What a Faux Pas! Rude Americans Arrive in France

Faux Pas No. 1: Wearing Overly Casual or Tacky Clothing

'Bob' and 'Bonnie,' played by actors Jeff Nathan and Sasha Weiss, drink beer at the Brasserie de l'Ile Saint-Louis, a well-known and highly regarded cafe.

(ABC News)
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No doubt about it: Our ugly Americans stood out among the well-dressed Parisians. French etiquette expert Heather Stimmler-Hall, who moved to Paris from Colorado 13 years ago, offered her expertise as our actors invaded the city she knows so well. She writes a blog, The Secrets of Paris, and gives American tourists a course on how to behave -- the dos and don'ts.

According to Stimmler-Hall, our actors' attire was faux pas No. 1.

"You're in Paris, the fashion capital of the world, and people notice your clothes, they notice your shoes," Stimmler-Hall said. "You could be Bill Gates -- he's not going to get treated well either if he's wearing shorts and a baseball cap and a T-shirt."

The very word "faux pas" is French, Stimmler-Hall said. "They have a lot of faux pas," she said. "They're the masters of what not to do."

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For their first evening in Paris, Bob and Bonnie headed to one of Paris' most popular attractions -- the world-famous Bateaux Mouche. It's a romantic dinner cruise on the Seine -- talk about a moveable feast! Everybody was dressed in their finest ensembles. Well, almost everybody. Do football jerseys count as evening wear?

If there is one word that summed up our ugly Americans, that word is "loud." Loud clothing … and loud voices.

Faux Pas No. 2: Talking Loudly

"Oh, look, we started moving!" Bonnie screamed as the bateau pushed off from the dock. As other diners gazed quietly out of the windows while they passed the Eiffel Tower, Bob shouted: "Look at that tower! It's just like the one in Vegas. No, I think the one in Vegas is bigger!"

For Jean Lacatos, Bob and Bonnie's waiter, it promised to be a long night. Would this elegant Frenchman keep his cool in the face of the Americans' incessant demands? After patiently explaining how to pronounce foie gras, Lacatos got another request from the couple. Hearing the boat's band warming up, Bob started belting out his own song: the "Star-Spangled Banner."

"Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light…"

Lacatos was momentarily stunned. "Ah, the hymn, yes, I know," he finally said, as Bob continued to sing.

"Would you see if they know it?" asked Bob. Lacatos looked incredulous. "I don't know, I'll ask him," he said, walking away.