Coming back from six weeks of work in Europe and having driven from meeting to meeting during 20+ days—first around Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Jerez), then France (Paris, Banyuls, Perpignan, Montpellier, Nice), and finally Italy (Genoa, Modena, Milan), stopping by hotels, restaurants, and bodega-type shops in each city—it was startling to see the contrast between how the French on one side and the Spaniards/Italians on the other react to someone who appears to be a foreigner.
I naturally do not look very French from the outside and happened to have been traveling with an American friend through part of the French and Italian portions of the trip. He did not look very French either. We spoke English.
The number of French restaurants we had reservations at (which I had made), arrived perfectly on time for, and yet were either greeted coldly or simply told that the "kitchen was closed" despite the fact it obviously wasn’t, was staggering. We arrived at each of these places looking like we did not belong, likely could be heard not speaking French, and triggered a negative reaction from the venue: we were bothering the establishment. Only after I started interacting in French, with a French accent, and signaling that it did not come from a heavy use of Rosetta Stone but rather because I knew the culture as well as our hosts, due to being born and raised in France, did the situations slowly ease up and people started to "look into what can be done." In most instances, though, we were made to feel like one was doing us a favor. Had I not been French, three out of four times, we would not have been served.
This contrasts with the Spanish and Italian experiences, where people seemed happy to welcome those who might be spending money on multiple dishes and some wine.
Having left France in 2004 and coming back since several times a year for a few days, I had never felt so vividly that the French seem to have evolved inward, with what appeared to be a clear distaste for what is not French. The current politics of the country might be another indication of this "replis identitaire" (a retreat into a narrow sense of cultural identity).
And yes, not all French are alike, some are very opened and welcoming etc... BUT, during these specific 10+ days, it was hard for the French person in me to not feel a sense of shame, seeing how the perceived non-French were treated on the regular.