If you want to sum up the Norman character, there is a typical old country
saying : "Pt'etre ben q'si, pt'etre ben q'non.", which means "maybe yes, maybe no. The Norman type is a canny type who is happy to hesitate and to linger over a decision while he weighs up the pros and cons of the situation. He will not make up his mind in a hurry, no sir! Known as very stubborn ---tetu comme un Normand, the rest of France calls it-this can be infuriating for the other person, but it is an extremely effective bargain technique. Did you read Gustave Flaubert's "Madame Bovary"? There is a typical stubborn Norman character, Monsieur Rouault, the shrewd but lazy father and Norman "paysan" of the old school. , a formidable bargainers on market days, loving the tricks and haggling of the trade. There is another story of a Breton (from Brittany), who has four cows to sell, and taking them all 4 down to the first market day doing his best to get a good price for them. The idea is to get over with the transaction as quick and painless possible. But not so
our Norman friend. On the first market day, he will take one cow into town and have a good time selling her. He will ponder, plan and plot until the next market day, when he will bring out the second of the four cows and have another successful outing.This native talent for commerce, combined with the fabulous resources of the region, made Normandy prosper and change earlier than the other French provinces in the 19th century. An important factor was of course the Seine and adequate roads making a good connection with Paris very easy. Loads of fresh fish, seafood packed in seaweed, vegetables, fruit, butter and cream were daily transported to the capital.
The money errant was spent wisely, invested in building suitable houses and furnishing them in an appropriate manner. Normandy is known for its very solid and enduring quality, cupboards, dressers and clocks also. They even tend to be handsome. The most typical piece of Norman furniture is the "armoire ", the cupboard, traditionally presented as a wedding gift to a young couple by the bride's parents. It has pride of place in the living room and is used to store a family's most precious possession---linen, best clothes, souvenirs and relics. The woods used vary, often oak, pine near Caen, mahogany in the Manche.
The Norman sitting room is without fail impeccable and dominated by gleaming furniture shining with the patina that can only come from years of conscientious elbow grease. Cabinet-makers able to recreate to a high standard of skill the old pieces of the region's furniture can earn an honest living in Normandy today. Fellow Normans come to them to order just like the ones they were brought up with, the reassuring dressers, cupboards and clocks they saw as children in their grandparents' kitchens and dining rooms. Once a Norman, always a Norman.