Ham junkie
One of first the things that first struck me when I moved here was the national addiction to three main foodstuffs ... bread, cheese and ham. While no-one would begrudge the French for their amazing abilities in the soft-cheese and bread department, getting used to consuming their not-as-good-as-italian ham in equal quantity takes more getting used to. Over time though my appreciation has grown. In the UK I would have maybe purchased ham very occassionally from the local butchers. Now, in France, if there's no ham in the fridge - it's a domestic emergency! This recently struck me doubly so after I moved to a quartier of Strasbourg that is heavily populated by the Jewish community. It came as a bit of a shock to discover that it was practically impossible to buy ham within half a mile of home. Lamb - no problem, Ham - no way. But I'm not addicted, I can take it or leave it, honest...