Did you need that NOW? Bof!

I've been in France about 1 month now, and I've only just begun paying attention to the smaller details that amount to "la vie réelle" in France. You know, the things that you see everyday that seem normal until you actually stop and say..."wait a second...Do the French really iron their t-shirts and jeans?" bah oui.
Much of the culture here in France revolves around a love of ritual...The French really like to do things right, and the process is just as important...if not more, than the actual end result.
For example, "reunions" (meetings); The French LOVE meetings. They have them all the time, and usually they are very formal, with invitations, advanced scheduling, podiums, the whole shebang...and of course the goals of the meeting are very clear. Example: "This meeting is to facilitate the exchange of ideas within the company/school/ whiskey club/ ice skating party/etc." Then, they sit for 3 hours drinking coffee and exchanging ideas...which never actually get realized, but non-the-less have been discussed.
The love of ritual also means a strict adherence to all rules to a point of being ridiculous...and because every knows it's ridiculous, they also know that every rule can be bent, secretly, and usually just at the point when you're face gets red and steam starts coming out of your ears.
But yes, this is ze life of ze French. They are used to it, and besides, they know that to change the system would mean even more reunions, rules, and ridiculousness that no one has time for anyway.
This love of ritual is probably most evident in the way the French eat. Invite a friend over for a casual meal, and they think nothing of preparing a meal that most Americans would only find in a restaurant...because that's just what they do! Good food is a wonderful accompaniment to wonderful company, and that, in itself, is just another rule that the French live by. It's interesting stand in a roomful of French people and listen to how many times someone will break into a poetic description of a wonderful meal he'd had.
This is part of living in France...love of the ritual means that you rarely get to your destination on time, but it's the journey that counts.