Sugar-Coated Country

If you have a sweet tooth, France is the place to be. Sure, you can get sugary goods anywhere in the world, but just look at this picture I took at a salon du thé/chocolatier/ pâtisserie in Amboise. Clearly, French people have making desserts down to an art. What's more, these kind of stores are everywhere, and they're simply filled to the brim with all kinds of treats that will tempt even those on the strictest of no-carb diets.

Though a more traditional option, pâtisseries aren't the only places that will help you get your sugar fix. In fact, French Supermarchés are loaded with goodies of all kinds. Their cookie and candy aisles are an indecisive sweet tooth's worst nightmare. You've never seen so many different interpretations of the simple butter cookie in your entire life. And don't even think about trying to decide on a chocolate bar as there's pretty much a different one for each day of the year. I generally prefer salty snacks, but I must admit that even I have been known to linger in such aisles, trying in vain to decide on just one new yummy treat to bring home.

Despite their name, Supermarchés are often small compared to their American counterparts. Nevertheless, our cookie and candy aisles have nothing on theirs. Despite the vast array of less-than-healthy snacks, we all know that most Frenchmen and Frenchwomen have managed to maintain their famously thin figures. It might have something to do with the size of the sweets that are available to them. Though I have seen rich chocolate tarts, coconut flavored cookies, and sticky caramel candies, I have yet to see anything carrying the label "King-Size."