Thursday, May 03, 2007

Petits morceaux de France

I spent this last week in France, dividing time between Paris and Monaco, which explains why I haven't posted anything on my blog in awhile, and which led to these morsels of thought.

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The yogurt in France is so creamy and delicious that it's no wonder they feel the need to ease their guilt by studding it with cholesterol medication. I'm just wondering what happens to a foolish American tourist who downs four cartons of the stuff all at once.

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It's a good thing they don't have Coca-Cola Light in this country. I’m having a hard enough time controlling my Diet Coke addiction as it is without them throwing that dangerously tasty brew into the mix.

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Beautiful old buildings that give Paris its characteristic charm and evoke the early 20th century: great for city ambience, scary as hospitals.

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Getting rid of all public toilets in fact does not eliminate the human need to urinate.

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I don’t understand the foie gras controversy. You could force-feed me baguettes all day long without a whimper of complaint.

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The contrast between French waiters, whose tips are for the most part already included in the bill and who often seem annoyed to serve, and American waiters, who work for tips and really try to satisfy their customers, really speaks to the power of positive incentive. It makes me think that more positive encouragement and feedback in the over-critical world of medicine could go a long ways.

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Smoke-free DC was a great idea. Air never felt so breathable.

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Please tell me that fruit tarts count as one of my recommended daily servings of fruit.

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It's possible to forget an awful lot of medicine in one week.