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I have mixed feelings about this episode, and maybe it is because I live in NYC. The reasons mentioned for why French people are "rude" didn't sit well with me. I live in a large metropolis that gets way hotter than Paris in the summer, I can't afford to jaunt off to the Hamptons to escape it and I am surrounded by tourists (who don't speak English), yet I don't recall ever being rude to any of them. I don't think I'm an oddity here either so perhaps these reasons are really just excuses.

Also, I live in a French neighborhood and my children go to French/English school, and I find the French families are no better at adjusting to American culture than Americans adjusting to theirs. I think this conversation goes both ways and should not be just about how the tourist needs to behave. The focus should be on respecting the cultural practices/norms of where you travel, and respecting those who have traveled far to see your home! View these interactions as an opportunity for cultural sharing and exchange.