The French Formula

Fifty Writes

1 min readAug 6, 2024

Obtained From Observation, Nothing Is Ever 100%

This short piece was inspired by mentions of the French in the following two essays:

What I Learned from the French About Extramarital Affairs

They were supposedly in “open marriages,” but the truth was more complicated

medium.com

Where’s The Joy, Where’s The Pleasure?

According to research the elevated rate of depression continues to get worse and that one out of every three Americans…

medium.com

After reading the first one, I had written the below in the comments for that piece. After reading the second essay, I figured it was time to publish it here.

I just thought everyone knew. Maybe I’ve seen too many French movies?

The Approximate French Formula for Infidelity (roughly speaking):

Don’t ask, don’t tell.
Don’t flaunt it, make it visible, or cause me embarrassment. Close friends perhaps will sense it or know, but all publicly unspoken.
Keep it casual and friendly. I’m your number one. Love, maybe, but don’t fall in love.
Don’t affect our family life, our family unit.

The French Formula

What I Learned from the French About Extramarital Affairs

They were supposedly in “open marriages,” but the truth was more complicated

Where’s The Joy, Where’s The Pleasure?

According to research the elevated rate of depression continues to get worse and that one out of every three Americans…

Written by Fifty Writes