No-one mentioned Serge Gainsbourg... (also reminds me of their simmering anti-semitism, poor Cap'n Dreyfus)
On the plus side, again, General Humbert
Or any of the hundreds of painters
Or any of the legion of film directors (or should that be 'cineastes')
Or the world's best health service
Emile Zola, Honoré de Balzac, Raymond Queneau, Marcel Proust, Gustave Flaubert, Georges Perec, Louis-Ferdinand Céline and volumes & volumes of writers..
Lots & lots of beautiful women and probably even handsome men (but is that not down to all the Italian/Spanish/North African genes about the place?)
L'académie Francaise with its paranaoia regarding English and, semble-t-il, 60 million members (try speaking your schoolboy French to any native..)

Apart from that - the miracle of continuing to be the world's No.1 tourist destination despite the fact that someone translated the American motto: 'The customer is always right' into 'ze customer eez a piece of shite'
Returning to Ireland from here I am taken aback my 1st few days by the lack of surliness and even outright friendliness of people in shops/pubs etc. Granted, Laurent - I agree that it's the same for 'les autochtones' too..
Oh and, they most likely produce so many chemists as they're the biggest shower of hypocondriacs this side of... er .... em... the statue o' liberty