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Belgium – France: same culture? Nathalie Moua, Céline Cross Nicolay Intercultural Communication in Business and Management Englsh Track 2004

Introduction At the beginning of our stay in Cracow, in October, a lot of integration parties and trips were organised so that new Erasmus students coming from different countries of

BELGIUM – FRANCE: A LONG HISTORY

Europe, could get to know each other. First weeks were really interesting and funny for us. This period was market

Since Antiquity, Belgium and France, geographically close

with suspicion, curiosity but above all with stereotypes.

neighbours, have parts of common history. As Belgium

The stereotypes were really present helped us to feel more

history is not as well-known as this of France, we decided

comfortable: “this guy is French for sure, he has this funny

to talk about Belgium, relating some events with France.

accent and this girl, she’s Italian with such black hairs”. Stereotypes are deeply rooted in people’s mind but

Before the Romans conquered the region in 57 BC,

sometimes it occurs that they are not true. We could also

Belgium was populated by the “Belgae”, one of the

experience it during those first weeks of our Erasmus

various Celtic tribes of Gaul. The origin of the

adventure.

country’s name is thus Celtic. Romans, conducted by Julius Caesar, exterminated Celtic groups to extend the power of Rome and called their new province

CELINE: When Erasmus students introduced themselves to me, they always asked me after if I was from France. When I was telling that I am Belgian, they answered that there was no difference for them and this made me really nervous sometimes. Belgium is a little country but I don’t like to be perceived as French

“Gallia Belgica”. In the 4th Century, Franks, a Germanic tribe, invaded Belgium and established the capital of their dynasty, the Merovingian, in Tournai. The difference between the north

NATHALIE: The same happened to me but it was the

and the south of Belgium started from the period when the

opposite. I am French but everybody is always sure that I

Franks separated the country in two parts: Flanders and

am from Japan or China

Wallonia. Soon after, Clovis I, the King of Franks, was baptised and left Tournai for Paris. After Clovis’s death, the

Because of this funny story which happened several times,

Merovingian kingdom weakened and the Carolingian

we decided to write our paper on Belgium and France to

dynasty came into power. Charlemagne ruled for almost

present those countries. In the first part, we will briefly

half a century, creating an empire that covered nearly all

explain the history of Belgium and its relations with France.

continental Europe. On Charlemagne’s death, the Empire

Then, we will analyse, basing on Hofstede’s studies, which

was divided, under the Treaty of Verdun in 843, into two

attitudes and cultural dimensions are totally different for

parts: West Francia to Charles the Bold (France today)

our countries, which are almost similar and finally which

and East Francia to Louis the German (Germany today).

are exactly the same.

The North of Belgium was integrated into West Francia whereas the South into East Francia.

To help us in this work, we conducted a survey among

In the 9th Century, on Belgian territory, private kingdoms

Erasmus students, Polish people and also among our

expanded economically and demographically: the Counts

respective friends from France and Belgium. The

of Flanders, the Princedom of Liege…These entities were

questionnaire is attached in the appendix and the

quasi independent and very rich thanks to trade and

results are interpreted throughout our paper.

industries. That’s the reason why the King of France tried to annex them but the population resisted and unified the

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area. At the beginning of the 10th Century, cities began to

remained

develop, especially in the Counties of Flanders. Until 1300,

stopped in 1815, with the defeat of Napoleon in Waterloo.

the growth of cities was alimented by a favourable

The Allied powers decided that Belgium would be a part of

economic situation. This growth however stopped in the

the Kingdom of the Netherlands but Belgian’s patience had

th

very

agricultural.

The

French

domination

th

14 Century due to crisis and epidemics. At the end of 13

run out. Revolution erupted in Brussels and rapidly across

Century, a lot of battles occurred between the French King

the country. Finally, on 20th January 1831, after centuries

and the Counts of Flanders. At the end of the “One

of wars and external rule, Belgian was recognised as an

hundred years war”, present Belgium and the Netherlands

independent state. Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, a duke,

passed to the hands of the Burgundian Dukes. The

became the first Belgian King.i

Burgundian Duke, Philip the Good, had a very big influence in Belgium. Under his reign, Belgium expanded

As we can see, Belgium and France history is often

and flourished. He suppressed the independence of the

interrelated and this can explain the actual cultural

cities, brought them under the rule of Brussels and

proximity between our countries.

