French ignorance to all things American is really very annoying. The other day I was talking to Muriel about traveling, and she mentions that she loves Americans because "vous etes les grands enfants." I didn't take offense to it because I was convinced that she meant it in a very flattering way.

I asked her if she's been to the US before, and she said that she went to San Fransisco and she enjoyed it IMMENSELY. She liked how chill everyone was - like they were just enjoying life. I told her San Fran was great, but that I also really enjoyed my time in Manhattan last summer. She said that her daughter went to Manhattan and found it very pretentious - more so than Paris!?!? ... come on. I said that I lived in Soho, which was near the West Village which was much more chill than it was uptown.

Her next question caught me completely offguard.

"well that makes sense, aren't San Fransisco and New York really close to each other?"

My mind couldn't even handle the ridiculousness of the question. How could ANYONE think that? There's a BIG HUGE USA in between the two! But I tried to tell her nicely that they were VERY far apart. SO FAR that they bordered different OCEANS.

Maybe I'm an ignorant American and think that its necessary for everyone to know american geography. But to be fair I know quite a bit about France. I know that Normandy & Brittany are in the north, that Marseilles & Nice are in the South. That Saint-Tropez is along the Meditteranean. So how is it possible for people in France NOT TO KNOW that San Fransisco and New York are on opposite sides of the country!?

Maybe it's this whole French Pride business that they feel like they don't need to know anything about the US because France is so great and wonderful. Just like how French people are very much okay with the fact that they can't speak or understand any English.

But honestly, they should look at a map so they don't come off as just plain dumb.