Culture Insider: Cultural taboos from nine countries

France

Don't expect a huge amount of vegan options: "Notify people you visit and be careful in which restaurants you go. Very few people are vegan in France compared to some other countries, and although the situation is slowly improving, the awareness and acceptance of it are still quite poor. Some older people, especially, can consider it 'weird' or even radical behavior."

Don't talk about money: "For example, you can say you quit a job because you were underpaid, but you should not mention how much exactly. There are old taboos about speaking of money in French culture, many people consider it a 'dirty' topic."

Don't expect people to speak English: "The French educational system is bad at teaching foreign languages, with an excessive focus on reading and writing, compared to conversational skills. Many older people will only know a bit of bad and heavily accented English and/or possibly German or Spanish."

French academics protest in Paris over a planned government reform of higher education that includes a proposal to open up French universities to English language classes in fields like science and economics, May 22, 2013. Banner reads: Save our university. [Photo/IC]

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