Friday, October 20, 2006

Carambars

Carambars satisfy my sweet tooth like nothing else. Similar to a Sugar Daddy, these have the same teeth-pulling stickiness with the added bonuses of cheesy jokes printed on the wrappers and a point-collecting system to get your very own Carambar paraphernalia. For the record, I have obtained the Carambar T-shirt, though I would never admit it to my dentist! Today I had this joke:
Qu'est-il écrit dans les bus italiens?
Ne parlez pas au chauffeur, il a besoin de ses mains.


What is written in Italian buses?
Don't speak to the driver, he needs his hands.

and this question (which made me think of Trezeguet):
C'est quoi le pire?
Rater un penalty en finale de coupe du monde
OU battre le record du monde du 100 mètres sans que ça se sache?


Which is worse?
Missing a penalty in the final of the World Cup, or beating the world record in the 100m sprint without anyone knowing?

My favorite carambars are the original caramel ones, though the fruit ones and the Orangina ones aren't so bad. Also, at L'epi Dupin in the 6th I once had a Carambar tarte. While it was an interesting idea, I prefer Carambars in their original form.

If you want to read some more of their cheesy jokes without having to worry about cavities, check out the "Blag-o-matic" on the official Carambar site [FR].

As a side note, I felt less ashamed of my Carambar addiction when I noticed that in the film l'Ivresse du Pouvoir, Isabelle Huppert's character, a judge nicknamed "the piranha" (based on the real Eva Joly), was constantly chewing on Carambars as she unraveled a web of corruption. See, Carambars aren't just for kids, AND even serious important characters in movies eat them. Neener-neener-neener.

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, I stumbled across your blog looking for 'Coup de Boule' lyrics, and I was wondering if you could give me a list of good French singers/bands that you know? I know a few already, but I want to get some names from a young person living in France. My French teacher isn't exactly the one to go to.

Also, I know you're American, but are you of French background? Etienne Marcel sounds extremely French, so I was just wondering.

Etienne said...

I think the only current French rock album I own is Kyo, so I'm not sure what to tell you. Most of my French music is either rap (Diam's, MC Solaar, Akhenaton, IAM, etc), "classics" like Brel, or really cheesy pop (Star Academy compilations). I would browse amazon.fr or fnac.fr and listen to the samples of their bestsellers. Star Academy, the French version of American Idol, comes out with a few compilations every year. While the quality might be questionable, and the CDs are mostly pop, maybe they'll give you a good overview and help you find a few favorites. Also, there are a bunch of French radio stations online, like http://www.ouifm.fr/

Anonymous said...

Check out Refectoire in the 11th for their Carambar dessert.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the links, and I'll be sure to check out Kyo. I've already got some songs by MC Solaar, Akhenaton, IAM, and 3ème Oeil. A few of my friends went to France over the summer and they picked up a CD from fnac called Un Homme Sans Racines by Gérald De Palmas. You should check him out, he's pretty good. Also, Lorie is a decent pop artist, since you seem to be into that kind of thing.

Anonymous said...

My wife's mother works at the factory (la Pie Qui Chante - http://www.prodimarques.com/sagas_marques/la_pie_qui_chante/la_pie_qui_chante.php) where they make Carambars. Right near Lille in Marcq-en-Baroeul. (I am American and she is Frenchm by the way).

I also recommend the Mi-Cho-Kos. Even better than Carambars, IMO.

As for music. For cool old stuff check out the "French Cuts" collection. http://www.panatomic.de/content/releases (click on the links for the tracklists)

For hot new stuff, check out http://www.myspace.com/edbangerrecords [this is the label that is killing right now - artists are in the "friends space" - Justice and DJ Mehdi are the most well known]

BellaLombarda said...

Mium Mium! I do miss Carambars! As to music, there are also such artists as Carla Bruni, Zazie, and Tryo. Carla Bruni is practically iconic. Zazie got a cool sound (according to me anyway), and Tryo is hilarious and of the rock genre (I think). They sing such songs as Desolee pour Derniere soir and Monsieur Bibedum (spelling).