day 3-the most delicious meal in McDonald's I have ever had

Tired of not knowing what to do, we (or I, single-handedly?) decided to grab sandwiches from a bakery we saw earlier in one of the narrow winding streets. With them in a bag, we were back where we were: we didn't know where to eat them. There wasn't an inch of dry space in this downpour, and we needed fluid to smooth the crusty bread down our throat. Going back to the hotel twenty minutes away seemed ridiculous, and it wouldn't solve the fluid problem. Still not knowing exactly where to eat them, we headed toward the bus terminal, next to which I remembered seeing a McDonald's, a bright hope for two steaming cups of American coffee.

After some clumsy hustle in French, the "cafe' americaine" showed up. The cups were significantly larger than those of their espresso cousins, but they were only slightly larger than an American yogurt cup for babies. Intuition took us to an obscure table in a corner. I sipped my coffee. And glanced around. "Let's have them here. Nobody's going to notice." I said. Patrick seemed anxious. "The sandwiches are about the same size as their burgers, and they are wrapped in paper. And obviously they don't walk around the place to clean up the tables or anything." I pushed. Indeed, many of the tables were loaded with wrappings and greasy napkins from someone's Christmas feasts. I picked up one from the bag, and handed it to Patrick, who managed to stretch his facial muscles into something that remotely looked like an accomplice's smile. I picked up the other for myself, unwrapped it, and took a bite.

It was the unbeatable best meal that I have ever had in McDonald's.

Between the halves of a crusty bread was the local specialty: salad nicoise with boiled eggs, anything-but-greasy chunks of tuna, absolutely fresh tomatoes, and green peppers, tossed in dressing with a refreshing acid edge. The sandwich once again proved our suspicion: in France, even a snacky meal bought in haste can be, and indeed tends to be, extremely tasty and satisfying. It wasn't anywhere near what could be called a real meal, which we were craving for after more than a day of on-the-go type meals and skipped meals, but it did contribute to improving our mood and spirit. Of course caffeine did its work as well.
monster fish
Originally uploaded by uBookworm.