They Eat Horses, Don't They?
The Truth About the French
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
They Eat Horses, Don't They?:The Truth About the French tells you what life in France is really like. Do the French eat horses? Do French women bare all on the beach? What is a bidet really used for?
In this hilarious and informative book, Piu Marie Eatwell reveals the truth behind forty-five myths about the French, from the infamous horsemeat banquets of the nineteenth century that inspired an irrepressible rumor, to breaking down our long-held beliefs about French history and society (the French are a nation of cheese-eating surrender monkeys, right?).
Eatwell lived in France for many years and made the most of long French weekends, extended holidays, and paid time off to sit on French beaches, evaluate the sexual allure of the French men and women around her, and, of course, scan café menus for horses and frogs. As a result, They Eat Horses, Don't They? reveals a fascinating picture of historical and contemporary France—a country that has both changed radically in the twenty-first century, but yet still retains much of the mystery, romance, and allure that has seduced foreigners for decades. Truth, as always, is stranger than fiction. . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
British-born francophile and France-resident Eatwell conducts a lighthearted journey through her adopted country by setting the record straight on commonly held stereotypes about the French. Divvying her subject up into 10 categories ranging from food and drink to the shifty relations between the United Kingdom and France, Eatwell includes a series of myths for each section that she explores with historical and contemporary anecdotes backed by secondary sources, but her conclusions seem somewhat subjective, and she concedes, "opinions and conclusions in this book are entirely my own." It is true that the French kiss upon greeting, tend to forgive political adulterers, have not quit smoking, and dislike pooper scoopers, yet it is surprising to find resistance among Parisians to the once ubiquitous bidet. While the point of view is decidedly British, the combination of history, trivia, and firsthand observations offers insights into the cultures on both ends of the Chunnel.