consolidated the economy. When his successor Charles V

ARE WE SO ALIKE?

died, Flanders was in the hands of the Spanish Crown,

Being nationalist or cosmopolitan

following the marriage of his daughter with the Spanish heir. The ascension of Philip II to the Spanish throne in 1555 brought about the next crisis in Belgium’s history. King Philip was a strict catholic and this didn’t coincide with the rising Protestantism movement in the north. Under his reign,

the

present-day

Netherlands

obtained

their

independency but present-day Belgium remained under Spanish

possession

and

was

called

the

Spanish

Netherlands. Over the next century, France was the most powerful state in Europe under the rule Louis XIV, the Sun King. The French made a lot of effort to extend their control over the Spanish Netherlands. Louis XIV didn’t want to renounce. As a result, present-day Belgium was during a large part of the 17th century, a battleground between Louis XIV and his different Austrian, English and Dutch opponents. The borders between France and Belgium today became apparent at this time. By 1783, Louis XIV became tired with battles and with the Treaty of Utrecht, in 1713; France ceded its claims over the Spanish Netherlands to the Habsburg, rulers in Austria. Actually, the region didn’t pay much attention to Habsburg claims and at the end of the 18th Century; Belgium was ready to assert its independence. When the French revolution started in 1789, the country organised revolts against the Austrians and in 1790, independence was declared in the form of the United States of Belgium. Bu because of the division between the new rulers, Austria rapidly reestablished the power. In 1795, French liberated Belgium. With the rise of Napoleon, Belgium was fully integrated in the French Empire. At the same time, the industrial revolution occurred in Belgium, Wallonia became one the most industrialised regions in Europe whereas Flanders

One of the most obvious and important differences between Belgium and France is that whereas French are nationalists, Belgians are cosmopolites and more openminded. Let’s talk about France first. In our survey, we asked people to describe typical French. The first and most often answer given by foreigners was “nationalist” or “proud”.

This stereotype of French is

known all over the world. Indeed, French have a view of their country as special and unique. They think they are the centre of the universe and around them the rest of the world rotates. In his studies, Martin J. Gannon compares French with wine and states “Like a flawless bottle of vintage wine, it is as if God had decreed that there be perfection in the land and people of France”ii One can easily understand this pride to be French if we have a look on the history of the country. Actually, France’s concept of grandeur is not very old and was imposed by force by Louis XIV, the Sun King, who spread the idea that France was the best country of the world with the best language and universal values. This concept hasn’t disappeared until now and is still very strong. Honestly, it’s normal! In France, there is everything! Belgians try not to care about but actually, they are jealous of their neighbours. France represents a lot of different landscapes: seas, mountains and islands. Then there are also a lot of wonderful cities: Paris, Strasbourg, Lyon, and Nice. One shouldn’t forget also the delicious and delicate French cuisine, their unique products like cheeses, baguettes and of course wine! Finally, France is also a

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country of culture and arts; there are plenty of famous

the collar of a garment; they bring out the best qualities of

artists in all categories (music, painting, cinema, sport)

those with whom they work without being flashy or calling to themselves.”iii Belgians tend not to expose their

Another adjective used to describe French was “not good

capabilities and they are even sometimes really critics.

in foreign languages”! This is unfortunately true and is also

Some can understand this approach as an “inferiority

a consequence of their nationalism. Among Erasmus

complex”.

students, French are easily recognisable because of their funny accent in English. They don’t pronounce “h” correctly and have a very strong “r”. Actually, they don’t like speaking foreign languages or even refuse to do so. If it would be possible, they would like the entire world to speak French. Not only do they want everybody to speak French but they want everybody to be French. They are called by the Belgians “thieves” because they have this bad habit to assimilate that all the famous and mediated Belgians persons are French. According to them, Jacques Brel and Johnny Hallyday, famous singers, are French. Sister Emmanuelle, a nun acting for poor people in Egypt, is French. Recently, at the Eurovision competition, it was a Belgian who represented France but one can be sure that

