I know Easter was a couple weeks ago, but this short vignette is prompted by a lovely birthday package that I received a few days ago from dear American friend. She sent me a whole collection of little treats from home, including (for purely cultural reasons, she assured me) a package of orange Peeps.

Peeps, rather like Jello, inspire some interesting questions. For starters, "What are they?" Or, "Who actually eats them?" My sister and I never liked them, but we did like putting them in the microwave and watching them magically blow up.

My mom likes roasting Peeps over our fire pit in the back yard. She claims the colored sugar coating caramelizes just like crème brûlée . Well, as you all know, I've spent too much time in France to let that kind of analogy slip by without a giant internal groan... Peeps like crème brûlée?? But, I suppose burnt sugar is burnt sugar. The idea of a burnt, gooey Peep maybe sandwiched between two graham cracker halves with some melty dark chocolate is much more appealing than the irregularly-shaped, oddly-colored, puffy sugar chicken could ever be on its own.

When Yves saw the package of orange Peeps, he (surprisingly) didn't have to be told what they were. He knew he'd found candy and instantly started begging to try them. I said, like any good American-pretending-to-be-French-pretending-to-be-a-mom would say, "After you eat your dinner."

The after-dinner conversation that ensued had me in tears. (If you find the following dialogue even moderately funny or are curious about the "chocolate bells" bit, you should check out David Sedaris's story about explaining Easter in beginner French in Me Talk Pretty One Day.)

So, without further ado... Yves and Samira on Peeps:

Yves: "Are they supposed to have a taste?"

Samira: "What is this? Cheese?"

Yves: "There isn't anything inside. It tastes like air."

Samira: "I don't like this. ... Look I ate it's little foot!!"

Yves: "Do you really eat these?"

Me: "The Easter Bunny brings them to a lot of children in the United States."

Yves: "But you live in France."

Me: "No. I lived in France for two years, but I lived the whole rest of my life in the United States."

Yves: "Your whole life?? Could the Easter Bunny find you to bring you these when you lived in France?"

Me: "There actually isn't an Easter Bunny in France. Chocolate clocks fly in from Rome in Italy with the Easter candy."

Yves: "That's silly. ... I don't want any more of this. Well, maybe the chocolate eyes..."

Samira: "Brianne, breeeeanne."

Me: "Yes, Samira?"

Samira: "This is yucky." (spits slobbery peepgoo out of mouth)

Yves: "Can I have an apple instead?"

Yes. Yes, you can have an apple instead.