If you plan to journey to France and take some effort to make French friends, it is important to understand some of the etiquette and customs of the country.  The first time you meet someone in France, a handshake is an acceptable form of greeting.  Also, it is common for French people to kiss each other lightly on each cheek.  It is considered impolite to call someone by their first name immediately upon meeting them.  That is a privilege that is reserved for close and friends in family.  To be safe, you should wait until you are invited to call someone by his or her first name.  If you are shopping, it is best to greet the shopkeeper with a bonjour (good morning) or bonsoir (good evening) and Monsieur for a man or Madame for a woman.  Also, you should greet your neighbors this way.

 

If a French friend invites you to their home to eat dinner, you should consider yourself lucky.  The French are a largely private people, and if you score a dinner invitation you are certainly working your way into having a real friendship.  To keep your new friendship going strong, there are some important unwritten rules to remember.  Unlike some Western cultures, it is considered extremely impolite to arrive late to a dinner.  Make your best effort to be on time and if you are somehow delayed and expect to get there more than 10 minutes late, be sure to call and let the host know.  This is a good rule of thumb to use anywhere you are in France, but people in the south of France are slightly more flexible when it comes to time.  You will be a very respected guest if you send flowers to the host on the morning of the party so that they can display the blooms as decoration for the event.  Lastly, be sure to dress your best.  Fashion is very important to French people and although dinner parties are held in the home, they are no exception.

 

When you are eating remember that table manners in France are continental style.  This means you should hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right.  Keep these utensils in your respective hands throughout the meal, do not set them down and switch as you would if you were eating in the United States.  French people tend to be fairly formal so there may be arranged seating at your party. Don't just plunk yourself down at any old chair.  Do not start to eat until your host says “bon appetit”, otherwise you will be considered rude.  Be sure not to rest your elbows on the table, but don't hide your hands in your lap either.  When eating salad, do not massacre the lettuce by cutting it into tiny pieces.  It is much more refined if you fold the lettuce piece with your fork and knife so that it will fit easily into your mouth.  If fruit is served, you should peel it and slice it with a knife before you eat it.  Empty glasses will immediately by refilled by your host, so if you do not want more to drink be sure to leave a little liquid in the glass.  Lastly, do your very best to finish everything on your plate so your host will know that you were happy with the meal and found it very good.

 

Following these basic guidelines, you should be able to make a good first impression on your new French friends.  Your reward for paying attention to French culture and respecting what they think is important, is that your new French friends will surely invite you to attend many more dinner parties in the future.