However, this idea is opposite to Belgian’s attitude towards different characteristics of their country. Belgium is a small country but has got its character. Belgians have a lot of qualities and a lot of things to be proud of. In Belgium, some of the best beers and chocolates are produced. Lace is also of great importance. There are plenty of beautiful cities to visit: Bruges, Tournai, Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, and Liege. Art and culture are well-developed: there is a museum for everything! There are famous Belgian painters too (Brueghels, the Van Eycks) and writers (Simenon, Amélie Nothomb). Belgians are really imaginative as well, particularly in the area of cartoons: Tintin, the Smurfs and many others are also Belgian.

no French knew about it. They are doing the same with other nationalities; let’s take the examples of Chopin or Marie Curie! The French nationalist feeling has a very negative effect on politics. French are not really open and even

Belgians are not as nationalists as French. This national identity is not brought to the fore. Because of the political division of the country into three regions and communities, individuals act and think first as Walloons or Flemings and

xenophobe. Everybody remembers that during the last presidential elections in France, an extremist and racist man called “Le Pen” reached the last tour and almost won the elections. This was a real shame for France which

then as Belgians. During public holidays, Walloons spend their week-end at the Belgian coast, which belongs to the Flemish part and vice versa for Flemings going for

claims to be the mother country of democracy and whose national slogan is “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”. This phenomenon can be observed in the behaviours of French Erasmus students. French stay together and don’t often

camping in Wallonia. In both cases, they feel like foreigners in their own country, this can be explained partly because of language differences but also because of the

mix with other nationalities. reaction of the population. Flemings and Walloons are What about Belgium? In some questionnaires, to the question “What represents Belgium and France for you?”

more distant towards each other than towards foreign tourists for instance. In some cases, they simply overlook

some persons answered: “France is big and Belgium is small”. This is clear and nothing can be done to change it.

their joint relation.

Belgium is not a well-known country. Foreigners are rarely aware of Belgian accomplishments and have never travelled there, maybe to Brussels airport but that’s all! This was noticeable in our questionnaire. People had difficulties to describe Belgium and Belgians. According to Martin J. Gannon, the reason behind this lack of international recognition is the result of Belgian approach to life. Belgians are not proud at all like their French neighbours: “they act much like a small piece of lace on

However, it’s interesting to notice how this behaviour turns to be completely different in special situations. When it is needed, the country of Belgium is united and at this time, a Belgian is a Belgian and no distinction is made between the north and the south. Different examples can illustrate this. First example: the King and the royal family. They represent the unification of the country. Belgians love their

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King and it’s better not to criticise him. When the King

avoidance is high. Belgium is on the third position with a

Baudouin died in 1993, the whole country was crying. In

score of 94 and France is sixth, with a score of 86.v

two days, more than half a million of Belgians went to

Power distance is defined as human inequalities which

Brussels to pay homage to their King. French are

“can occur in areas such as prestige, wealth, and power”.

somehow jealous of Belgian monarchy. To console

Social status is also a characteristic of a country where

themselves, they publish a weekly magazine relating all

power distance exists. In the power distance index values

news of the different European monarchies. It’s called

by country, Belgium and France are once again close and

“Point de Vue” and French like it very much.

ranked in the upper part of the chart as countries with a

Second

example: the Belgian tennis women. The number one and

high level of power distance.vi

two in the world tennis classification are Belgians (Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters) and when there is a competition,

According to us, uncertainty avoidance and power distance

the whole country is united to watch and support their

are closely related in the case of Belgium and France. That

favourite players. The third example is “Dutroux case”. In

is the reason why we will link them.

1996, after the arrest of this paedophile and being aware of all the dysfunction and corruption of the Belgian judicial

In France and Belgium, people do not like uncertainty and

and police system, a big “Marche blanche” demonstration

this reaction is clearly shown in their interactions with other

was organised in Brussels by all the Belgians with no

people. Bureaucracy is over exaggerated. Everything is

consideration of the region of origin or the mother tongue.

formalised, rules are set up and cannot be changed.

In conclusion, Belgium is more united than it seems to be!

