In your fridge
Dans le frigo
Ask him if there is anything he needs.
Ask him/her what he/she is doing?
ask them what they want
How rude!
I ask my friend what is that guys problem.
I don't mind- I ask if I can give them a hand.
I don't say anything but I won't invite him or her back,
unless it's a joke... then I would laugh
I don't say anything.
I go over and politely ask him/her not to do that.
I would approach her and ask her if she was looking for something.
I would ask he/she if I could help them?
I would be a little offended.
I would be a little surprised, but probably not say anything.
I would be fine with that, but think him a bit rude.
I would be surprised but I will not say anything.
i would not care very much
I would say can i get something for you?
I would think it was strange, but I wouldn't mind at all.
It would depend on the situation. If this was at a large party
- then i would consider it normal, but in a smaller social setting
i would find it a bit bizzare. I would not say anything to the
person about it in either situation..
I wouldn't be bothered by that.
I'd be annoyed. He should ask permission.
I'm suprised, but say nothing in front of the other guests,
so I don't embarass him.
It would bother me probably, but I would remain politely
silent.
No problem, but please ask next time.
not say anything but say something to the friend of a friend
say hi to him
Say nothing.
So?
there's no problem with that.
thoughtless jerk
"si tu as besoin de quelque chose surtout n'hésite
pas!" ( avec un sourire)
"Tu n'as pas mangé depuis combien de temps ?!"
"vas y, surtout ne me demande pas avant de me dévaliser!"
(satire)
Aucune réaction négative si ce n'est que je
l'invite à me demander si elle a besoin de tout autre
service.
cela ne me gêne pas
elle exagêre un peu mais bon ce n'est pas si terrible
que ga
ça me derrange énormément
Il ne reviendra plus.
J'hésiterais avant de le(la) réinviter.
je dirais à mon ami de faire le remarque à
son amie
je dirais, en souriant:"je trouve que tu te permets
beaucoup de choses"
Je le laisse faire pour cette fois.
je lui demande ce qu'il/elle fait
Je lui demande s'il pense que mon frigo est bien rempli.
Je lui dit en plaisantant "Oui, fais comme chez toi
surtout...." et lui fait comprendre qu'il a eu raison de
se permettre une telle chose.
je lui dit qu'il est sans genes
je lui fait la remarque : "tu pourrais demander avant
de te servir !"
Je lui fait remarquer d'un ton ironique qu'il fait comme
chez lui.
je lui fait remarquer que tout est déjà sorti
Je lui propose quelque chose à manger. Et lui dit
qu'il peut, bien sur se servir.
je lui signale qu'il/elle aurait pu demander
je m'en contrefous
je ne dis rien à cette personne mais je vais voir
l'ami(e) qui l'a invité pour en discuter avec il/elle
je ne le prends pas très bien mais je ne dis rien
Je ne le remarque même pas, j'ai une tendance à
partager sans problème. Si c'est une biere, je lui demande
de m'en apporter une :)
la prochaine fois je ne l'inviterai plus
no problemo
Si c'est un(e) véritable ami(e), pas de problème
Tout dépend de ce qu'il prend! En principe, c'est
un prétexte pour le voir et discuter 2 minutes
Discussion
Les réactions à cette situation sont assez similaires des deux côtés de l'Atlantique. Soit cela ne dérange absolument pas (environ un tiers des réponses) soit ça dérange. Dans ce cas il y a deux types de réactions : on ne dit rien ou alors on fait une petite remarque ironique à la personne qui s'est permise d'entrer dans l'intimité de notre réfrigérateur:-) Il apparaät que les Américains ont plus tendance à ne rien dire à la personne qui les dérange alors que les Français sont un peu plus adeptes de la remarque "assassine".
Voilà un petit commentaire un peu hors-propos...
J'avoue être victime, en pensant aux USA, d'un "complexe du frigo" ! J'ai toujours eu dans l'idée que vos frigos étaient tout bonnement gigantesques : double-battant, distributeur de glace, etc...
Evidemment, je dois encore certainement donner dans le cliché ...
Je suis d'accord avec Jean-Baptise car moi aussi je vois les frigos américains énormes mais c'est très certainement lié a votre culture alors pour moi, "piquer dans un frigo sans demander est malpoli même si c'est un ami d'un ami.
