I don’t think everyone hates rats. Pizza rat from NYC was quite the cult, underdog hero for awhile thanks to YouTube!

I was being facetious, since I assume every Nutella lover knows it's made with hazelnuts. At least that's what they claim. They don't say where the nuts are from or how much nut they use.

The French Nutella riots made it on the evening news in NYC tonight. Someone cut the price by 70% and you'd think it was Black Friday. The video footage was astounding. Apparently, not all French care about what they put into their mouths. Lots of people crawling over lots of other people to get there hands on some sweet, chocolate Crisco. What a great publicity stunt for Nutella. I wish someone would drop the price of La Mer by 70%. I'm up for a worthwhile riot.

Yes they do. 13% hazelnuts from mostly Turkey. 55% sugar (from France!). You just can't trust those Italians.

Compare that to Caffarel's Gianduia 1865, with 40% I.G.P. Piedmont Hazelnuts, the best hazelnut money can buy. Stunning and delicious. Don't you dare put this on a rat trap.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fa6a97ec83.png

I saw in the news today about the rat problem in Paris , the sewers flooding has driven many of them above ground .

I kind of think they are cute but I under the health issues mentioned .

Another favorite. Never leave Florence without a few jars. These make amazing gifts. Always receive a thank-you note from recipients. Not recommended for rat traps (although I'm sure they'd love it).

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2a6e9030fc.png

ibobi will remove this as it has nothing to do with rats, he will start a new thread with nutella as the header :) I will try and save with a word about rats. Paris Adele is someone I follow on facebook, she takes the most beautiful pictures. She said they are very visible once the sun goes down. The nest along the river are flooded. I am sad as we planned an evening boat cruise. They have shut down. More alarming is the moving of art from many galleries and the metro is being closed on some lines.
This stuff looks so yummy. I have never been a nutella fan. I just want my malle mayo. I love that stuff and can't buy here in the states. Hoping the butter crisis is over also.

How many posts about rats does one rat thread need? You either hate them and want them dead or you like them and want to play with them, or worse, eat them.

I sure hope the new admin aren't going to get all controlling. Controlling travel boards are the bane of the industry.

Certain subjects shouldn't require strictness of topic. Rats are one such subject. Also, if I'm the OP and I say it's alright to veer off-topic, then it should be alright. If another OP doesn't wish to be so open-minded, then they can go to admin and complain.

The ability to please various personalities in a democratic manner is not rocket science. Some people run a travel board without one gram of self-effacing humor, without any sense of humor at all. Those boards are AWFUL.

I can't imagine my life of travel without the laughs, and I don't want to imagine it, either. If you need to, iBobi, read this post more than once.

Macross - what is "malle mayo"? Going to France this spring and I'm intrigued.

Boots

I think Macross meant:

Maille Mayonnaise

It's available on Amazon.com

My son always brings back Creme de Marons cream from France - prefer it over Nutella.

Germany has special Rathauses - in honor of rats. One in every city.

Careful, Macross. iBobi has declared that discussing moderation anywhere on these forums is a bannable offense. (Yes, really.) I would hope that he would warn all posters about this in an official way.

Yes, Maille. I buy the small jars but it is in the refrigerator section. You think it doesn't need refrigeration if ordered from amazon? I guess if it is canned it should be ok. Our base commissary sells the honey mustard cheap btw. We buy the roasted chicken and make chicken salad with leftovers. So yummy. Adrian Leed's is even talking about the rats in her blog today. 16 different parasites. I did see where the boats are in danger on the river. Current is so swift and the boats are tied but could smash into the bridges if they got away. I need to pack hip waders or my wellies. Just joking.

"I bet the reason no one is mentioning London in this admittedly unscientific roundup is the rise of urban foxes there."

I think the real reason is that none of us can understand anyone worrying about rats.

On the rare occasions I've looked at the rails in a Tube station, there's always been a rat scurrying about between them. I've had serious business meetings interrupted by the arrival of rat-catchers: the last time was with a Hong Kong-based potential buyer of our global empire. She was amused at our embarrassment.

Never quite decided whether that's because the problem was so common in their HK office - or because she was puzzled we weren't catching the rats ourselves and turning them into a tasty stir-fry.

With or without Nutella?

Nobody "worries" about a single rat or two scurrying around railway tracks. Sightings like that are about as common as cigarette butts or men peeing in some corner. Worry may enter the brain when you see hundreds of rats scurrying towards you on the street. That scene is out of some horror movie. No one's romantic vision of Paris.

Is that a regular site in Paris or just because of floods?

Not sure how anyone defines regular, but when the water rises enough to flood the nests, the rats have to go somewhere. Since the water level can elevate for weeks/months at a time, rat swarms can appear quite often, especially in early morning or late at night.

So rats are always around - especially at night when streets are deserted. There are no more now than ever. What's the crisis? Besides seeing something you often don't in normal times. Are rat-linked illnesses rife in Paris?

Much ado about nothing?

Maybe should be alarmed more by Paris' terrible air pollution especially when levels reach those of Beijing as nearly have in past. Pollution must kill or make more ill than rats.