Usually when someone enters a new company he or she receives a leaflet explaining him or her the habits of the

The last difference between Belgians and French is that Belgians are more open-minded. Thanks to the diversity of

company from A to Z with all the rules which have to be respected. Sometimes the leaflet also indicates at what time the employee is allowed to eat or who he or she

their cultures, Belgians are extremely opened towards the rest of the world. They speak many languages and are not afraid to deal with foreigners. In Belgium, if you want to find a job, you have to speak at least two of the national languages. Otherwise, your chances to do a big career are

should call depending on the problem or the question he or she has to ask. Belgian and French are well known to have “specific papers and experts for everything”vii Uncertainty avoidance is correlated with high anxiety and stress. This characteristic is manifested in both countries in several ways. Belgian and French want to control

compromised. All Belgian politicians speak both

everything and make sure that nothing can go wrong;

languages. During all the national events, speeches are conducted in at least Dutch and French, which is quite

therefore they are busy 24/7 and stressed. French even have a popular expression saying: Métro, boulot, dodo, which means subway, working, sleeping.

complicated sometimes and extend them in time. That’s surely because of its cosmopolitan spirit, central location and balance nature that Brussels was chosen as the EU

The result of this high stress is that Belgian and French frequently

have

little

breaks

and

are

prescribed

tranquillisers and bed rest quite easily by their doctors if and NATO headquarters.

we compare it with Poland. We noticed that in Poland everybody works non stop and there is a little percentage

Avoiding uncertainty and power distance

of people taking some rest.

This difference between

France and Poland is more obvious since the number of In his studies, Hofstede classified uncertainty avoidance as the second dimension in national culture and according to him; different societies have different reactions to it. Uncertainty

is

characterised

by

“rule

orientation,

legal working hours per week has been diminished from 39 to 35 hours. Power distance surrounds all interactions. Hierarchy is well

employment stability, and stress.”iv Belgium and France

defined in all types of organisations but also in everyday

have been ranked as countries where uncertainty

life. To explain the first part, we can give the example of a

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university. Titles are really important and the positions of

by writing things in the three officials languages) and this

teachers have to be respected. Students and teachers are

leads sometimes to strange and funny situations. There is

not close friends and they speak to each other by using the

the example of an old venerable tree in the commune of

formal way. The teacher will be more likely to say:

Uccle/Ukkel which is in the region of Brussels which

Mademoiselle, voulez-vous… which translation is Miss,

belongs to none of the French or Dutch speaking part. A

could you please…and not Miss, can you…

French speaker offered funds for the preservation of this tree and when the Flemish minority knew it they suddenly

Letters are also formalised in our countries and we do

decided to also sponsor their own tree. The result is that

think that this is the best example to demonstrate our

now, the commune of Uccle/Ukkel has two protected trees,

power distance. There is an insistence on politeness and attention to social form. Where English use two words,

one with French roots the other with Dutch roots. The

French speakers have to write at least one sentence just to

classical and most famous example occurred in 1990

say exactly the same thing. Still with the same example, in

when the King Baudoin who was against abortion has

order to find a job, people have to write applications letters and those have rules. These letters have to be addressed

been declared unable to govern the country during one

to the right person (Ms, Mrs, Mr) without any mistake and

day just the time needed by the government to vote the

with the correct polite form at the end : Veuillez accepter

law. So this has been made under the “agreement” of the

Madame, Monsieur, mes salutations les plus distinguées King and legally.

which simply means “Sincerely”. An example of everyday life can be that in the street no one says “Hello” to someone he or she does not know. In the United States, this is quite common and nobody is

Solutions are obligatory in Belgium whereas in France it is obligatory to impose changes. Being individual and friendly

shocked. In our countries, we prefer to use the formal way: “Bonjour” and not “Salut” which is really informal.

In his studies, Hofstede also measured country’s individualism and once again, France and Belgium had

However the reaction to changes differs between Belgium

quite the same result. According to Hofstede, individualism

and France. In France, when the government presents a

is “the relationship between the individual and the

new project or wants to change anything in the well

collectivity which prevails in a given society.”viii Sometimes

organised and well structured French life, it is always a big

this situation is seen as a source of well being and in some

issue. French are well known to demonstrate for any

other countries it is seen as alienation.

reason. Surveys have proved several times that usually

The result of the study shows that Belgium such as France

people who demonstrate do not even know why they are

combines large power distance with high individualism. We

doing it. Even when the change has to be made because it

have seen before that Belgian and French has a large

is the only possible issue, and even if the majority agreed

power distance. This factor also influences a lot the

on some points, there is still a group, which will refuse the

individualistic factor because co-operation is not common

project, just for the “honour”.

While French take a

in our organisations. Most of the times, a French will just

deductive and dogmatic approach, Belgians are inductive

do what his superiors asked him to do, and nothing else

and pragmatic.

because it has been decided like that.

