"OMG" an American friend recently yelled down the phone, "I think I just made a dreadful mistake, I was introduced to this distinguished looking French man and I leant forward to kiss him on both cheeks, I'm sure I should have waited or just shook his hand, or done nothing....His wife was standing there just sort of smirking .... This is SOO hard, I never know what to do"
The time had come to get back to basics:
1. Respectable adults (whatever that means) shake hands when they meet. If they get on well together and if the atmosphere is friendly and sociable, they will probably kiss - faire la bise - when they take leave.
2. Whenever I meet a friend, male or female, I will faire la bise. If I bump into them again during the day, it's not necessary to kiss since it's already been done for that day.
3 The bise, or kiss, itself is not a warm sloppy affair. Each person leans forward and directs his cheek towards the other persons cheek and makes a soft kissing sort of noise as their heads brush together. Hands don't have to touch, but may do. Generally the right hand is lightly touching the other's left shoulder.
4. When children meet up, or take leave, all ages in all circumstances, the girls do the bise to everyone, and the boys kiss the girls and shake hands with other boys. After all these years I still enjoy watching this need to touch as I sit outside school gates, or wait for my son at the rugby club.
5. There is nothing shocking in two men doing the bise, just a sign of close friendship and affection, not sexual.
6. There are those that give 4 kisses instead of two. This is a social class issue, take it from me, you don't want to go there!
Hope that helps!
Je t'embrasse!
photos thanks to Google Images
Posts
Thanks for setting us straight :) SO interesting.
ReplyDeleteVery informative .. I think many of us often wonder what the proper way is.HHL
ReplyDeleteLove the monkey lips but she may not "faire la bise" me!....lol Thank you for the proper way of kissing.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon
ReplyDeletethere are also those who kiss three times.. Russians to be specific! Once I met some clients from Moscow and after the second kiss on the cheek I was trying to escape when they grabbed me back and printed a third one on my face! I would have preferred to know in advance!!!
Hugs xxx
thank you, i have always wondered about this. happy autumn kisses to you,
ReplyDeleteerin
~* Thanks for the tips..incase I ever make it back to France! :)~*
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed this post, lovely and informative.
What about the three kisses?? Once they were said to be tipically French...aren't they?
Fra
Oh, now I am ready to greet properly if I visit France again. Your guide to the rules is cute.
ReplyDeleteThe French greeting custom is much the same as it is in Ecuador where we lived for many years. It was one of the things I missed when we moved back to Canada.
ReplyDeleteWell, well, well - I had no idea this whole kissing thing was going to inspire you. Thank you for all your comments!
ReplyDeleteFor those who ask about 3 kisses, I'm afraid I can't help, that is definitely outide my area of expertise!
Bisous
Sharon
Oh, what a lovely post!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice evening,
Yvonne
How interesting. Good to know. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is good to know! Thanks for lesson :D
ReplyDeleteHere, they kiss both cheeks upon meeting for the first time.
ReplyDeleteI used to put out my hand , they would take my hand and kiss both of my cheeks. Or laugh and kiss me. I gave up, I just kiss everyone now and they kiss me.
It depends on the person if there is Full Lip Contact or just a bit of air kissing, that is generally the women, men are usually Full Lip Contact.
I never knew there was a term for this. Thanks for the lesson. Cute post!
ReplyDelete"Kiss-Kiss" ~ sarah
I am an American living in Australia. My hubby is part french and he has been educating me on the "kiss" as well. I think we Americans are hopeless when it comes to this....Thanks for the much needed advice. Oh, and I love your blog. It's lovely!
ReplyDeleteKiss, kiss... enjoyed the tutorial. Now about that other french kiss lesson.
ReplyDelete.....and then there's the whole issue Sharon about kissing your customers! I was once reprimanded by an officious Manager out from the US parent Company on an Aussie visit for returning the kiss of a wonderful major client of 15 years at the beginning of a business Meeting. His displeasure was met with the infamous Millie Death Stare & a 'Get a life!' muttered loudly enough for him to hear. Interestingly he didn't last long in his job.
ReplyDeleteMillie ^_^
Kissing is a minefield of confusion in the UK today. In London in my previous life on a fashion magazine - kissing was a normal greeting for anyone you knew or were vaguely aquainted with. My parents-in-law, who are very straight laced English have always kissed on both cheeks too. I've recently relocated to rural Norfolk and I know that if I dared attempt a double kiss at the school gates, they'd think I was barmy! However, to kiss was perfectly normal upon first greeting of my old school Mums back in London!! A double kiss to you Sharon! xx
ReplyDeleteI live in a French city and I still get confused sometimes, lol, thanks for the guide!
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon, This was so interesting to me, both the post and the comments. So many places greet friends and strangers so differently. I live in Idaho in the US, which is pretty much still cowboy country, and there is a whole lotta huggin' going on here.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog and I am so glad you atopped by to visit my little retreat in the mountains.
Chère Sharon, il y a qqs jours j'ai été si peinée de lire que vous sembliez l'être aussi par certains commentaires sur votre blog que je vous ai laissé un petit mot vous disant combien la lecture de vos articles me remplissait de bonheur quotidiennement voulant ainsi vous renvoyer un peu des bonnes ondes que vous envoyer ds notre foyer. Vous avez dû sourire en lisant que je donnais même en dictée à mes enfants certains passages savoureux qui sont des mines d'or pour de jeunes collégiens qui peinent un peu à s'intéresser à autre chose que ces accrocheurs jeux vidéo :) Mais vraiment Sharon, j'espère que vous continuerez longtemps à nous donner accès à ce bonheur simple, poétique, raffiné et en même temps si proche de la vie au contact de la nature. Votre blog est pour moi une source de vraie vie et je voulais vous le dire encore en vous souhaitant une bonne journée ensoleillée au milieu de tout ce que vous aimez. Gros bisous.
ReplyDeleteOnline german porn video free german porn watch. xxx videos free german sex now ! cute teen xvids sex tube porn home.
ReplyDelete