I don't know if you've all heard of the Carambar, but for those of you who know the yellow and bright red wrapped caramel treat, you would surely understand that there is much that is undiscovered about the 10 cent candy. And it's surely undeservedly unappreciated.

A thin piece of brown caramel about 8 cm long and half a centimeter in diameter, Carambar started off in 1954 as Caram'Bar, it first cost 0.05 FRF, or just about 0.7 Euro cents (which was probably rather expensive then). By the time it became rather popular in the 70s, there were fruity (strawberry, orange and lemon) versions, and in 84 there arrived the Cola version. At present, there are even more: Carambar Orangina (after the drink), Atomic (really sour), Titeuf (after a very socially confused cartoon character), two flavoured (strawberry banana and tutti frutti-lime), Apple, Grenadine, and even an ice-cream counterpart. And that's just the beginning of the fun with these 10-cent delights, now fabricated in part with Cadbury Schweppes.

It was an ingenious idea concieved in 1969 to add in the inner wrapping some jokes that were sent from children (and some considerably older than 9). And despite the jokes being as tepid as the water that you splash your feet in before you go into a pool, they're a fun addition nonetheless. So if you peel the wrapping with care, you're sure to see a joke printed in faded red in the inside, and if you're lucky, you'll be able to read another one, since all the jokes are printed on the wrapping paper and they're cut by a machine that might cut so that you get two jokes instead of one.

And while a 10 cent treat (or a 0.7 cent one then) might not sound wonderful, 300 million sold within 5 years is certainly something to remember. Apparently 98% of French people know the candy, and around the world there are 700 million sold each year.

What I like most about it is the simplicity. It's a simple brown stick if it can be so bluntly called that, but it lasts forever in your mouth (unless, of course, you find out they've pulled out your dentures, in which case you shouldn't be eating Carambar in the first place, or if they've stuck to your braces, in which case you should look like a complete idiot.) You can bend it if you've kept it in your pocket for a while, or in the winter you can break it into two and savour it that way. (If you do keep it in your pocket, the chances of you being able to read the joke diminishes significantly).

So, while you may come for a visit to Paris or some kiosk in Europe, be sure to stop and look for that bright yellow stick with a pink border. It might be easy to overlook, but once you've fallen in love with it, you'll probably end up having to buy the family pack.

Another formidable reportage from the streets of Paris brought to you by Kines, also known as the true diarist.

Written on Tuesday, October 12 at 8:27 PM