This can be seen in problem solving and decision making:

Strangely, the Belgians and the French are individualistic in organisations but they tend to be more friendly in their

in Belgium, everything is based on compromise,

relationship with friends and family. Friendship is really

consensus and co-operation. This can be explained by

important and usually lasts for all life in our countries.

Belgian political situation. Things in Belgium are always

Greetings are also of great important: shaking hands is the rule if we don’t know each other but if we are close friends,

done in order to make everybody happy (mostly resolved

we kiss (in Belgium: even boys kiss but only one time

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whereas in France, the number of kisses depends on the

French comes from a culinary technique where to French

region and boys usually never kiss).

means to cut in long and slender stripsxi.There is the classical steak with French- fries, but the most popular way

Friendship means also joie de vivre. In both countries, we

to eat it is with mussel. In fact, Belgians eat their French-

do like eating and drinking. In business, most of the

fries with everything: curry sauce, béchamel sauce,

important decisions are taken during lunch time because

ketchup, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, sausages, on the top of

discussions go on faster and easier when French are

a sandwich, plain French-fries just with salt…

eating and also drinking their glass of wine. And then in

Choosing one national kind of food for France is quite

those cases, power distance and individualism factors

hard. If Belgium has more than 500 types of beer, France

decrease. In our countries, lunch or dinner is always a gathering and no wonder why we are known all over the world, as said before, for our cuisine. Belgium has beer, chocolate and French-fries; France has wine, baguette and

classified its wine according to eight of its regions: Alsace, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Champagne, Jura, Languedoc, Loire, Provence, Rhône, Roussillon and South

cheese. East. Belgians love French wine. French viticulturists often In Belgium, French fries are more than important; it is a

come to Belgium to organise some wine fairs. According to

whole industry, a whole way of life. It’s a symbol of the country. Une frite mayonnaise! There can be very few Belgians who have never said this phrase. Because French-fries have got a special place in the culinary culture

our survey, the typical French eats frog legs, cheese and baguette and drinks wine. Most of those stereotypes are quite true but French do not eat frog legs and snails in

of the country. Belgians have their favourite “frit kots” everywhere (kiosks located along high traffic roads or inside cities where French-fries

are cooked and sold)

every meal. Those dishes are most festive dishes so they usually just appear during Christmas times.

whereas French have their favourites cafés. The origin of “frites” is obscure. The term “French- fries” tend to attribute this invention to French but all Belgians will reply that it is

French and Belgians are attached to the family and the

wrong! Amélie Nothomb, a famous Belgian writer has

community. R. Hill described it as the “bunker syndrome”xii.

declared this: “It is obvious that French-fries have to be

He gives the example of someone from Lier who would be

eaten in Belgium. Because there is a lot of differences

very upset if we think that he is from Antwerp, even if there

between a French French-fries and a Belgian French-fries.

is just eight miles which separates the two cities. French

[…] French French-fries are often too soft or over cooked

also have the same problem with location when foreigners

or sometimes not enough”ix. “According to popular belief,

or tourist said that they are from a city or a region because

this recipe was first used in the Meuse valley, between

those two regions are close to each other. But this is not

Dinant and Liège. The poor inhabitants of this region had

actually the same! Even if French are nationalists, they are

the custom of accompanying their meals with small fried

still attached to their region of origin and someone from

fish, but when the river was frozen and they were unable to

Marseille will definitely not appreciate to be taken for

fish, they cut potatoes lengthwise and fried them in oil to

someone from Nice.

accompany their meals.” The reason why they are called

This attachment to the community is more obvious when it

“French-fries” dates to World War 2. American and English

comes to family matters. R. Hill depicts the case of young

soldiers first tasted the dish with French speaker Belgians

wedded Belgians who still live in the parental home. Or

and this may explain the confusion. Belgians are now used

then young wedded can have their own home close to their

to eat their French-fries with all kind of sauce or on the

parents’. It is also the same case in France. Young people

side with all kind of dishes. This is the story that most of

stay longer and longer with their parents and a French

the Belgians will tend to believe, but there is also some

director even made a movie about that: Tanguy, which tells

more explanations according to the origin of French-fries.

the story of 28 years old young man who does not want to

The word French can come from the fact that potatoes

leave his cocoon.

