by Austin Girl http://www.austingirlblog.blogspot.com In Castelnaudary, France, there are no Starbucks - only bars. I visited one such bar appropriately named: ‘The Caffe’ Bar.” It serves beer, whiskey and wine. Locals drink the “stop-your-heart” espresso shots in the morning and either beer or Pastis, at night. Pastis is a favorite among the French. The French must have a warped fetish for licorice. Watered down, I could not stomach Pastis. Drunk, I could not stomach Pastis. The preferred way to drink this liqueur is watered down -- my preferred way is NOT. Eschew. Avoid. Just say no. Stay far, far away unless you want to have licorice nightmares. The aromatic, sharply pungent chewy smell of licorice conjures up haunting memories, ugly, nasty haunting memories… the kind of memories that rise to the surface and pop like a
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