The French generally have closer family ties than Anglo cultures and dont tend to move away from home as much as us.

They have actually introduced the 35 hour week so that more family time is possible. As a result their economy has suffered, but then they arent as fat as us and dont get divorced as often.

The kissing/handshake thing is interesting. In France and other latin influenced countries it is the norm for men to shake the hands of family, friends, colleagues etc every day. Men kiss women on each cheek and women do the same with each other. Depending on the region they might do it twice on each cheek. Male relatives will kiss each other on each cheek too.

As you could imagine, their already short working week is further diminished by handshaking and cheek kissing obligations.

A French person might walk into a cafe and loudly say Messieurs, dames bonjour (Gentlemen and ladies good day) even though they may not know a soul in the joint. Upon leaving they might also say Bon Apetit. Whilst this behaviour may cause patrons in Australia to quickly scope out the exits, it is perfectly normal in France.

The two hour lunch break is a feature of French life. Many retail outlets, offices and banks close from noon til 2.00pm in order that people enjoy a decent lunch break. This is being eroded in the larger cities where going home for lunch is impractical, but in the country it still holds.