x

where cooked this way the first time in France and that would be the reason why it has been called like this. But other people will be more likely to believe that the part

Conclusion

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To finish with, we can add that the Belgians and the

HOFSTEDE Geert (1991) Culture’s

French are attached to the Society and the others just

Consequences, London: Harper Collins Business

by looking at their social system. Retirement pensions

MOLE J. (1996) Mind Your Manners, London:

are taken in charged by all the workers and

Nicholas Brealey Publishing

Government help lot families, by issuing funds. Social

WILLEQUET Jacques (1988) Histoire illustrée de

security is available for everybody in our countries

la Belgique, Italy: Kina Italia

and at a very low price. This, for sure has to be changed because demography has changed a lot since the application of those systems. This will however be hard to be accomplished because we are attached to it and it is also a question of solidarity. French likes Belgian and Belgian also likes French, even thought we make fun of each other by telling silly jokes, but there is a popular saying in France which says : Qui aime bien, châtie bien in other words if you like someone you tend to hurt him or her more than the others. Then French also makes fun of the Belgian

Internet http://www.straightdope.com http://www.diplobel.org http://www.frites.be http://home2.planetinternet.be http://www.cartage.org.lb http://www.belgium.be http://www.senat.fr http://www.guideduroutard.com http://www.visitbelgium.com

accent because they pronounce word in a strange way which is sometimes quite hard to understand.

So are Belgian and French so alike? The answer can

appendix 1. QUESTIONNAIRE:

be yes because we shared part of our history and because we are close neighbours. We are alike because some of us speak the same language, but that’s all. Belgians have their own identity, which can look more like a patchwork if we stay close to stereotype but then if we look closer and deeper, Belgians are more than rich. They have as many different cultures as France even if France is much bigger and have more regions than Belgium. So don’t forget than a Belgian is not French and do not confuse them because we have things in common but we are not each exactly the same. Vive la Belgique! Vive la France! Vive l’amitié franco-belge ! Vive l’Union européenne !

Bibliography

Belgium Vs. France: same culture? Nationality: Age: 1. Have you ever travelled to Belgium and/or France? ‫ ٱ‬Yes ‫ ٱ‬No If yes, can you tell us why, when, and where and for how long? __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ ____________________ 2. According to you what is Belgium? __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ ____________________ What is France? __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ ____________________ 3.

What differences have you noticed between Belgian and French? According to you is it the same? __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ ____________________

4.

Can you give some adjectives describing a : Belgian : __________________________________ _____________________

Books GANNON Martin J. (1994) Understanding Global Cultures, London: Sage HILL Richard (2001) We Europeans, Brussels Belgium: Euro publications

Euro–limes – numer 1(5) – styczeń 2005 www.euro-limes.ae.krakow.pl Katedra Studiów Europejskich Akademii Ekonomicznej w Krakowie

French: __________________________________ _______________________ 5.

Do you know any joke about Belgian or French? __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ _____________

6.

What do they drink and or eat? Belgian:____________________________ __________________________ French:____________________________ ___________________________

7.

Last but not least, if you have to chose in which country would you rather spend your holidays : ‫ ٱ‬Belgium ‫ ٱ‬France

Dziekujemy bardzo

APPENDIX 2 Some jokes about Belgian and French:

•

Belgium: An escalator broke down during high traffic time: 40 people stayed on it during 5 hours.

•

A French is visiting his friend who just had a baby : "How cute he is! So how old is he?" "Just 15 days old" “And what's his name?" "I don't know... he does not talk yet"

A German tourist is travelling through Belgium and got lost. He saw two old men sitting under a tree and asked for his way : "Excuse me, do you speak English?" (In English in the original joke) No answer from the two old men. "Entschuldigung, Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" Still no answer.

•

"Scusatemi, parlate l'italiano?" Still no answer. Completely desperate, the tourist decided to leave. Then the two old men started to say in French: "Don't you think that we should start to learn a foreign language?" The other: "What's the point? See, this man was speaking at least three languages and it didn't help him that much." •

How do we recognise a Belgian baby in a maternity? It is the only one with a cuddly toy shaped like French -fries.

•

French people don't take shower, they just use “eau de toilette”

•

How many jokes about Belgian are there? Just two, because all the others are true.

