Loving chocolate, I barely pay attention to other kinds of candy. The weekend I hosted my French pen pal, her two daughters, and sister, all that changed. One of my favorite sections in the local French grocery store is Confiserie/ Bonbons. Falling under the category of academic research, I regularly try all kinds of flavored chocolate, mostly dark. The weirdest one was dark chocolate with sesame seeds. It sounded better than it tasted. Dark chocolate salted caramel came in among the top five as well as dark chocolate orange, dark chocolate raspberry, dark chocolate pistachio, and just plain dark chocolate.
When Fanny age seven offered me the candy pictured to the right, I was taken aback. Why was she offering me pills? But no, the colored pills proved to be candy. I could see why a kid might like them. Fanny acquired these candy pills while on vacation with her aunt. Aunt Nadege offered me black licorice shaped like a snail. These I loved, but Fanny hated. Before she left, sister Wendy, age three, gave me more licorice as a parting gift.
Friends Gary and Ellen who visited me mid July seek out unusual candy wherever they travel. They couldn't find anything unusual in the French grocery store. I wondered where they could get the kind of candy offered by Fanny and Wendy. Wouldn't you know it, the very week after the departure of my pen pal's family, I discovered an amazing candy stall at the Monflanquin Thursday market. Must be a new addition for the summer. As you can see from the photos, the variety is stunning. Behold, the candy pills and licorice snails among the choices. With gleeful abandon, I started to fill my candy bag. Total for the bonbons, 50 euros. Oops. Out of my budget. Luckily the kind vendor told me I could easily change the desired amount. I left the market feeling like the proverbial kid in a candy shop.
Fascinating to spend the weekend with two little French girls. Some childhood behaviors must be universal. Grave concern about boo boos and sleeping in new places. The desire to touch merchandise in stores. I must confess I still do this. The love of coloring and the little girl attraction to pretty and pink. How affectionate Fanny and Wendy are! Fanny insisted we hold hands whenever we left the house. She drew sweet heart drawings for me and my friend Diana. Wendy let me hold her. She also wanted to see my pyjamas. I was in heaven. Of course, they had their melt downs too. Totally normal. Fanny and Wendy eat really well. No avoidance of vegetables. What really cracked me up was their desire to put butter on radishes and slices of ham. We are not talking a pat of butter here. I must agree. Delicious flavorful French butter makes everything better.
Our sweet weekend came to an end. The two little girls said good-bye with "Je t'aime, Giselle."
Awww. Je t'aime Fanny and Wendy.
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| My friend Christine love these. There is a surprise in the middle. |
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