I'll Have A Number 1 with a Pellegrino

THE FRENCH CONTINUE to find ways to surprise me.

Today was a dreary, cold, rainy day on the Cote d'Azur so we decided...to go out! We thought a nice drive along the coast would be fun, especially if it included a quick stop at some popular shopping spots in Cannes. Despite the weather, we had a great time. And because we got a bit hungry around lunch time, we made our maiden voyage to a French (or maybe it's Belgian)hamburger place called Quick (think McDonalds, but less healthy). The food turned out to be pretty good for a fast food joint; the kids got magic boxes which are kind of like happy meals. I had a chicken sandwich, and Kerri had a salad.

But the surprising part of the meal came when I had to choose what beverage I wanted with my Menu Meal. When I looked to see what my choices were I noticed the standards -- Coke, Sprite, Fanta -- but then my eye caught a glimpse of a familiar green bottle with the blue label and the red star: Pellegrino! Loads of Pellegrino bottles lined up in the beverage refrigerator. Could it be that the French drink Pellegrino with their burgers and fries? I made a quick survey of the seating area and was stunned to see the number of people who passed on cola in favor of the beverage that Leonardo da Vinci himself called the 'miraculous water of Lombardy'. Is this how the French make fast-food up-scale?

It just didn't seem right to me. I ordered a Coke.