Yo Patriot, maybe it's cuz no one told them they need to tip?? Ever been to Europe? Judging from how culturally tolerant you are, I'm guessing no. Tips are included in the bill. My Italian uncle, on his first visit to the US, went to little corner cafe after cafe stiffing the waitstaff. He didn't realize until then that he was supposed to tip, and he felt so bad that he went back to every cafe he could remember and tried to find the person who waited on him so he could tip them.
Now the French may be a bunch of pricks, but they'll usually only show that side if you act like a dumbass American. And I have to say, most of the Americans I deal with on a day to day basis are complete douchebags.
Anyways, moral of the story, you should recognize cultural differences, and speedos are gross and ruin vacations.
Peace.