French man gives epic lesson to condescending tourists who tried to school his partner on croissants

Two of the main pillars of tourism and travel are food and traditions. Whether it’s Italy’s pizza, India’s biryani or France’s croissant. They account for some peak to-do things to add to one’s list while traveling. u/wyckedpsaul shared one such incident that would have you clearing your throats and recalling similar incidents yourself! Sharing on the r/pettyrevenge forum, the Reddit user shared what happened on one of their trips to France. She started by saying that she was staying in Paris for a month with her French partner.

Her partner was nearby attending a call when she decided to try one of the popular drinks of France, the Chocolat Chaud. The drink is a hot chocolate and accounts for a specialty of France. She coupled it with a croissant to make it an authentically delicious French breakfast.

As she went on to tear the croissant and dip as one traditionally would, an American family beside her stopped her. “The mom cleared her throat and said to me ‘Uh, hon, it's usually eaten with a fork and knife so your fingers don't get greasy,’” she recalled. By this time u/wyckedpsaul was dumbfounded. She noticed the family judging her for being “uncultured” and quickly apologized and took a fork and knife in her hand. Hold your thoughts, this is where it gets très bien.

She went on to write that by this time, her partner had finished his call and as he saw her, he burst out laughing. When her partner inquired, she blatantly said, “Well they told me I have to eat it with a knife and fork so I won't look uncultured.” To this, her French husband turned to the family and in his l'accent Français asked, “Madame, are you French?"

The family shook their heads after which he explained that the French only eat croissants with their hands. The family at this point must have been feeling red with shame. She concluded her post by saying, “They all ate their croissants with their hands and my partner looked over them like a proud teacher lol.”

This incident pulls us back to similar instances like cooking spaghetti the “right” way, using a finger bowl for your fingers and not as “soup” and so many more. Although it can be agreed that new places and traditions are different, all the family had to do was look around. Instead, they clung to their “elite” mannerisms and proceeded to confidently share the wrong information with another person. The thought of eating a croissant with a fork and knife is simply flabbergasting. It’s like eating noodles with a spoon. Oops, hope no one here does that!

The topic didn’t end there, many commenters went crazy at even the thought of eating a croissant with a knife and fork. u/Suspicious-Corner-10 said, “Not even French and I have never seen anyone eat croissants with a fork and knife so....” Others drifted off the croissant and dived into an argument on whether pizza is eaten with hands or not. u/ArtCapture said, “In the US, our cultural equivalent is when people try to eat thin-crust pizza with a knife and fork. Just so much no.”

To this, u/TheHobbyWaitress replied, “I think that's against the law in New Haven.” Confirming the comment u/3ghoster32111 said, “I live in New Haven, it is against the law. They don't even offer you silverware at the big 3 pizza places.” So much for food! It’s hilariously beautiful how people guard the traditions of eating.