I was pretty surprised at people's reactions to this one. A lot of poeple said they would be annoyed, or think the person is rude if they went into the fridge. In my house, the fridge has always been a safe haven for all those who wish to open it, regardless of who they're friends with or why they're in my house. In my house, we always assume "help yourself" and so we don't care if someone wants to get a drink or eat some butter or something. Does anyone else think the same way?
Another question : Jean-Baptiste and Olivier mention that U.S. fridges are enormous and complex. What does a French refrigerator look like? I bet they're nothing compared to our fantastic fridges....
Hi,
I agree with the remark that the French would say something to the person (mostly in an ironic way) while americans wouldn't react. I guess from the responses given this could be because people are more offended by this over here in the US. And it would be a harsher dispute if something was said? What do you think? This would also be another reason not to be ironic -- if the problem is serious.
Maybe american fridges being so big and 'grandiose' have more important stuff?? Just for the record I wouldn't be offended if somebody looked at my humongous fridge:)
Like I've said before, I think it's interesting to see how different people react to the same question. I personally would mind if some stranger I didn't know was going through my fridge. I would see that as a sing of disrespect. But then again that could be attributed to the fact that I was raised to always ask before taking or borrowing anything that wasn't mine.
Why is there a cliche that Americans have enormous fridges? Where did that come from the televesion, Hollywood? Where?
Le cliché du gigantesque réfrigérateur américain provient probablement des sitcoms, mais aussi du fait que les Français utilisent dans le langage courant l'expression 'réfrigérateur américain' pour désigner le type d'appareil à deux portes qui est commun aux USA mais ne l'est pas tellement en France.
Tout comme Diana, je n'aurais jamais l'idée d'aller me servir librement dans un frigo qui n'est pas le mien, et je considérerais très impoli le fait de se permettre de prendre quelque chose qui n'est pas à soi. Pensez-vous que cette différence de comportement soit en relation directe avec le niveau de développement économique d'un pays et le fait qu'il y ait suffisamment à manger pour tous ?
I, too, was surprised that so many people would be offended if someone went through their fridge. I personally would not care, and would be glad that I had my fridge stocked. As Stephane said, perhaps our responses do have something to do with the stage of economic development in our countries. Since both countries are developed and most people have enough to eat, maybe we feel offended when others eat from our fridge. It seems somewhat selfish, but perhaps it's correct. But don't you think that in countries where there isn't enough food for everyone, people would be even less willing to share? (since they could have a hard time just feeding themselves?)
Does anyone think this might have anything to do with the importance that various cultures place on food? A large majority of Americans are overweight, and the French are not, is this just a general sharing issue or an eating issue?
Jean, you are totally right, refrigerators here are bigger than in France, there is more space in the kitchen over here. Mine can be big but it is still pretty much empty, I only fill it up when some visitors come over.
I found the results for this situation pretty interesting. The French use sarcasm to more or less tell the intruder that they are pissed off. Americans on the other hand are more direct. The sarcasm may help if you decide to meet that person later on in a party, for example.
I don't know about others but i find this a strange situation -- maybe in that it hardly ever happens. i think it might really depend on your culture. For me at home, food is a way of life, one might say (in that it is ubiquitous). if you are a visitor in my house, you will be offered food many many many times (i guess it might be a way of acception or something like that). so, if you happened for some reason to open my refridgerator withour asking i would think it was somewhat strange but wouldn't really mind at all
In my house, I'd get pretty upset if someone who wasn't part of my family just opened up my fridge and start taking some food. I think a lot of it just has to do with the culture in which each of us are raised; in my household, I was always taught to ask permission before I go through someone else's stuff, let along take someone's stuff, so I get violent if people just go into my fridge and start taking my food.
I think Americans are also less open to sharing with others, in comparison with the French because we're much more individualistic and self-centred in America.
I still don't really understand where the idea that Americans have big fridges comes from. It comes from television shows? Television shows portray Americans as having big fridges? I always thought that the French were really obsessed with their food.
To answer Gayani's question about food in less developed countries, sharing is actually more common and
very
encouraged exactly because there is not enough for everyone so they can't survive if they don't share. I know that it is Chinese custom to offer as much to eat to a visitor as possible, and the host would actually be offended if you don't eat everything you've been offered because that's almost ingratitude. Of course, it is to a lesser degree now that countries are becoming more westernized and people become more assimilated into other cultures, but it is opposite of what happens in American culture.