Matt's underused Californian umbrella didn't survive the Parisian wind, while he works on his "bof" expression on the advice of the Paris region's tourism board web campaign C'est so Paris and its guide on communicating with the grumpy locals. The Guardian has a recap. Excerpt:

How the bof and plop will make you look like a native in Paris

The bof: ram your lower lip upwards and the corners of your mouth downwards, while raising your shoulders and eyebrows. Translation: "Bof!" The C'est So Paris site rather unkindly says that this is used to "deny knowledge, agreement or responsibility". I prefer to think of the untranslatable "Bof!" as an expression of benign cosmopolitan irony in the face of a patently absurd universe. Rigorous practice may inculcate this enviable spirit of Gallic Zen.

To play the "attitude game" with French people: click here.