Fighting the "Mean Reds" with a Croissant

If you've seen or read Breakfast at Tiffany's, you know that whenever Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) got a case of the "Mean Reds," as she called her horrid moods, disgruntledness, etc., she would buy coffee and a croissant and eat them in front of the magnificent window at Tiffany's. (Incidentally, that famous scene at the beginning of the movie was one of the hardest to film, according to Hepburn.)

Well, so I woke up with a good case of the Mean Reds this morning, most likely incurred by too many impending article/book deadlines. It was a beautiful morning--a most inappropriate morning to have the Mean Reds, so I thought a natural way to kick them was a quick trip to La Chateleine, one of my favorite bakeries in C-town, and most importantly, a five-minute walk from our house. (I love the cheery "Bonjour" that you are always greeted with when you walk in the door there.) Sure enough, that freshly-baked chocolate croissant tasted heavenly, the Mean Reds left my body, and the croissant's soft, flaky texture soothed the sore throat that's been bothering me all week. The pastry was gone by the time I returned home, but my cup of coffee was not, so I got to sip a nice French Roast for the rest of the morning.

Lesson learned: Authentic chocolate croissants can drive out demons.