating one..I saved it on my home computer but don't have access at work. I can't find the pic right now..but "maybe" one of you other lovely PDPers can?? LOL!!
ReplyDeleteThat was "MY Idea" of a Parisian! ;-)
Oh tomate...you forgot to add...when they sent those "wrong berets" from India...the shipment arrived late..by two weeks!! LOL!!!
Oh my good Lord you guys are a riot! I love this Frenchman, he's so cute! Doubtless he's wined and dined many women in his life in a way that he and his countrymen could only do properly!
ReplyDeleteWhat do the French imagine an American to look like? Probably George W but fatter and with smaller ears! We don't all speak like him, I promise! And some of us have better fashion sense. Though I must say, socks andsandals can be quite comfortable sometimes! (*shudder*)
LOLLLLL Tomate! This guy is darling - he's definitely got the style!
ReplyDeleteFor ton_ton:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.parisdailyphoto.com/2006/03/beret-baguette-demonstrations-good-old.html
Zanabel: Coffee through your .. nose?!! Oh, dear, I'm sorry! That sounds really painful!!
ReplyDeleteWhen in France,"they" think I am
ReplyDeleteFrench until I utter a sound. I wear berets and Greek fishmen hats and ,of course, a lot of black. The sock and sandal combo, which I detest, is always thought of as a German tradition here in the states. Typical French for us: beret,thingy around the neck, horizontally striped T-shirts, and the baguette under an arm. Stereotypes are loads of fun!
Jeff, I totally agree with your attitude about clothing. This stereotypical French dude and the man behind him in socks & sandals are probably happy the way they are. So what if we'll never see either of them in Men's Vogue or GQ magazines?
ReplyDeleteI think that people are way too anal about clothes these days. This spring, I saw part of the Today show while waiting for an appointment. They had a segment about when it was correct to start wearing white, and they were deadly serious about it. Today used to be a serious news show, and now we have this? What is our world coming to?
Love the picture Eric. I played Petanque in San Francisco with a couple of Chefs, really liked it.
ReplyDeleteMichael, the Guy wit the argyle socks looks American and seems to feel at home so good for him.
Tomate, you are funny. I read your comments while drinking coffee, nothing out the nose.
Merci!! "anonyme"...very kind! Yes, that was the photo I was looking for!! When I think of a French mec[from my University days]that is the image I draw on! Merci encore!!!
ReplyDeleteJe peux parler Anglais? I think you could find plenty of lovely person amongst Parisien. They are as shy and idealistic and romantic, yet they could also be the opposite! :p
ReplyDeleteWas in Paris a while ago for a month. Enjoyed it so much.
He sure is styling on the Petanque court. I sure am looking forward to a trip to Paris where I hope to play a match. We call it Bocce, some, Boules.
ReplyDeleteBocce is a somewhat different game, although having the same basic objective. For TravelPhillipines, here's an introduction to pétanque I made many years ago:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.beachmedia.com/epetmain.html