The French aren't arrogant. It's you

Below you will find the key to life in France (and probably anywhere, for that matter). Read, memorise, learn.

The advice comes in an interview with UK horror novelist and film critic Anne Billson, who's based in Paris these days.

"...what British visitors to Paris often fail to note is that the French are INCREDIBLY polite (strange but true) and so you MUST preface every interaction and transaction with a “bonjour” (or “bonsoir” if it’s the evening). You say bonjour to the waiter or barman as you go into a bar, before you give your order. You say bonjour to shop assistants before you ask them for something, you say it in banks and post offices, and you say bonjour to people in the street when you stop them to ask for directions.

"Thing is, if you DON’T say bonjour, and launch straight into your demands without preamble, you come across as rude and boorish, and the French will then treat you as such. It sounds rude and boorish even to me now. So remember – bonjour! I swear it’s like the Open Sesame to life in France."

Interestingly I've found the same. My first few visits to Paris as a young man merely confirmed the stereotype that Parisians are brusque and snobbish. Well, the waiters, anyway.

In more recent visits I've been struck by how friendly everyone is; the way every barman or woman greets you as you waltz into their establishment. Lets' say it out loud, folks. Be nice to them and the French are fabulous.