Nothing screams New Orleans' French influence as much as Café Du Monde, the venerable coffee stand in the French Quarter.  For it was New Orleans where coffee was first brought to North America in the 1700s by the French, who began to settle along the Mississippi.

Since 1862, Café Du Monde has been serving its unique coffee and chicory blend along with the highly acclaimed beignets, another French import of  square fried dough generously sprinkled with powdered sugar.

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With a tip of our beret to blog viewers from France and French-speaking Canada, we serve up this Dr Pepper commercial that premiered in Quebec last year.  The ad, which has fun with the product's medical connection, reminds the viewer: "Dr Pepper, c'est juste de la liqueur" ("Dr Pepper, it's only a soft drink").

http://youtu.be/_ew6HGuhCEU