I have people, mostly on my dad's side, but a little on my mom's side too, who originally came from France.
Now, I'm mostly German. What's a stereotypical appearance for a German? Tall, chiseled, hugely muscular, blonde hair and blue eyes? Think Major Armstrong from Fullmetal Alchemist basically. Do I look anything like him? Except for my blue . . . ish eyes, I don't. At all. The people I have met who can distinguish between Caucasian races usually guess that I'm French, and they are right, at least partially. I resemble a Frenchmen more than anything else.
But let's get one thing straight right now; I am not a player. You'd think if I was part French, I would be, but I'm not. Yes, I am a romantic, but I've never made women swoon from my charm. Hell, the only girls who have ever hit on me were sex-obsessed high school girls desperate for anyone, including someone like me. Pity for them, I actually have standards.
But there is one cultural trait I have. I loooooooooooove cheese. I love the taste of cheese. I love Kraft cheese slices. I love Pepper Jack cheese. I love Swiss cheese. I love Mozzarella cheese. I love macaroni and cheese. I love hamburger helper with cheese. I love cheeseburgers I love melted cheese. I love un-melted cheese. Though, to be honest, I think I would still be a fan of cheese even if I was desended from the French, but this does tie in to something else.
The French, much like the Spanish and the Italians, take a lot of pride in cooking. So do I. My mom and dad are experts chefs, and I have trained in their tutelage (somewhat) to succeed them. I am nowhere near their level, but unlike most other people my age, I don't order a pizza (with cheese!) or fast food every evening. I will still have those things every now and then, but when I can, I will make my own meals, and I will savor them. There are health benefits to cooking meals at home, and nothing beats a meal that has simmered for a long time when compared to something hastily prepared. (Oh boy, there's that desire for quality over quantity again.)
However, there's something that bugs me. It's that trope "Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys." First of all, that only happened twice; during the Franco-Prussian of 1870 to 1871, and during World War II. Bear in mind, in WWII, no one had anticipated that Germany's army would be as huge as it was. And even after Germany took over, many resistance cells sprung up, fighting back against the Nazis however they could, hence the phrase, "La Resistance." Also note the famous ending of Casablanca. France put up a tough front during World War I, despite going up against Germany (whose army was larger than France's back then also) AND the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the same time. Remember, France was once the most powerful nation in the world, the French Foreign Legion once commanded a lot of fear and respect, and even today, it would be a bad idea to pick a fight with the French military.
And lastly, I don't get the French Jerk stereotype. I know people who have been to Paris, and none of them said they had any trouble with the locals. Hmm, maybe in a different time, and maybe a different place, some French people may have been arrogant, but I don't see it. I'm not arrogant . . . most of the time, and neither is most of my family.
I got one last part of my ethnicity to cover, then I will get to other cultural connections I have, then an epilogue.
