As Olympic hosts, ‘Les Français’ are in the spotlight. Here’s why the French can’t be pigeon-holed

PARIS (AP) — They’re usually thought to have virtually cornered the market on romance, with Edith Piaf seemingly talking for a nation of amorous souls when she sang: “It’s loopy how a lot I like you.”

But in addition they can bicker and squabble as if they have been Olympic sports activities.

They virtually wrote the e book on fraternity, liberty and equality — phrases inscribed on their faculties and city halls — but in addition acknowledge that these beliefs aren’t all the time utilized to residents of colour.

Les Français — the French, because the folks of France name themselves — merely don’t match neatly into anybody field.

Now that they’re internet hosting the Olympics, right here’s a take a look at among the particularities that make the French, properly, French:

The fundamentals

France has one in every of Europe’s most various populations due to centuries of conquest and, within the final 200 years, immigration from Italy, Spain, jap Europe, and France’s former colonies abroad.

Though comic-strip hero Asterix the Gaul is one thing of a nationwide icon, liked by generations of French readers for his feisty ingenuity and pluck, the traditional Gauls who populated a lot of what’s now France greater than two millennia in the past — and who some in France nonetheless name “our ancestors” — have been adopted by waves of others.

Romans, Franks (from whom France bought its identify), Normans (who lent their identify to what’s now Normandy ) and extra fought for the wealthy lands boxed in by the Mediterranean’s waters and mountains of the Alps and Pyrenees within the south, the mighty Rhine river within the east, and seas to the west and north.

These pure limitations nonetheless largely delineate the borders of what’s the largest territory within the European Union and its roughly six-sided form — the explanation the French usually discuss with their nation as “the Hexagon.”

The nationwide statistics company, Insee, says France’s inhabitants initially of this Olympic yr numbered 68.4 million. That features the two.2 million inhabitants of 5 previously colonized territories within the Caribbean, South America and Indian Ocean which can be administered as abroad areas of France — thought of as French as Paris, the Olympic host metropolis.

By Insee’s rely, France has 2 million extra ladies than males. However France has by no means had a feminine president and counts dozens of ladies killed in home violence every year. Of the 78 luminaries honored by being inducted within the Panthéon, the centuries-old Paris resting place for the nice and nice of France, simply 5 are ladies. The primary, scientist Marie Curie, wasn’t added till 1995.

A colorblind rainbow nation

Formally, France is blind to the various colours of its inhabitants. Desiring to deal with all equally, the republic doesn’t rely residents by race or faith. However folks of colour and human-rights watchdogs say France’s excellent of colorblind universalism ends in discrimination that goes unmeasured and unsolved. Some French folks, particularly those that are white, think about it racist to even focus on pores and skin colour.

But pervasive discrimination has repeatedly boiled over into violent unrest, usually in underprivileged components of France with immigrant populations. Racial and spiritual intolerance have contributed to a deep polarization of French politics.

The anti-immigration, far-right Nationwide Rally social gathering surged this yr in elections marked by uncommon violence. Its leaders have lengthy focused immigrants and their France-born kids for supposedly failing to combine.

A godless nation

of many religions

After centuries of spiritual battle, fashionable France is constitutionally secular, with church and state separated. Faiths are stored out of shared public areas like faculties, hospitals, courts and sports activities fields, the place college students, employees and gamers aren’t allowed to put on ostentatious crosses, kippahs or Islamic head coverings. France gained’t permit its Olympians to put on headscarves on the Paris Video games — a blanket ban that gained’t apply to athletes from different nations.

However France additionally legally ensures the suitable to consider — or to not consider — and to follow one’s religion. Its non secular structure — from Paris’ iconic Notre Dame Cathedral to modernist architect Le Corbusier’s Chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, jap France — is beautiful in its selection, magnificence and historical past.

France has about 100,000 locations of worship, together with these which can be not used, with the huge bulk of them constructed for the Catholic religion, in response to the Observatory of Spiritual Patrimony, a preservation group.

Quiet church buildings and busy mosques converse to a altering image of religion and worship in France. A main and uncommon public examine printed by Insee final yr, which questioned greater than 27,000 adults aged 18-59, discovered curiosity in faith fading. Simply over half of the respondents declared that they haven’t any religion, a rising development significantly pronounced amongst folks born in France and with none immigrant backgrounds.

Lower than one-third recognized as Catholic — nonetheless the biggest single group of believers, though below 10% of them stated they’re common churchgoers.

Muslims have been the second-largest group of believers, accounting for 10% of respondents.

Wine and meals

Ah, the reds, whites and rosés! The French used to guzzle their wines with out moderation. It wasn’t till 1956 that the federal government barred kids — below 14, that’s — from being served alcohol at school canteens.

However because the Nineteen Sixties, when French drinkers have been downing a woozy 130 or so liters (35 or so gallons) of wines every per yr, plus many extra liters of beer and cider, they’ve steadily sobered up, slicing their consumption by round three-quarters and ingesting higher-quality wines than the rotgut that washed down older generations’ meals, Insee knowledge reveals.

Meals habits are altering, too. Colleges play a key function in passing from technology to technology France’s excessive regard for freshly cooked meals, with canteens usually providing a starter and a predominant course adopted by a milk product (cheese, yogurt) and/or a dessert.

The Agriculture Ministry says about 60% of scholars eat at their faculty canteens a minimum of 4 instances per week. Colleges additionally provide tasting lessons and faculty canteens are obliged to supply a minimum of one vegetarian menu per week.

“Does your loved ones pray earlier than consuming?” asks one joke about French consuming habits. The punchline: “No, we’re French, we all know methods to prepare dinner.”

The French are simply behind the Italians because the least obese inhabitants within the European Union, in response to the newest figures from the EU’s statistics company, from 2019. It discovered that 47% of French adults have been obese, with a physique mass index of 25 or above, in contrast with 46% of Italian adults.

However French folks even have change into followers of what they name “le quick meals” — burgers, pizzas, kebabs, and so forth.

Within the 45 years since McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in France in 1979, the nation has change into one in every of its largest markets in Europe, with 1,560 eateries in cities and cities nationwide.