It is often said, "The Brits love France, but not the French, whilst the French love the Brits but not Britain"
Is it true? In principle I think, yes.
Why? British attitudes to the French probably result from meeting Parisians, who can be very aloof and cold. As a proportion, far less French people have been across the channel than Brits, so their image of Britain is not first hand. To many French, Britain is cold, nearly always cloudy and foggy, and usually raining. By Britain they mean England; not knowing the physical and political relationship between the countries of Britain or the United Kingdom.
Anyway, let us have a look at your typical Frenchman (or woman).....
Stop! There is no such thing. France is a huge country, over 1000km from Calais in the north to Port Bou on the Spanish border. The people of the south have a latin temperament, akin to the Spanish and Italian, whilst in the north, the temperament is more like the Anglo-Saxon. The southern, latin, temperament is a multi-tasking one - coping easily with having a conversation, eating, answering the telephone and watching TV all at the same time.
One thing is sure - you will never get to grips with the timekeeping system! Whether for a business meeting, or for dinner, a degree of lateness seems almost compulsory. But not always! Having finally adjusted to arriving for dinner with friends about 20 minutes to half an hour after the appointed time, we have, more than once arrived to find everybody waiting for us. So, the best advice really is to arrive pretty much on time, not early, but not too late.
Another thing about a French Dinner Party - go to the loo before you arrive. Asking to use the "bathroom" is generally not done - your hostess will not have tidied and cleaned it. The French have incredible bladder control!