An Englishman Living in Paris Shares His Frustration With the French Tradition of Cheek Kissing

Comedian Paul Taylor, a British man living in Paris, loudly shares his frustration with not completely understanding “La Bise” – the distinctly French tradition of kissing another person’s cheeks as a way of greeting, farewell or thanking.

I live in France and one of the things that annoys me the most about living here is “la bise”, the French way to say hello. For example if I meet a girl I’ve never met before I don’t know what to do. Do I shake her hand? Do I give her one kiss? Do I give her two kisses? Do I give her three kisses? Do I give her four kisses? Do I give her five kisses? How many fucking kisses should I be giving you? …It’s so complicated they had to create a website.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.