leggo of my balisto!

A really strange thing happened to me on the way home from class today. As I was walking through Guillotière, Lyon's version of the 10th arrondissement/the South Bronx, a South Asian girl who was about 8 years old started walking next to me. I could tell she was trying to talk to me, but I was listening to my iPod and knew she was probably begging, so I kept walking. But after half a block, I took out my headphones, and she asked for something I couldn't understand in broken French. The only word I could understand was "chocolat", referring to the delicious Balisto bar I had in hand.

Balisto and I have formed a very close bond in the 3 months we've known each other. We were introduced on my Lufthansa flight to Berlin back in February, and we've been inseparable ever since. Now, while I dearly love the green and white wrapper varieties, the orange has a special place in my heart. I've had a hard time finding it here in France, but when I passed by Schlecker today to pick up a new bottle of hair conditioner, I saw it on the bottom shelf of the candy isle. I don't need to tell you how excited I was.

Now, back to my story. Needless to say, I wasn't very enthused by the idea of giving this little girl any part of my Balisto bar. It was the hour for goûter, and all I wanted was to enjoy the chocolate-covered cereal bar in peace. As I raised my headphone to my ear, the girl shook my arm, and when I still didn't stop, planted her feet directly in my path, forcing me to circle around her. Finally, she let me go, but it was certainly one of the more bizarre experiences I've had here in Lyon. That'll teach me to eat Balisto's in plain sight.