Things French people buy at Christmas

It's that time of year again, when the French grocery store is overtaken by rich foods that will be gobbled up during the holidays.  This is a country known for its food so no wonder the foodiest of holidays is  a major eating fest.  And while a typical American holiday meal will consist of ham or turkey and an assortment of sides, the French tend to go with seafood or totally rich foie gras.  Check out what I found in my aisles last Saturday.

What better to serve your foie gras on than these cute little toasts!  Frankly the duck paté is too rich for me.  Only in small quantities, please!

Smoked salmon is often served as a starter.  This is not actually cooked in the true sense of the word but literally smoked beforehand and then eaten cold.  Finally a dish I can get behind.

Special aluminum dishes for cooking your snails.  Covered in garlicky butter sauce, of course.  Not really my favorite.

Dessert is a subject I'm more interested in.  The famous "bûche de Noël" is a cake shaped like a log and usually made by rolling up a sheet cake with a filling inside.  Often covered with a butter frosting;

The "galette des Rois", or Kings' cake is filled with applesauce or an almond paste.  The person who gets the little ceramic figurine in his piece is the "king" and gets to wear the crown.

Look who I found in my shopping cart!  Perched on the cat litter boxes!  

Happy eating!PS: I'll be eating in the US this Christmas, by the way, and couldn't be happier!