Are French people rude?
No, but the rudeness test is different. In France the offence is skipping bonjour and going straight to your request — which many Americans do without knowing, and which reads as treating a person like a vending machine. Silence after the greeting is not rude at all.
Why does American friendliness confuse him?
Because a question is a question. When a stranger asks how his day is going, the French reading is that they want to know, so he tells them. The American convention — that this is a greeting shaped like a question — took him about a year, and he still occasionally answers it properly.
Which one is warmer?
They front-load differently. American warmth is broad and immediate and does not necessarily deepen. French warmth is withheld from strangers and then given with some weight. Neither is friendlier overall; they simply spend it in different places.
Questions, answered
Why don’t French people make small talk?
Because French politeness is built on greeting rituals rather than casual conversation with strangers. Saying bonjour is essential, but chatting afterwards is not part of the exchange.
Is it rude not to say bonjour in France?
Yes. Entering a shop and going straight to your request without saying bonjour is a genuine breach of manners, and is the most common mistake visitors make.
Are French people unfriendly?
Not unfriendly — differently ordered. Warmth is generally reserved for people you know rather than extended to strangers, so it arrives later and with more substance.
He judges America weekly on Instagram, and Le Bulletin collects the best of it once a month.