A stereotype isa simplified mental picture of an individual or group of people who share certain characteristic (or stereotypical) qualities (1).
Stereotypes between neighbours are usually strong however close cultures are. Germany and Franceare not departing from this law.
Germans stereotypes viewed by a Frenchman
Habits
In France we think that Germany is the country of rigorousness. This rigorous attitude of people is visible in the respect of the law and also of the timetables. Germans are punctual. They are disciplined and accept the decision taken without complaining.Another proof of their rigorousness can be seen in the good work with high quality Germans are always doing.
Germans are concerned about the future of the earth, they are strongly ecologist. Greenpeace for example is a very powerful organisation supported by a lot of people in Germany, but this willing of nature protection is limited to their country. Abroad (and especially in France) they don’t hesitate to pollute the place they are visiting.
Germans don’t have a dinner in the sense that French understand it. They eat really early (around 17h) and they just take a piece of bread with some ham which is no more than a snack for French.
Food
Germans loves eating sausages. They have an important variety of it and they are able to differentiate between them. They also love ham and all kind of cooked meat.
For breakfast they can eat ham and sausages and other savoury food what is disgusting for most of the people living in France.French think that the German food habits are not very healthy.
Drinks
Beer can be seen as a religion in Germany. It is at least as important as water. They have lots of different types of beer. They can start drinking it for breakfast!The German beer is the best in the world according to them. They love to drink beer in important proportions, but howeverdrunk they are they are still respecting the law and are not annoying people. An important representation of Germans for French people is this picture of a big man during the Oktoberfest in Munich (the greatest beer party of Germany) fastened to the bar with a specific belt in order not to fall down when he is drunk.
Appearance
Men and women are quite sturdy and tall. They have a big stomach because of all the sausages they are eating and the beer and they are drinking.
They have light-coloured eyes and more or less blond hair. During the summer, they get a red flashy skin, because of the sunstrokes, no matter how muchsun lotion they put onwhile they are on the beach. Lying on the sand they look like slice of bread with butter.
They like driving big cars and especially German ones. They can drive quickly without having problem with the police because highways don’t have speed limits.
French Stereotypes viewed by a German
Habits
French people are said to be epicures, meaning that they like to eat and drink. They enjoy sitting together for hours just eating, drinking and talking, but the food, as well as the drinks have to be of high quality to be eatable for them.
Furthermore, French people are supposed to be very passionate, especially the men, but on the other hand they can be very arrogant as well. Looked at a little bit closer, it is mostly the arrogance they exhibit towards tourists, that cannot or just a little bit speak the French language. The French people refuse to understand the tourists, although the French people are completely able to understand English. You can say, that the French expect from people visiting their country that they can speak French perfectly and without any pronunciation problems, but if the French people are required to speak a foreign language, they don’t see a need to learn any and reject to learn. It is supposed to be this way, because French people love their home country and are very proud of it.
According to the slogan of the cigarette brand Gauloises “Libertétoujours” French people are heavy smokers and especially enjoy their cigarette while drinking a café au lait.
Besides the cigarettes French people also smoke a lot of marijuana.
In general French people live their life the way the want, without taking care of other people. They live from one day to the other without planning and just do whatever they are up to in the moment.
Food
“Leben wie Gott in Frankreich”is a famous German saying according to France. It means “Living like God in France”. It is an allusion to the French kitchen. The food is really good on the one hand, but on the other hand a typical French person is eating edible snail and frog legs, which is very disgusting for Germans. Of course, the most typical food in France is baguette and cheese, which they are enjoying all the time.
Drinks
Wine is the number onedrink in France, followed by coffee. In particular red wine is drunk by all French people, even by under age people. The most popular coffee is of course café au lait, which they drink outside of little cafés in the city square reading a newspaper and enjoying a cigarette.
Appearance
The beret is an indispensable component of the French outfit. Looking at the body you can see that they wear a seamen’s shirt with red or blue stripes and a red bandana. In the face they have a moustache, which is rolled on both ends of the mouth. On the chin they have a goat beard. Combined, the appearance of French man with his beret, the beard, the bandana and of course the cigarette in his mouth and a glass of wine in his hand makes him more or less looks like a painter.
Stereotypes can give some ideas about a culture, but the only way to really discover it is to experience it. Visit Germany and France, you will enjoy these countries!
Tim Schneidermeier & Rémi Matrat
(1) [