Cliches about the French

Cliches are, as we know, horrible old tired expressions of stereotypes. We're told thus that we shouldn't use them because they are horrible old tired expressions of stereotypes.

However, the value of cliches is that they are exactly that....they're expressions of old truths, things that are common knowledge. So it's not all that much of a surprise to see a survey proving what we all knew to be true, that the French are lazy gourmands.

True to their reputation as leisure-loving gourmets, the French spend more time sleeping and eating than anyone else among the world's wealthy nations, according to a study published Monday.

As well as confirming our deepest prejudices abotu the Frogs, this survey from the OECD should be very interesting in my work as well. For it tells us about the work life balance in all of the rich countries.

The survey showed that the split between work and leisure time within certain countries is striking.

"Italian men have nearly 80 minutes a day of leisure more than women. Much of the additional work of Italian women is apparently spent cleaning the house," the OECD said in a statement.

I wonder if the UK really does have the longest working hours in Europe?