| Preface to the Third Edition | p. 5 |
| Acknowledgements | p. 7 |
| Foreword | p. 11 |
| Introduction | p. 13 |
| Starting Off on the Right Foot | |
| Six Codes: Rudeness is in the Eye of the Beholder | p. 23 |
| French Space: Private, Public and Working | p. 37 |
| French Time: "Why Does Everything Take so Long?" | p. 47 |
| The French Way in Public | |
| Street Strangers and Neighborhood Tradespeople: The Good News and the Bad News | p. 59 |
| Misery in the Big Stores: Your Weapons and How to Handle them | p. 71 |
| Blame Paranoia: Truth and Consequences | p. 83 |
| You and the Bureaucracy: The Systeme D | p. 91 |
| French Context: the Formation of Frenchness | |
| History Matters: What Was, Is | p. 101 |
| The Family: Rules, Closeness and the Esprit Critique | p. 125 |
| School Days: the Survival of the Smartest | p. 135 |
| The Grandes Ecoles: the Selection of the Elite | p. 143 |
| The Music of Their Tongue: a Passion or a Religion? | p. 153 |
| Plaisir: Flirting, Food, Language and Love | p. 165 |
| Two Dinner Parties: Food, Style and Protocol--Back to Versailles | p. 173 |
| Office Life | |
| The Logic of French Management: Why the Thunderbolts are Coming | p. 201 |
| Tricky Wickets: Foreigners' Complaints and French Executives' Suggestions | p. 209 |
| Executive Roundup: Reflections From Six Multicultural U.S. Veterans | p. 229 |
| The Other Side of the Mirror | |
| How the French See the U.S. | p. 239 |
| Coda: Marvels for 16 Headaches | p. 255 |
| Line-jumpers | |
| Waiters | |
| Phoning | |
| Dog Dirt | |
| Customer Service | |
| Peeing in Public | |
| Banking | |
| Getting Information | |
| Neighbors | |
| Not Being Introduced in Public | |
| Driving | |
| Smoking | |
| Lice | |
| Doctors | |
| Taboos | |
| Making Friends | |
| Coda II: Vignettes of Recent France | |
| Business Life 2003 | p. 273 |
| French Exceptions 1998-2003 | p. 280 |
| Jean-Marie Messier | |
| Workers' Paradise | |
| Love | |
| Sentinels of Road Deaths | |
| Dog poop | |
| Paris: a Seaside Resort | |
| Smoking | |
| French Cuisine and Exceptional Chefs | |
| Hurricanes | |
| Fates of Exceptional Stars | |
| French Exception Triumphs | |
| Index | p. 289 |
| Table of Contents provided by Rittenhouse. All Rights Reserved. |