Last week I had a “study break,” which basically means I didn’t have class and ate my way through Paris.

I went to Paris last semester and I was sad I only had two days to explore, so I went back! Plus, I needed to go somewhere worthwhile in order to cope with not being in Austin for SXSW. When I first got to Denmark I thought it would be weird to miss out on the festival because that’s what spring break has meant for the past two years, but surprisingly it wasn’t as bad as I expected. This was the first time I felt that I was so far away from home. I wasn’t even close enough to Austin to be as distraught as I expected myself to be.

Yet, I obviously felt at home in Paris because the amount of pastries I consumed daily could probably equate to 3 Gourdoughs donuts. The only difference is that I felt good about myself after getting 3 pain au chocolat for 2.15 euros at Brioche Doree. Like why wouldn’t I get that deal? The only thing I felt bad about was not eating solely at local bakeries, but then I realized I had done both… because I ate so much. There was a day where I bought pastries at 4 different bakeries. This was the same day I went to a fondue restaurant. Clearly, mistakes were made.

Actually, I deserved it. I spent an exhausting day climbing around Monmartre and the Louvre.

I always say I would love to live in Paris, but that could be problematic considering I’m pretty sure I gained 5 pounds from those 3 days. I’m telling you, it got to the point where the French-speaker I was with stopped ordering for me in order to cut me off. I was definitely still at the legal limit.

From these days of indulgence I realized that France and America are actually quite similar if you want to talk about all of the delicious fatty foods that aren’t good for you.

Let’s be honest, what would France and America be without Mcdonald’s or McDo!? There aren’t self-service order machines for nothing in Paris.

Even the grocery stores felt more like home considering Denmark has strict laws on food. I always feel like I’m eating healthy even though i’m buying the budget brand. It’s literally called Budget. The only questionable item from Budget I’ve had are the Bacon Chips, which are basically pork rinds. But to be honest, aren’t all pork rinds generally a questionable food? If Bacon Chips can exist in Denmark, why can’t Lay’s Poulet chips?

I may have gone a little overboard in Paris, but the prices were too good for me not to indulge and obviously too delicious. Next week I go to London with class where I will actually be doing academic things, but probably a lot of eating too. Bring on the fish and chips.