Two Belgians are in a car. One is asking the other one: "Could you please look at the warning lights. Are they working? The other look through the window: "It is working, it is not, it is working, it is not..." •

•

How to become rich in France?

•

•

Buy French at the price he is worth and sell it at the

A Belgian died while he was drinking milk. The milk was poisoned? No: the cow just sat. Why do Belgians have round garden? So dogs cannot piss in the corners.

price he thinks he is worth. • •

French are like crocodile: They have short legs and big mouth! [avoir une grande gueule= to be proud]

Why do we say in Belgium going to the toilet and in France going to the toilets? Because in France, we should go to several places before finding one which is clean. •

•

Why do Belgian women have squared breast? So that the baby will get used to eat french fries.

•

How to make a Belgian become crazy? Put him in a round room and tell him that there is a

french fries hidden in a corner.

How to recognise a Belgian gangster? It is the only one who robbed a casino and went away with the chips.

•

How do we recognise a Belgian in a shoe store? This is the only one who tries the boxes.

•

Why are Belgian babies smaller than French babies? Because they are the only ones who were born in Brussels sprouts.

Euro–limes – numer 1(5) – styczeń 2005 www.euro-limes.ae.krakow.pl Katedra Studiów Europejskich Akademii Ekonomicznej w Krakowie

APPENDIX 3 Recipe of the real Belgian french- fries

Adapted from a Belgian recipe and translated by Nathalie.

• •

Wash and peel some big potatoes Cut the potatoes in large sticks of 1 centimetre. Try to cut them regularly.

•

To make some good French fries, they have to be cooked two times.

•

The first time, grease shouldn’t boil too much so that the French fries can cook slowly and totally.

•

When the French fries are ready, dry them.

•

Then heat the grease for the second turn. When the grease starts to smoke and not before (it is really important), put the French fries back in it and shake quickly the basket.

•

When the French fries start to become gold, take them off, dry them, put salt on it and serve them right away.

It is said that it is better to use animal grease than vegetal grease. The best way to prepare French-fries according to the Belgian way is to use beef grease.

Euro–limes – numer 1(5) – styczeń 2005 www.euro-limes.ae.krakow.pl Katedra Studiów Europejskich Akademii Ekonomicznej w Krakowie

APPENDIX 4 Charts

Figure 1: Country Uncertainty Avoidance Index.

Country Uncertainty Avoidance Index

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Country Greece Portugal Belgium Japan Peru France Chile

Actual

Mean of the 39 countries

112 104 94 92 87 86 86 64

Controlling for age 98 102 80 112 91 73 66 64

Source: Hofstede, G. (1991) Culture’s Consequences, London: Harper Collins Business Figure 2: Power Distance Index Values by Country Based on the Scores on Three Attitudes Survey Questions to a Stratified Example of Seven Occupations at Two Points in a Time

Power Distance Index

Actual 1 2 3 4 5 6

Predicted

Philippines Mexico Venezuela India Syngapore Brazil

94 81 81 77 74 69

73 70 66 78 64 72

7 Hong Kong

68

56

68 67 66 65

42 75 60 36

64

69

51

52

8 9 10 11

France Columbia Turkey Belgium

12 Peru Mean of the 39 countries

Source: Hofstede, G. (1991) Culture’s Consequences, London: Harper Collins Business

i

http://www.belgium.be http://www.cartage.org.lb WILLEQUET Jacques (1988) Histoire illustrée de la Belgique, Italy: Kina Italia ii GANNON Martin J. (1994) Understanding Global Cultures, London: Sage, p87.

Euro–limes – numer 1(5) – styczeń 2005 www.euro-limes.ae.krakow.pl Katedra Studiów Europejskich Akademii Ekonomicznej w Krakowie

iii

GANNON Martin J. (1994) Understanding Global Cultures, London: Sage, p159. HOFSTEDE Geert (1991) Culture’s Consequences, London: Harper Collins Business, p110. HOFSTEDE Geert (1991) Culture’s Consequences, London: Harper Collins Business, p122. vi See Appendix vii GANNON Martin J. (1994) Understanding Global Cultures, London: Sage, p154. viii HOFSTEDE Geert (1991) Culture’s Consequences, London: Harper Collins Business, p148. ix www.frites.be x www.belgium.be xi http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfrenchfry.html xii HILL Richard (2001) We Europeans, Brussels Belgium: Euro publications, p147. iv v