Wellllllllllll, art, philosophy, literature, music, architecture, political ideas, the list can go on and on, france like germany and italy is probaply one of the most influential countries that has shaped europe today, and also englanddd, in fact nietzche joked that France mimed a lot of the liberal british ideas, such as locke, liberalism and what not
Hmmm, i am a bit ashamed to put this here, but about pont neuf? It's my favorite thing in Paris, so I'll include that as well
maybe also the very strict seperation of church and state? A fundemanta and essential upgrade in Europe, and the IDEALS of the french revolution, the fall of the monarchy
Learned to drive in a French car (Citroen "Traction Avant") have also owned Renaults, and Simcas. All slightly idiosyncratic (you've all heard of the idiosyncratic gearbox... )- but all very French.
French art ... what can one say !
.... and as I have mentioned on other posts ... have always had a penchant (hey! dat's a French woid !) for French cigarettes ... keep the flies away ... !
(Never quite got to like that DeGaulle fellow though ....)
I think one thing not mentioned -has been the Guillotine .... perhaps we should bring it back ... ! Quite humane, quick, presumably painless - but awfully gruesome and delightfully messy ! Just what an instrument of execution should be all about ! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Salut !
__________________ If you haven't been a Communist by the time you're 40 - then you don't have a heart.
If you're still a Communist after the age of forty - you don't have a head ....
(Denis Healey)
If you're still a communist after the age of sixty ... you're coming to your senses again ....
Goodness so many wonderful things from the french. Well, let's see. I've always liked french fashion. Cheese, all sorts of cheese. And french literature. Especially Victor Hugor, but it seems like he wrote alot of depressing literature.
__________________
gAll right then, Ifll go to hellh\and tore it up. It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
A modern guillotine would be interesting... we already have them in meat plants. Oh yeah, the french provided us with nifty math stuff... All of it great for a right triangle and such.
I'm not sure if I can call it the greatest, but for a lot of people who suffer from constipation or anal hemorraging, nothing beats the French Bidet toilet. Japan only modernized it to warm by electricity and to shoot by tap pressure.
__________________ Z: The fish in the water are happy.
H: How do you know ? You're not fish.
Z: How do you know I don't ? You're not me.
H: True I am not you, and I cannot know. Likewise, I know you're not, therefore I know you don't.
Z: You asked me how I knew implying you knew I knew. In fact I saw some fish, strolling down by the Hao River, all jolly and gay.
--Zhuangzi
SO true, men's fashion especially Armani (suits), Versace (shirts), Gucci (shoes and belts)...These will look great on guys.....(with Moschino sunglasses)..
There has always been only one center for men's fashion; one true shrine dedicated to the dressing of the male form in a sophisticated manner, one real source of grace for all men with taste and class :
SAVILLE ROW, LONDON, ENGLAND !
... and I speak to you as an Englishman (.... who generally slops around ... in a leather jacket ... old "dockers" ..... and burnt out cowboy boots - but ... I did have my moments...!!)
Well ... on behalf of all the other British guys (and Sean Connery, perhaps....)
..... I'm prepared to consider that as ... an apology ... of sorts...
.... and I will let you know if I'm prepared to accept it ... after due consideration .... (provided that you forget all those damned continental names ...!)
(sorry I am brainwashed because of my upbringing...blame the parents..)
I agree that tailored suits from Saville Row is a luxury FOR MEN, and a Dunhill briefcase will look excellent on gentlemen. (my dad has a Dunhill one, which was really going to "Hell" in repairs as it needed to be sent to England because a pocket broke).
However, what about us ladies??....what can Saville Row do for us??? So far, only Gucci, Armani (and all of the CONTINENTAL brands) can support me (and my tastes).
Sorry, Sensuikan...I take SOME of it back, as I just went through my closet with my bf, and saw my most "precious"....My ivory BURBERRY TRENCH COAT (and several T-shirts) and my black MULBERRY evening bag!!!
Britain has at least TWO brands to offer me: BURBERRY and MULBERRY!!!
I don't know how I forgot this : the metric system (meter, gramme, second, Celsius temperature scale, etc.). It is the most widely used measure system in the world, which only the USA seem to resist (except for hours, minutes and seconds), and can really qualify as THE international measure system. It is the one also used by scientists, even in the USA.
The metric system was developed in France in the 18th century, but savants such as Lavoisier, but didn't become official until the French Revolution (in 1791, to be precise). France and the Benelux were the first regions to adopt it. It had spread to the rest of Europe (except Britain and Ireland) and Latin America by the late 19th century, then spread to the USSR, China and North Africa in the early 20th century, and the rest of Asia and most of Africa by the mid-20th century. Canada, Australia, South Africa and the UK only adopted it in the late 20th century. Nowadays, apart from the USA, only Myanmar and Liberia haven't adopted it yet.
I voted for cinematography, I have always loved the cinema and the technology behind it.
I also love photography...
The other science technologies the French invented are also of great importance today...
Other than that I love French wine and selected French cheese. Besides cheddar and Parmesan I only eat French or Swiss cheese anyway.
I am also a fan of French fashion, but I used to wear Italian fashion when I was a teen and througout my early 20s. What can I say I was a Benetton fan.