There's a reason why "rules" and "period" are the same word in French. They can both show up anytime, anywhere, causing pain and a terrible waste of paper. But with a little experience and a lot of determination, it can be easier to navigate through French red tape than the feminine hygiene aisle at the supermarket.First, you have to be prepared for the dreaded "non, ce n'est pas possible Madame" to hit when you're most vulnerable. Like at the pharmacy in the middle of August when your doctor is on vacation and your mosquito-bitten body is screaming for an anti-inflammatory prescription. No point mentioning that back home, apartments come with A/C, and windows have screens. To get through to that blank, smug expression behind the counter, you're going to have to beg. And if you stick it out long enough and make it clear that you are a human being despite your léger accent, you'll have the double reward of getting what you asked for and seeing a wall of Parisian obstination slowly melt into winks and pleasantries. And once you get a French person to smile at you, you'll really feel like a woman.
Peter Sellers and Capucine as Inspector and Simone Clouseau. [Online image] 1963.
